So, it’s official, you want a Bobber. Let me guess, you were sitting at the tattoo parlor waiting for your turn to get something deeply meaningful drilled into your flesh when this guy rides up on the sickest bike you’ve ever seen. You go out to ogle it and you say to the owner “bro that’s the sickest bike I’ve ever seen!”. He looks at you, hesitating to smile as he removes his goggles and says “thanks bro, that’s my bobber.” You thought it was a Yamaha, mainly because that’s what the engine says on it but you didn’t want to sound like a fool. All you know is that bike made you hornier than the latest sailor Jerry flash catalog. Ever since then you’ve been thinking about that killer scoot; the red rims, the white walls, the flat black paint job, the PBR tap handle shifter. the thing just oozed class. Finally you decide to punch the words “bobber” and “motorcycle” into a search engine and then you find yourself here. You’ve found it, the holy grail. shangri la. xanadu. you start reading threads, the bike pics are driving you wild but all these words like “pan”, “trump” and “magneto” are making your head spin like a fist full of cross tops. you don’t care. you’re determined. You want a bobber, but where to start?

Haha, what exactly was in Mohit’s, the proud owner of 8 Ball, head when he was about to start the Project? Or was he sure that he wanted a Bobber? Mohit Sharma, who works in a Event Management company as a Marketing Manager & Hospitality In-charge in Delhi, shared to 350cc.com how John Abraham was responcible for the most beautiful Bobber of India, 8 ball. Sounds funny eh?

“While i was still not sure where to get a nice customized bike from, i suddenly remembered an article on John Abraham getting his bike customized from some guy in jaipur. I stood up, switched on the lap, googled ” john abraham’s customized bike” and clicked on of the results which put me through RCM’s website. So the secret here is that the person responsible for 8 Ball is not Vijay, not me or anyone else but John Abraham himself . Now maybe John would thank me for this someday..”  Mohit laughed.

Well, since you are visiting this forum, I’m sure you are another crazy rider who wants a Chopper/Bobber for yourself.  Mohit had the same reason to speak to Vijay, the former of Rajputana Custom Motorcycle, in short RCM.

“I still remember the first conversation I had with Vijay over the phone somewhere around the 16th of July. After speaking to a few poeple in delhi who are in the same business, I must say I was quite robotic when i told him what I was looking for. But the voice from the other side made all the difference. We spoke for about 4-5 mins and that was it. We met in delhi a day after that call. I told him like any other amateur that I would want to get a choppper made..one like Nandi or Uno. Not knowing the basics, not knowing the costing involved and not knowing the time it takes to get one made, I went on.”

And the budget for him was…

“He on the other hand asked me just 3 basic questions: my budget? how much time do I have for it to be made? and why a chopper? I didnt really know why a chopper myself. I still just know that they look bloody massive on the roads and poeple move away once they see one coming. However, that was not enough to convince someone as clear as vijay. Also, after i told him my budget, he very plainly told me he cant do a chopper and i was shattered. But the conviction and passion that i saw in him, assured me that he is the only one who’s living a dream and not a business. ” am here to make the ends meet” is what he told me. I remember him telling me : ” I wont do a chopper in this budget as i wont want to compromise on the quality. I would rather direct you to someone in delhi whho can do it for you in the same budget.”

Well, the most difficult task to start custom  Motorcycle is to finalize the look, “I’m spending my money for the look dude”, I would have thought before everything, So what’s for Mohit?

“And that’s when vijay mentioned about this new style of bikes which has taken the world by storm. He said ” I know why are you so keen on getting a chopper. Its the same thing with everyone. But trust me and let me give you something which is a classic and would start a revolution all over again. If not now, you would thank me for it later.” He was spot on. And that’s how it all started with shortlisting some reference pix. I liked the raw look of it, found it a combination of a sportster and a cruiser which i can ride everyday and not every other day. In half an hour we were both quite sure of what we were looking for. He schooled me on the technical part of it and I got his assurance on the only condition I had, to get the bike with a ‘rear seat’ before my marriage anniversary, which’s on 14th of October .”

Now that’s something really romantic, the Motorcycle was launched on 13the Oct, so this year Mohit must had one of the most exciting anniversary with his wife , Anjali.  I personally wanted to build a bike for me without a rare seat, and as a result I had a fight with my girlfriend, I should take lessons from Mohit for sure lol. Move to the next, arrange the  donor bike.

I bought a new RE 350cc a day after and the within a couple of days, 2 guys from RCM were there to pick it up and we were on our way to start a revolution.

I didnt want to poke my nose too much in the entire look of it and detailing as I trusted his knowledge and creativity blindly. However, i was a li’l particular about the shape of the handle-bar which should be straight as i find them quite comfortable for long rides. The look of the exhaust, the color scheme and the combination of Matt and Candy paint which is there on 8 Ball.

And Mohit shared his amazing experience during the building period with us,

There is something special about the entire RCM unit. They dont overdo their work. They dont force their opinions, they only advice. They call you “Bana” and not “sir” which means a lot to a guy like me who’s always looking for friends and not partners.

We spoke a number of times. Mostly it used to be me calling him and requesting him to send me the latest pix every now and then. Reminding him of the most basic things like giving me a nice RCM logo on the bike. I find it extremely appealing and Indian in every sense.

Vijay is a very level-headed guy. Very clear and sharp. He has no doubts about what he is into and why he is into it. Am sure these are the things people look for when they hand over their dream in someone else’s hands. I learnt about it when i saw the bike in the early stages in August when I with my wife, Anjali, had gone to meet him at his workshop in Jaipur. I saw it and i knew its gonna be something crazy. I had a nice sleep thereafter.

The entire story was so amazing, and credit goes to Mohit himself for explaining us so well, We asked about the cost about the Bobber, Vijay roughly stated in the Rajputana Custom Motorcycle’s Facebook page, the custom charge was INR 2 lakhs (around $4000), and Mohit said the same

” The total cost for 8 Ball including the cost of the new RE 350 has been around 3.5lk to round it off. What i had bought, what i saw at his workshop, what i saw in the last lot of the pix that he had sent to me around the last week of september and what I finally got are 4 different bikes. It just kept improving or probably growing day by day. Just like a new born baby, 8 Ball kept on looking different and better. Its so unreal…” He amazed!

The term 8 Ball is related to USA custom motorcycle in various way, framing to coloring everywhere you will find the term8 ball. What was Mohit’s reason to name it 8 Ball?

“Lastly the credit for the name entirely goes to Vijay. I had thought of a few names but none could we mutually agree on. So one of the days while chatting, he just mentioned naming it “8 BALL” and we stamped it. I really liked it as i could relate to it instantly. I grew up playing 8 Ball. 8 Ball reminds me of my good old college days. Days when we had all the time in the world but didnt know what to do with it. Days of mass-bunk. Days of “gehris”. So in a way, i grew up playing the game called 8 Ball and now vijay n i were changing the rules of another game. ‘Scratching the surface of a goldmine’ like he said…” He ended with “..Ride on..!”

Yeah, Ride on! We congratulate him as well Vijay for the great art of building the 8 ball. You are in this forum cause you are another crazy rider who wants a chopper/bobber for yourself, this story will surely inspire you. Thinking of dialing RCM?

Thank goes to Mohit Sharma for the Detail, Vijay Singh (RCM) for approving.
Photography courtesy Mohit and RCM.

Please mention us (350CC.com) when you contact Rajputana Custom Motorcycle.