This reptilian-themed Bobber marked a new beginning for not just the beat up iron cast engine but also for Mohit Chawda.
Mohit Chawda is a spiritual man who’s deeply attached to his roots and culture. His beliefs often propagate out in form of his creations. His first bike – Shaheen – was named after a white falcon that flies higher and faster than any other flying creature. That was in 2015-16 when Chawda was building bikes under the banner of Deccan Custom Motorcycles in Hyderabad. Since then, he moved back to his hometown in Chattisgarh where he came up with his latest creations – “Naaga – the old soul.”
Check out Mohit Chawda’s previous creation under the banner of Deccan Custom Motorcycles: Shaheen.
The old beaten up bike was picked up in 2010 at an army auction and in 2017, Chawda gave this beauty a new lease of life. Since the bike was a veteran of the Cobra Battalion, they decided to call it ‘Naaga – the old soul.’ The bike took seven months to get completed but when you look at it, you’ll know why it took this long; the attention to detail is impeccable. And building this bike in the small town of Jagdalpur didn’t help the cause either. However, despite the lack of availability of parts in the small town, Chawda made the best of whatever he had at his disposal (like he always does) and recuperated this 1978 military disposed Royal Enfield.
Mohit Chawda didn’t simply give a new birth to the bike, he also rechristened his design house. Deccan Custom Motorcycles, which was started by Mohit Chawda in 2014 in the hills of Hyderabad is now rebranded as 36 Moto – named after his home state of Chattisgarh (where ‘Chattis’ means 36).
Take a closer look at the first-ever creation of 36 Moto:
Bike: Naaga
Creator: Mohit Chawda – 36 Moto
Style: Old-school Bobber
Theme: Reptilian Bobber
Chassis:
The chassis isn’t tinkered with. It’s still completely stock. However, it carries a custom swingarm.
Handlebar:
C-curve handlebar for that classic look.
Engine:
Royal Enfield 350cc iron block engine. But the custom made straight barrel exhaust pipe gives it a distinct growl. The K&N air filter does help a bit.
Tank:
Sportster Peanut.
Gauges, levers and switches:
To achieve a clutter-free look, the fuel gauge has been done away with. The switches are retro styled. The clutch lever, brake lever as well as the grips are custom made out of brass.
Headlight:
It consists of a projector head lamp.
Seat:
A retro-style custom seat finished in leather; the dark brown colour gives it a quintessential old look.
Gear:
It has a hand shifter, as was the case in early 1900s. The shifter is finished in wood which add a different texture to the entire ensemble. This is topped with an engraved glass which reads the words 36 Moto. Don’t miss the hand-made brass cobra – an ode to the Cobra Battalion – wrapped around the hand shifter’s vertical column.
Wheels:
Thirteen-wheel alloy wheels front and back. The front is 19” while the rear rests at 15”. The rear wheels wear 130 section cobra pattern tyres.
Tail light:
As is always the case is Mr. Chawda, he always installs his tail lights in the most unsual of places. This time, the custom tail light is sandwiched between the footrest and the wrapped exhaust pipe.
Paintjob:
A two-tone snake skin pattern paint job is done to go with the reptilian theme of the bike.
Most of the parts are salvaged from the scrapyard. This particular build was more challenging considering the resources offered at the location of the build.
Since building Naaga, Mohit has moved back to Hyderabad setting up a bigger warehouse. Once things are operational in few weeks’ time, expect bigger and better things from the banner of 36 Moto.
