“Bootneck” – A Custom Build By Saltire Motorcycles – Raises £60k For The Royal Marines Charity.
“Bootneck”, a custom built Interceptor 650, was auctioned at the Royal Marines Charity Gala dinner on 30th November at London’s Guildhall for an astonishing £60,000.
This one-of-a-kind motorcycle was re-designed and hand built by the creative team at Edinburgh based Saltire Motorcycles, solely for the purpose of supporting the Royal Marines’ official charity – the RMA. Saltire Motorcycles has an in-store customisation division whose creative collective has decades of experience in building beautiful custom motorcycles for riders and collectors across the globe.
RMA’s creative brief to Saltire was to build a motorcycle to celebrate the Royal Marines ‘Commando 80’ campaign and to commemorate the Falkland 40, whilst honouring those who have served and continue to serve. The result is a design that provides a seamless blend of supreme minimalism and rugged functionality.
Comments Calum Murray, CEO of Saltire Motorcycles, “Whilst we could have chosen any number of marques, it made perfect sense for us to marry up the Royal Marines with Royal Enfield, given the manufacturer’s long history with the armed forces. We chose the Interceptor since it provides the perfect blend of style and flair with rugged utilitarianism.”
Central to the design is a one-of-a-kind Commando dagger that was commissioned especially for this build. The dagger is a replica of the original Fairbairn/Sykes fighting knife set upon a bed of commando beret green, encased into the fuel tank of the Interceptor. The handle of the knife is hewn from Achnacarry Oak, sourced from the very location in the Highlands where Commandos were sent to complete their basic training. The fuel tank is painted in the Royal Marine corps colours, with horizontal striping.
The given name of the build, “Bootneck”, is after the nickname given to the Marines, denoted in the late 18th Century when the British Marines used to wear leather stocks around their necks.
Build Details:
- Royal Enfield 650cc air-cooled parallel twin
- Hand stitched leather saddle, with subtly etched nods to Commando 80 and Falklands 40, finished with stitching in Royal Marine colours
- Bespoke wheels, tyres and suspension supremely blending the ride and the style
- Upgraded led lamps and electronics bringing optimal function with less bulk
- Ceramic-coated engine casings, exhaust for optimal cooling and a stealthy finish
- Shortened chassis with bespoke fitted handlebars and levers to ensure supreme manoeuvrability
- Hand crafted body panels to ensure minimalism
- The one-of-a-kind deep gloss custom paintwork echoing the Royal Marines’ official colours
- The show piece of the build is a one-of-a-kind Fairbairn Sykes fighting knife, embedded and underlit within the bespoke fuel tank, resting on a bed of satin
Says Jonathan Bell, CEO of RMA, “I can’t begin to thank Saltire Motorcycles enough for all their time, trouble, and expense in designing, building, and donating the fantastic Bootneck bike. It’s just an awesome machine with beauty, style, class, and power which really fitted well the brand of the Corps in understated British excellence – Craftsmanship at its best. Thank you for providing quite the most unusual and jaw- dropping auction prize we have ever had, simply unforgettable.”
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