Slaves to Speed

We are fetishists. We worship speed. We adore motorcycles.

We like fashion and style. And of course, we love women.

Just like with our clothing, our motorcycle design was inspired by the feeling of the 60s’ and 70s. The technology used at the time is beautiful, but sadly will not satisfy our craving for one hell of a ride. So we decided to keep the best styles decisions from the past and add some cutting edge modern technology. We chose the frame, engine, wheels and brakes from Triumph Speed Triple R as the perfect foundation. Then we found a chunk of aluminum for the tank, undersaddle and mudguards. We custom made the exhaust system and advanced electronic control unit. The LED lights system are just cherry on top. Kalup means speed. We are .

The Kalup Slaves After years of riding and testing different bikes we realized what is the right thing for us. Three cylinders. That meant only one option – Triumph. After new, slightly modded Street Triples (called for their good service Slave One and Two), we fell for the culture of coffee racing. We like to ride fast and sometimes venture to a racetrack, so we wanted machines that respect the 60’s and 70’s style, but respect our racing fancy. And look good. Because nobody could offer us that, we started to build our own bikes and at the same time created a new brand of bike fashion called Kalup. So we decided to build real top end custom bikes, that will also communicate the values of our new brand. We already had our sights set on Triumph, so the only question was which model to use as a base. We chose the best that Triumph offers in naked bikes – Triumph Speed Triple R. We took off everything unnecessary, sharpened our pencils and started to sketch our new bikes. Thanks to a friendship with a Triumph garage called DK Moto Company, we knew where to start. The owner at first was a bit apprehensive, but when he saw our passion for the project, he put together a group of people who dived right in with us.

We started with a great base of a bike, we kept the best things – the Öhlins suspension, chassis with the PVM aluminium wheels, the Brembo brakes and the engine. To reach our desired design and to lower the weight, we decided to make everything else out of aluminum. One of the top Czech aluminum specialists created the shape of the tank and the seat base. In two months the prototype was born. First we reupholstered the seating to accommodate the new fuel tank and seat base. Next, we created a brand new exhaust system from stainless steel. We got rid of the superfluous electronics like ABS. The biggest problem was to stove the cables, electronics and new racing gel battery under the seat. After another month of designing holders, switches and other gismos we reached Apple-like perfection. We then created a new triple clamps on CNC mill, moved the starter box to the side, ordered the LED head/front lights and turn signals from Revival Cycles, racing handlebars, Posh grips and Rizoma mirrors. We took the air box out of the engine, put in K&N open filters and added the power commander. The last quest was to sync the electronics with the new multifunction Trans Logic display.

The final long awaited sound of starting bike followed after another two months. Sadly, the fuel level indicator is still sketchy to this day. So the Slave Three and Four were born.
The only final touch was the new coat. Actually, six layers of it. We took the untested machines to Wheels and Waves meet and rode about 120 miles through the Pyrenees. We looked a bit exotic next to the old machines, but the bikes rode the way we like it. Behind the Alps, the season is over, and so we focus on our Kalup apparel. If you want to check it out, go to kalup.com and ride with us!

first appeared in http://rocket-garage.blogspot.co.uk