In a time when custom motorcycle scenes around the world are flourishing like never before, it’s easy for at least a few great shops to fly under the radar. We’ve always been keen on drawing attention to the lesser-known players of the bike-modding game, as their work is often just as good as that of renowned firms. With this in mind, today’s coverage takes us to the outskirts of Montpellier, France.
That’s where you’ll find Hedgehog Motorcycles, the folks behind the striking one-off cafe racer pictured above. Over the years, this workshop’s incredible projects have caught the attention of Royal Enfield, a company whose positive attitude toward custom culture is well known. A number of fruitful collaborations took place between them ever since, and what you’re looking at here is the latest among them.
It all started with a humble Hunter 350 provided directly by the manufacturer, but a whole load of preparation work was needed before the transformation process could get underway. As always, the Frenchmen at Hedgehog kicked things off with a few sketches to get their ideas on paper. CAD renderings were then created to ensure precision, and the donor got taken apart for the real party to begin.
The idea was to build a rad cafe racer with aggressive looks, a groovy colorway, and tons of custom bits sprinkled all over. With the Enfield on their workbench, the guys wasted no time amputating the rearmost portion of its subframe, and the other OEM bits out back were deleted alongside it. A replacement for the rear framework was then built from scratch by the team at Hedgehog.
Looking to conceal the unsightly dip of the lateral tubes and achieve a level cafe-style bone line, they also came up with a pair of steel side panels. These bad boys flank a curvy handmade saddle, which is upholstered in a mixture of black leather and Alcantara. Behind this new seat lies a pointy tail section complete with LED lighting, but the license plate will henceforth live down low on a swingarm-mounted bracket.
Photo: Hedgehog Motorcycles via Pipeburn
In that same area, you’ll find another one of this specimen’s stand-out features. We are, of course, talking about the solid disc covers worn by the rear wheel, considerably beefing up the motorcycle’s aesthetic without messing with its sporty silhouette. As we make our way northward, we come across an angular belly pan encasing the engine’s underside.
Then there is the chunky cover fitted around the front brake caliper, and a small fender can be spotted in between the forks. However, the real star of the show at the front comes in the form of a gorgeous half-fairing with integrated winglets on the sides. Its flanks are also home to aftermarket LED turn signals, and a premium, yellow-tinted headlight can be spotted up north.
It’s an LED unit more than bright enough to keep the party going after dark. A low-profile windshield brings the add-ons around the front fairing full circle, but what we can’t see is just as impressive as the visible bits and pieces. Namely, we’re referring to all the intricate mounting hardware used to fit the new fairing, as pinpoint precision must’ve been required to get it sitting just right.
Photo: Hedgehog Motorcycles via Pipeburn
The forks are now mated to the frame via custom-made triple clamps, flanked by a pair of clip-on handlebars with adjustable billet aluminum control levers. Hedgehog Motorcycles chose to retain the Hunter 350’s original speedometer, and they decided against the addition of rear-view mirrors to avoid cluttering up the cockpit area. The only piece of stock bodywork left on this machine is the fuel tank.
CNC-machined covers for the oil cooler and front sprocket bring some extra custom charm to the table, and so does the stunning stainless-steel exhaust system built in-house. The pipework snakes its way back seamlessly on the right-hand side, ending in a shiny muffler near the bike’s swingarm. Other noteworthy parts include the minimalistic switches and a see-through throttle encasement we can’t get enough of.
All the equipment remains stock in the braking and suspension department, but so do the engine internals. Now, our favorite thing about this whole project is the colorful livery chosen by Hedgehog, as it somehow manages to blend two very different colorways into a coherent overall package. On the one hand, the fairing, fuel tank, and tail are cloaked in a funky mixture of white and pinkish purple.
By contrast, the lower bodywork is finished in matte-black and neon green – a huge departure from the other color scheme but still perfectly suited to the whole appearance. With the paint job wrapped up, this caffeinated Royal Enfield was ready to hit the road and turn heads wherever it rides. It’s not hard to see why we speak so highly of Hedgehog Motorcycles’ endeavors, as even the smallest mods they make can have a big impact.
A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing. Full profile
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