Every once in a while we come across things of extreme brilliance, things that transfix a person with the dilemma of whether to look away or just give in and greedily feast our eyes. Saya, from Ricochet Motorcycles, is one such example, and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to ride it.
Built by Devashish Sharma, the base bike is a 2019 Royal Enfield GT-650, which has undergone a significant rework, while still staying true to its cafe racer roots Let us start off by getting the technical details out of the way. Saya gets quite a neat list of upgrades, starting with the suspension, which is now a USD front fork unit from a Benelli TNT600i with custom springs, and they look chunky.
It also gets custom triple tees, and CNC machined billet aluminium clip-ons with solid aluminium handlebars which is a pretty elegant touch. Featuring 17-inch aluminium rims on both ends wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso tyres, it further gets a larger custom rear sprocket with an RK racing black and gold x-ring chain.
The most obvious visible change is the carbon fibre detailing all over the motorcycle, on the front cowl, the tank, the side shields and the rear cowl with a Himalayan-inspired tail end. Saya is audibly enhanced, too, featuring a sweet set of pipes, more specifically a pair of Dustland Moto exhausts with stock mufflers. It is a carefully curated exercise to ensure that heads turn upon its arrival, and eyes lock on till it is out of the line of sight. The booming exhaust note is sure to leave a lingering smile on a victim’s face long after the motorcycle is gone.
The few technical changes have quite a significant effect on the performance, and I say so because now the bike feels a tad sharper in handling and a little more enthusiastic to reach triple digits. No doubt, the fetal crouch I was positioned in must have accentuated the sense of final velocity down the straight road, but it was fast, actually fast and loud. To be honest, the motorcycle looks fast while sitting at a standstill, so it was simply doing justice to its reputation.
Starting up the motorcycle is sure to bring a smile to your face, after all, the parallel-twin 650 engine from Royal Enfield has been such an appealing platform, while still being capable of a great deal of mischief. Saya, being a customer[1]commissioned custom-build, is truly one of a kind, and frankly speaking, I feel kind of envious of the person who gets to park it in their garage and call it their own. Simple details, like the carbon fibre weaves that can be seen in the Royal Enfield lettering on the tank, the upswept tail, and elegant little touches all around make it stand out all the more.
I can envision myself coming back home from a long day at work, walking up and throwing a leg over Saya, and riding off into the dark. A vision of tranquillity in the chaos left in our wake, as all sense of weariness fades away into nothingness. The pride of being astride such a beauty, and most of all, the elation of riding it is unparalleled. Fast motorcycles can give you an adrenaline rush, but motorcycles like Saya fill you up with something else altogether. A more satisfying experience on the whole The thing with custom builds like this is that there is a great deal of planning, designing and execution to end up with a beauty like Saya.
It is a whole process, and it surely doesn’t happen overnight. Sleepless nights and tireless days, not to mention all the elbow grease and brow sweat till the project comes to fruition. In the end, as we observe and appreciate such works of art, we know that it can sometimes take more than just the stars aligning for it to exist. Next time you see a cool mod job, make sure to take more than a moment to appreciate it
