This M20 machine, lovingly named ‘Laado’, is a classic case in point. Few M20s that I’ve come across sound and run like this one. Heck, I have to admit, neither does mine. This bike starts with one kick almost every time, and that too with the original Amal carburettor. It clicks into the right gear, albeit with the typical heavy right foot, and sounds divine with absolutely no abnormal grinding or knocking sounds.

Since the brakes haven’t been tampered with, they are alien to the concept of panic braking. Pull them in today and they will begin to function only on the next working day. Of the next week.

But they say the devil is in the details and, in the now-expected Rajputana Customs tradition, there’s plenty of the stuff on this motorcycle. Take the control levers, engine inspection cover plate and the brake pedal, among others, for instance. First, brass is cast into the rough shapes, which are then finished and machined. Then, the components are sent to a local artisan who painstakingly etches onto the surface by hand, using various chisels and hammers. The floral impressions are so intricate thatit’s almost sacrilege to utilise them on a motorcycle – a museum would seemingly be more befitting for these masterpieces.

Then there’s the fancy leather work. The seat is embossed with a very ornate design along with woven work along the edges. I assumed it had been done using a press and a die, but Vijay Singh Ajairajpura, the force behind Rajputana Customs, says that doing so would have been too easy. How else can it be done? Well, by hand, of course. Again, chisels of various sizes are used to impress the pattern upon the hide and the procedure has been the same for hundreds of years, although earlier, the skilled leather workers would decorate horse saddles instead.

Delicate strips of supple leather are used on the grips and the kick starter lever, wrapped around the shafts with a steady hand such that each twirl does not overlap with the next, but is still close enough to hide the metal beneath. I can tell you this: all of this work takes time and a lot of dedication.

Source : bsmotoring.com