The Build That Started Bonvent
This Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Dakar build is more than an early Bonvent project. It represents the original idea behind the brand: taking a classic motorcycle with simple, timeless proportions and giving it a completely different identity through model-specific parts that can be installed without permanent modification.
When Bonvent Motorbikes was created, the first design direction was clear. We wanted to move away from the café racer and roadster customs most commonly built around the Interceptor 650 and explore a more adventurous silhouette inspired by the Paris-Dakar motorcycles of the 1980s and early 1990s.
The objective was not to turn the Interceptor into a modern adventure bike. It was to imagine how a classic Royal Enfield roadster could look if it had been prepared for an old-school desert rally: a larger visual fuel tank, compact bodywork, a high front mudguard, block-pattern tyres, a protected engine area and a modular solo seat.
That concept became one of Bonvent’s first complete plug-and-play systems and established the design principles that still guide the brand today: distinctive styling, clean fitment, reversibility and no unnecessary modification of the original motorcycle.
Turning a Classic Interceptor 650 Into a Dakar-Inspired Motorcycle
The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a roadster by design. Its parallel-twin engine, steel frame and simple bodywork give it a strong classic identity, but they also make it an excellent platform for a more adventurous custom build.
The challenge was to change the motorcycle’s proportions without hiding what makes the Interceptor recognisable. The engine and original frame remain visually central, while the fuel tank area, front end, seat and rear profile are reshaped around them.
The final build looks broader around the tank, taller at the front and more compact behind the rider. The visual balance is closer to a vintage rally motorcycle than a conventional custom roadster, while the original motorcycle underneath remains intact.
The Clip-On Tank Cover
The most distinctive element of the build is the Bonvent tank cover. Instead of replacing the original Royal Enfield fuel tank, the cover fits directly over it and changes its external shape.
This gives the Interceptor a wider, more substantial profile inspired by classic rally and adventure motorcycles. The visual volume around the fuel tank makes the motorcycle feel closer to an old Himalayan or long-distance desert machine, without introducing the complications of fitting a different tank.
A removable upper cap provides direct access to the original fuel filler underneath. The factory tank, fuel system and fuel gauge remain in place, so there is no need to adapt fuel hoses, relocate sensors or modify the motorcycle’s original fuel system.
This solution reflects the original Bonvent philosophy particularly well: the transformation is visually significant, but the installation remains practical and reversible.
Headlight Cowl and High Front Mudguard
The front of the motorcycle was designed as one complete visual assembly. The Bonvent headlight cowl fits around the original headlight rather than replacing it with a different lighting unit.
Its shape also hides much of the large original Interceptor instrument cluster from the side, creating a cleaner and more purposeful front profile. Combined with the tank cover, it gives the motorcycle the visual presence of a compact rally fairing while preserving the original headlight and instruments.
The Bonvent High Front Mudguard reinforces this adventure-inspired stance. The upper section mounts around the fork area, while the lower section continues to provide practical coverage close to the tyre.
The two-part design creates the raised scrambler look without leaving the front wheel visually unfinished. Together, the headlight cowl, high mudguard and block-pattern front tyre give the Interceptor a much more rugged and exploratory character.
Finned Engine Covers and Ventilated Side Covers
The Bonvent Engine Covers add a darker and more aggressive lower profile around the parallel-twin engine. They are produced from a heat-resistant polyester-resin composite and form an additional outer layer around the engine cases.
The design is not a generic smooth shell. The horizontal fins follow the direction of the original Royal Enfield engine fins, which helps the covers feel integrated with the motorcycle rather than added afterwards.
This alignment is an important detail. It gives the engine area a more technical and premium appearance while maintaining the visual rhythm of the original motor.
The ventilated side covers continue the same design language behind the engine. Their openings reduce the visual mass of the centre section and add the functional, stripped-back character associated with scrambler and rally motorcycles.
The Modular Solo Seat and Mini Luggage Rack
The rear of the motorcycle uses the Bonvent Modular Seat Kit. The front section forms a dedicated solo seat, while the rear passenger section can be removed independently.
With the rear section fitted, the motorcycle keeps a more complete seat profile. When it is removed, the mini luggage rack becomes available for a compact travel bag or solo touring equipment.
This modular layout gives the build two distinct configurations without replacing the complete seat assembly. It also strengthens the Dakar-inspired character of the motorcycle: a single rider seat combined with a small luggage platform immediately suggests solo travel and lightweight adventure use.
The mini rack follows the line of the rear frame and keeps the motorcycle visually compact. It is functional without turning the Interceptor into a large touring bike.
Rear Lighting, Indicators and Plug-and-Play Wiring
The rear end uses an earlier Bonvent tail-light configuration that preceded the current Mini LED Tail Light and Tail Tidy system. The original concept was already the same: reduce the visual size of the rear lighting while keeping the installation clean and model-specific.
The build also uses Bonvent front indicator brackets, Royal Enfield indicator adapters, plug-and-play LED resistors, a rear wiring adapter and an E-marked license plate light.
These small technical components are essential to the finished result. They allow the lighting to be installed without cutting the factory wiring harness and avoid improvised electrical connections.
The hazard warning light kit adds four-way indicator functionality through a dedicated plug-and-play system. The lighting setup used on this build is E-marked.
PARTS USED
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Explore the model-specific Bonvent parts used to create this motorcycle.
Continental TKC 80 Tyres and Original Exhausts
The motorcycle is fitted with Continental TKC 80 tyres in 120/70-18 at the front and 140/70-18 at the rear.
The pronounced block pattern is a major part of the finished silhouette. It adds visual height and width around the wheels and supports the old-school desert-rally direction created by the bodywork.
The original Royal Enfield silencers were deliberately retained. Their long, polished shape remains consistent with the classic base of the motorcycle and creates an interesting contrast with the more rugged Bonvent bodywork.
The mirrors are also Royal Enfield components, keeping several recognisable factory details within an otherwise extensively transformed motorcycle.
A Complete Plug-and-Play Weekend Build
Despite the visual extent of the transformation, the complete build was installed over one weekend using basic tools.
The tank cover fits over the original tank. The headlight cowl works with the original headlight and instruments. The high front mudguard, engine covers, modular seat, luggage rack, tail tidy, lighting brackets and wiring components use dedicated mounting solutions developed for the Interceptor 650.
For this specific build:
- No frame cutting was required.
- No drilling was required.
- No welding was required.
- The original fuel tank remained in place.
- The original wiring harness was not cut.
- The original exhaust silencers were retained.
- The complete setup remains reversible.
- The lighting components used on the build are E-marked.
The installation was completed with the help of Bonvent tutorials for the individual accessories. This made it possible to approach the project as a complete motorcycle transformation without specialist fabrication knowledge.
The Original Bonvent Design Philosophy
This build captures the reason Bonvent Motorbikes was created. The initial ambition was not simply to produce isolated accessories. It was to design complete visual systems capable of changing the identity of a motorcycle while respecting the original machine underneath.
The Dakar kit became the first clear expression of that idea. It combined vintage rally inspiration with modern model-specific installation and showed that an Interceptor 650 could become something very different from the café racers and conventional roadsters usually built around the platform.
Bonvent has evolved since this early project, and the product range now includes more refined modular systems, lighting solutions, bodywork and accessories for several Royal Enfield and Triumph models. However, the core principles visible on this motorcycle remain unchanged.
Every major visual change should have a clear purpose. The parts should work together as one design. Installation should remain practical. Permanent modification should be avoided whenever the product allows it.
Final Result
The finished Interceptor 650 Dakar build combines the proportions of a vintage desert motorcycle with the mechanical simplicity and classic character of the Royal Enfield 650 Twin.
The tank cover creates the impression of a larger rally fuel tank. The headlight cowl and high front mudguard establish the adventure-inspired front profile. The finned engine covers and ventilated side covers make the centre of the motorcycle feel more technical, while the modular solo seat and luggage rack complete the travel-oriented rear section.
Most importantly, the motorcycle was transformed without cutting, drilling or welding the original platform. The result is visually radical but mechanically respectful of the base motorcycle.
This was one of the first complete Bonvent custom builds and the project that defined the brand’s original direction: French-designed, plug-and-play motorcycle parts created to give classic motorcycles a distinctive new identity.
Explore the full range of Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 custom parts or use the product carousel above to see the Bonvent components fitted to this build.