Just the other day, the Indonesian workshop Frontwheel Motors wowed us with a feisty Royal Enfield flat tracker. What we didn’t know at the time was that shop boss Chandra Gunawa had history with the Indian marque. He worked at Royal Enfield Indonesia for seven years before opening Frontwheel, and still harbors a passion for the brand.
We have another Frontwheel-built Royal Enfield flat tracker for you to ogle today, although this one is very different from the last. For one, it uses an older donor—a 2016-model Royal Enfield Bullet 500. It also sports a much more vintage aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the Triumph Trackmaster flat track race bikes of the early 70s.
Chandra’s a big fan of flat track racing, even though it hasn’t quite caught on in Indonesia yet. So when a customer commissioned a custom Royal Enfield Bullet 500, but then donated the bike to the workshop to use as a showpiece, he couldn’t resist building a track-only bike that would look just as good going sideways in the dirt as it would on display at an event.
Nailing the classic Trackmaster vibe was no walk in the park. The Bullet frame’s classic cruiser flow is a far cry from the Trackmaster’s silhouette, so Chandra had to box clever.
First, Frontwheel chopped and changed the steering neck to alter its angle. Next, they extended the swingarm by a couple of inches. Then it was time to replicate one of the Trackmaster’s distinguishing features: its kicked-up rear tail loop.
Frontwheel fabricated a subframe that copied that classic style, bolting it to the bike without cutting up the stock frame, which was cleverly hidden behind a pair of side covers. A short aluminum fender finishes off the tail.
Frontwheel fettled the Bullet’s stance, too. A set of Yamaha MT-25 forks was fitted to the front, along with a custom-made fork brace. The bike now rolls on 19” TK Racing rims with Shinko rubber, with new shocks doing duty out back.
In true flat track style, there’s no front brake—but there is a rear disc brake, offering more stopping power than the OEM drum system.
The Enfield’s new bodywork looks like it was plucked straight from the 70s, but it’s all custom. Chandra built a Trackmaster-style fuel tank, before finishing the set off with the quintessential solo seat and passenger pad combo. Classic flat track bars sit up top, fitted with just the basics.
The bike is delightfully simple, with no speedo, no headlight, and no turn signals—just a small taillight, bolted to the swingarm. Finer details include grippy off-road footpegs, a Frontwheel-branded points cover, and a boxy panel on the left-hand side of the bike that covers some of the Enfield’s less pretty, yet still essential, components.
Finished with a lick of Competition Red paint and gold Royal Enfield logos, this Trackmaster-inspired flat tracker hits all the right notes. Frontwheel Motors is fast establishing itself as a hit-making custom shop, and we’re here for it.
Frontwheel Motors Instagram | Images by Indiga Ikhlasani
