Quality over quantity this week, with four rather than five new builds: two Beemers, and two Triumphs. All are surprisingly practical, finely finished, and eminently rideable—and we’d happily put any one in the EXIF garage.
A Triumph Bobber with Speed Twin style The concept of the manufacturer-sponsored dealer ‘build off’ is well established these days, and this year, Triumph is running a ‘Bobber Build Off’ in its home country. Three finalists have just been announced, out of 13 entries, and our favorite is this very classy homage to the original Speed Twin.
It comes from Triumph’s Wellingborough showroom. According to the Northamptonshire dealer, inspiration struck when they saw an enamel sign advertising the original 1938 5T Speed Twin. “The team noticed the similarities in the lines of the original Speed Twin and the current Bobber, and decided to recreate its key features, bringing it up to date in a modern guise.”
Up front, technicians Martin Hale and Jamie Williams have grafted on a custom-made set of girder forks. They’ve also extended the fenders to ape the vintage style, added a pivot and springs to make the seat resemble an authentic Speed Twin seat, and repainted the bike in a typical Speed Twin style—but using Triumph’s modern Lava Red instead of the traditional Amaranth Red.
The winner of the Bobber Build Off will be revealed at the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in London on 29th September—and we reckon this one is the front-runner.
BMW R75/5 by Cognito Moto You may know Cognito Moto as one of the biggest and best suppliers of café racer parts and kits in the US. But the Richmond, Virginia outfit also builds the occasional custom bike, with the same attention to detail and style as their accessories.
Three years ago, company founders Devin and Nicholas Henriques wowed us with a sublime Yamaha XS650, and they’re now back with a superb airhead BMW. It’s a 1971 R75/5 model treated to a smattering of Cognito’s own custom parts, including a conversion kit for R nineT forks.
The overhauled engine has been bored out with a Siebenrock 1000cc kit, and treated to hi-comp pistons and new Nicasil linings. Juice comes via 38mm Dell’Orto carbs, and a set of Cognito’s own spoked wheels (and Brembo brakes) help keep the show on the road.
The slim custom subframe is neatly done, and fitted with an even neater seat from New Church Moto. At the business end of the BMW, the headlight is now LED, and set ahead of black Renthal Fatbars. The cockpit accoutrements are top-shelf, with Motogadget supplying a Chronoclassic speedo, push button switches and discreet m.blaze indicators.
Pure class from front to back. [More]
A stuntman’s 2015 Triumph Scrambler Interesting bikes often have an interesting story behind them, and this is a case in point. It’s owned by an expat Englishman who lives in southern California and earns his living as a stuntman in Hollywood blockbusters and Bond movies.
Despite being a rider for years, ‘Diz’ had never owned a street bike or had a license in his wallet. But after borrowing a friend’s Triumph Scrambler for several hundred miles, Diz decided to get his act together and put a bike in his garage.
Roland Sands Design took a 2015 Triumph Scrambler, stripped it to the essentials, and installed ProTaper bars, ASV levers, Galfer brake discs and uprated shocks from Progressive.
There’s a RSD ‘Enzo’ 2-up seat, a bunch of dress-up and electric parts from Joker Machine, and a high fender kit from British Customs that looks the part next to chunky TKC80 rubber. K&N filters and an RSD 2-into-1 slip on muffler keep the motor breathing freely, and Jay LaRossa from Lossa Engineering supplied the stunning, SoCal inspired paint. We’re sold. [More]
BMW K100 café racer by RW Motorcycles It’s getting harder and harder to find a solid classic BMW R series for a good price, even in Europe. So customizers are turning more towards the later K series, and the ‘flying brick’ builds seem to be getting better and better as the months go by.
This one comes from Rusty Wrench Motorcycles of Portugal. And as someone who generally recoils at most K-series customs, I have to admit they’ve done a superb job.
The donor bike was a 1986 BMW K100 RT and head wrench Francisco has wisely stuck to tried-and-true café-style mods, making them work in the context of the blocky motor.
That means modern forks, new shocks, a new subframe and seat unit, new lighting, and minor bodywork fabrication—notably the tail unit and front fender. He’s chosen to amplify the angular nature of the stock bike, and he’s succeeded. The new exhaust system is discreet, the black-and-blue paint is finely judged, and even the stock wheels look great, with spokes powdercoated black, and shod with Metzeler rubber. Belíssimo! [More]
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