Icon 1000 have just unveiled their newest range of riding gear and with it comes a new website and more importantly a new custom build! The latest motorcycle to join the Icon 1000 ranks has been baptised the "Three Martini Lunch". Less post apocalyptic in its design than the previous Icon 1000 bikes, I'm happy to say that the 3ML leans more towards the cafe racer aesthetic we love so much; and what better base could they select for such a build than a British born and bred Triumph Thruxton.

There's no hiding the fact that I've been a big fan of the Icon 1000 bikes since they first started appearing a few years back. While their styling may not be everyone else's cup of tea, for me they are a breath of fresh air. Taking a side step away from normality, each of their bikes appears somewhat rough and ready, but there's nothing slapdash about them. Make no mistake these are bikes designed to be ridden, and ridden hard (If you've seen any of the videos you'll know exactly what I'm talking about) and the 3ML is no exception.



Straight away some things become pretty clear as you paw over the photos of the 3ML Thruxton. For starters that bodywork is by no means of Triumph breeding. Up front is a half fairing that bares a striking resemblance to that of Ducati's iconic MH900e. Mounted low on the frame the fairing blends back into the tank for an ergonomic and streamlined finish. The tank itself is also a non-genuine part that appears more retro sports bike than modern classic. Then all the way at the back end you'll find a completely custom rear cowl into which the bikes twin mufflers are mounted.



Glancing down from the tail you'll also note some significant changes to the bikes frame. A completely revised rear subframe hovers the tail end above the rear wheel, which is now held in place by a retro fit monoshock swingarm. For suspension Icon looked to their friends at Nitron for a suitable shock while upfront they chose to replace the Triumph forks with a beefier set of Harley items. The fork and swingarm swap allowed from the fitment of matching diameter KZ1000 wheels which wear extra tall and swollen Avon rubber.



With the changes to the rear of the frame the Thruxton's airbox is no more, replaced by pod filters that live beneath cross drilled covers. The complete removal of the lower cradle of the frame makes the engine perform as a stressed member. To take advantage of the open space this set up has created the Icon team created a 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust system that runs beneath the engines bottom end before making its way up into the tail. You only have to watch twelve seconds of the video below to know that they've done a great job getting their Thruxton to sound right.

"We were on a high-speed burn out of the wretched SoCal gridlock, headed east in a heap of trouble. An olive-colored missile pitted against the red-tinged rock of southwest Utah. We had come looking for nothing. About 3 days in, we found it."

 Beneath the plexiglass screen of the fairing you'll find the original, white faced Triumph gauges, that do a solid job of looking great without any modification. Aftermarket clip on bars offer the rider direct control of the HD front end while custom mounted footpegs position their feet far out of reach of the roads surface. The 3ML riding position is designed for the express purpose of riding fast, which is exactly what the Icon team will be using it for.

When it came to choosing a colour for the 'Three Martini Lunch' you might think that Icon simply went with a classic British racing green, but this is in fact Pontiac GTO Verdoro green, a personal favourite of the builders. As with every Icon 1000 steed the bike features its fair share of Icon livery and tongue in cheek graphics.

If the Three Martini Lunch represents a new direction in style for these Icon 1000 builds you can bet you'll be seeing more of them appearing on these pages.

ICON 1000

First published by returnofthecaferacers.com

Black Magic: Bunker’s bobber-style Triumph Speed Twin

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Modern Triumph customs are ubiquitous. And with the new Bonnevilles hitting the market, the trend shows no signs of slowing down.We’ve got a sweet tooth for vintage Triumphs though. Especially when they’re as beautiful as this liquorice-flavored bobber from Turkey’s Bunker Custom Cycles.

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It’s based on a 1961 Triumph Speed Twin 5TA, a machine infamous for its bulbuous ‘bathtub’ rear fairing. But builders Mert and Can Uzer had a different look in mind, and it’s a huge improvement.They’ve completely redesigned the back half of the Triumph’s frame. At a glance, it looks like the rear end is rigid—but it’s actually a soft-tail, with a pair of Burly Brand shocks. The front end has been radically revised too: It’s now set lower thanks to Suzuki T500 Titan forks.

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The Suzuki’s front disc brake was brought across too, for extra stopping power. New rims tweak the stance, with a 19F/18R combo replacing the stock 18F/17R setup.Bunker have also fabricated a tight rear fender from aluminum, capping it off with a brass tail light from Dime City Cycles. It’s neatly integrated into the mounting bracket.

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The Speed Twin’s tank is stock—along with the period-correct badges—but the solo seat is new, complete with brass springs. Other brass details have been tastefully sprinkled throughout the build—like the oil tank cap, and the adjusting screws on the controls.Bunker have done well to mix original Triumph parts with carefully selected aftermarket bits. The headlight’s off-the-shelf, but the bucket’s been modified to better suit the bike. Behind it is a set of Biltwell Inc. bars, sporting upgraded controls and a stainless steel brake line.

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Mods aside, the little 500’s had its fair share of restoration work done too.Highlights include a full engine rebuild (with new, high-comp pistons), tweaks to the wiring, and a full blast and re-coat of the frame.

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There’s also new oil tank, a small oil cooler, and a pair of stubby mufflers. And the ignition and kill-switch have been relocated to under the seat—just below the choke.

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The result is a compact, well-balanced bobber, finished in a glossy ‘sparkle black’ hue.And doesn’t it wear it well?

First published on www.bikeexif.com/

 | Images by Eren Göktürk and Kaan Eryürek

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The Trossi by SM

The Trossi, Francesco Torricella's first vintage Triumph hard tail, inspired by the 1930's gentlman driver Count Carlo Felice Trossi... 

La Trossi, è la prima realizzazione hardtail su base Triumph di Francesco Torricella. Il nome è un omaggio al pilota gentlman degli anni '30 Conte Carlo Felice Trossi... 

first published in inazumacafe.com

by Sartorie Meccaniche, Bergamo, Italy

968 Triumph Daytona 500 by Origin8or

Some builders have a distinct style you see in all their bikes, Rob Chappell of Origin8or is not one them, he can take the same two bikes and deliver totally different builds, the one constant however is always quality. Just six weeks ago we featured another Triumph Bobber build by Chappell, a springer wearing, orange flake painted Bonnie that screamed look at me. But this 1968 Triumph Daytona 500 is an example of how less can be more and custom cool can still stay true to classic style.

Like any high end restoration and rebuild of a vintage vehicle, either car or motorcycle, this is a full frame off build with absolutely every part removed and stripped down. To give the classic bobber look Rob fitted the frame up with a The Factory Metal Works 4 inch stretched and 2inch drop hard tail. The frame, suspension components, pedals and the various bits and pieces that keep them all together were sent off to be sandblasted before being treated to some silver powder coat for a durable and clean finish. One of the few matching features to the previous Triumph bobber build is the timeless rear fender, narrow and shortened to display as much rubber as possible.

The front suspension is stock, all be it renewed to function just as well as it did when it rolled off the factory floor. New fork tubes, new fork legs and 10wt oil were just some of the items that went into the full rebuild of the front end. Once completed the forks were also treated to the same colour as the frame, plus minimal use of raw polished metal to further accentuate the silver paint scheme. The brakes remain the stock 8 inch leading shoes at the front with polished hubs and a single 7 inch out the back. The hubs are laced with new spokes and the tires were something new for Rob, the ever popular Firestones. “I had to see what all the fuss was about and it suited the era of the bike.”

The engine fitted to Triumph’s Daytona is a special little beast, designed to take on the Japanese at the Daytona International Speedway. When Triumph won the 1966 Daytona 200 race with American Buddy Elmore aboard the Daytona name found its home on the Triumph the next year and a race winning average speed of nearly 100mph tells you this little thing can get up and go! The 490cc parallel twin engine featured new heads and twin AMAL Carbs for more top end power, both of which have been rebuilt by Rob. In fact the whole drivetrain has been rebuilt, not a bad decision when it was discovered the previous owner had used what looked like axle grease as their lube of choice for the transmission. Rob was nearly finished piecing together the rebuilt lump when he discovered the “full gasket kit” he’d bought didn’t include a head gasket, more than a minor issue. But a few emails and a two hour trip to a vintage bike show at a flea market, turned up just the right item and the rebuild was completed.

An engine this good deserves an exhaust to match and on a bobber the pipes become part of the look. With straight right side pipes on the last build Rob ran the twin pipes on the left side on the Daytona that are bent down and kinked slightly out to clear the oil tank. What makes Chappell such a great builder is his eye for detail, not only are the pipes ceramic coated to avoid pipe burn and an adverse effect on the oil temp the downward bend of the pipes exactly match the lines of the hard tailed frame. The oil tank itself is a TFMW item that has been painted silver, which next to the velocity stacked carbs and polished cases gives the engine an old school minimalist look that I personally could look at and appreciate for hours… imagine how good it sounds!

The “pristine” tank that came with the bike turned out to be a total nightmare, sandblasting revealed a wreck, dings and dints had been filled and one lump of bondo measured four inches deep. For a builder of Chappell’s quality there are no cutting corners, so an expensive session on eBay had a much better condition unit on its way. Factory badges and a lightly sparkled silver paint with black stripping over both the tank and fender are understated but enough of a detail to give passers-by a hint that this is no factory restoration.

The bobber seat is from the Chappell brothers company Tuffside, black with white diamond stitch and old school spring struts. There are no ape hangers here; a build of this quality doesn’t need anything over the top to the catch attention so Biltwell risers hold some flat track bars with Biltwell kung-fu grips and polished stock controls. Rob always gives his bike a full rewire for flawless operation and a small headlight and side mounted tail light do their job without interfering in the ultra-clean classic lines.

With the Triumph Daytona 500 finished it’s no surprise to see Rob sit aboard with a proud, broad smile. Many builders choose a bike and then throw a whole catalogue of parts at it, but Origin8or Cycles and Rob Chappell can make a crazy custom or like this build pay tribute to a classic in a subtle way that screams the sort of understated craftsmanship that makes him one of the best builders around.


First published on pipeburn.com/

TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE ‘HELLZAPOPPIN’ – TON UP GARAGE – 8NEGRO

'Hellzapoppin' 
If the name doesn't get you, then the sleek design will. This beautiful Triumph Bonneville was built by Ton-up Garage. It immediately caught my attention when its images first hit the interweb. It just looked a little too perfect. The first time I saw it, I honestly thought it was simply a digitally rendered design. Then, I saw it pop up on another moto blog, and another one. Finally, I had to check this puppy out. I think it might be that obscure green paint on the tank that throws me. 

It's a beautiful pearl(ish) green that almost glows in the light; very eye-catching. The other stand out feature is definitely the stitching on the seat. Not a pattern you see very often. I'm not sure if it has a technical name, but I want to refer to it as fishbone style. Outside of those two things, it is just a clean and beautiful build. Plus, the story of why the bike was named and designed quite charming if you're the romantic type. 

Feel free to head over to Ton-up's build page to give it a read. All of it comes together in a Triumph that you just have to love.

First published on wind-blown.com

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