Royal Enfield bobber is modified in subtle ways

Fenders seem to hug the wheels.

Here's more information about the bobbed 2001 Royal Enfield Bullet that caught my attention in a CraigsList ad in Portland, Ore.

Tom Benoit, the seller, asked his collaborator, Nick Poznanski of NXS Street Machines, Las Vegas, Nev., to fill us in.

Ready for paint.

The ad mentions that the fenders and seat are original, but modified. That provides an authentic look. There is more to this unusual machine than that, however.

"There are way more mods on the bike than stated (in the ad)," Nick advised.

"The tool boxes have been cut down 1 inch to give them a slimmer look, all the electronics are concealed in the left box for a cleaner look. The battery was located lower and behind the swing arm; the coil and chain oiler box also were repositioned.

Tool boxes are cut down to slim the bike.

"The front fender was lowered and the rear fender was mounted to the swing arm.

"There is also a custom pipe that I built. The funny thing about the pipe was when we first ran it, it sounded like it was a lawn mower. But as we ran it more, it finally sounded better and seemed to run a little bit better, due to the baffle inside.

"The bike was a fun project and Tom was a sport to give full rein on the mods that I did, with his approval. It is definitely one of a kind."

Tom said he feels that one of the best modifications was thinning up the tool boxes, "to put them in proportion with the rest of the bike."

"We decided to remove most of the Royal Enfield markings from the bike, but I found the 'Bullet' insignias on eBay and had them shipped in from India.  They are silver and fit perfectly on the tool boxes," Tom wrote.

He said the new exhaust gives a "heavier" tone, but is not obnoxious.

Asking price in the ad is $4,000.

Nick said his vision of the bike was of a '60s or '70s hot rod, with a vintage and yet stock look. Using stock parts helped stay within the budget, too.

"Started working on cars and bikes when I was 15; been a car nut since I was little and grew up in Carteret, N.J., which was a hot rod town — everybody had either a muscle car or hot rod of some kind," Nick wrote.

"I've built many bikes and cars through the years, mostly Harleys."

It still looks like a Bullet.