Custom-Made Triumph Bonneville Bobber Was Built for a Fervid Sports Car Aficionado

The project we’ll be looking at today is one of his latest, commissioned by the proud owner of a slammed Porsche 911. He needed a custom two-wheeler to match his beloved P-car in looks and attitude, but the potential donor for this endeavor was something of an open question. The finished motorcycle had to be fully functional and not a mere showpiece to look good beside his 911.

With this in mind, Chris started searching and he eventually came across a neat Triumph Bonneville Bobber from 2019. The client agreed that it would be a great basis for this build, so the purchase was swiftly made and the bike sent on its way to Motocrew’s facility in Cottbus, Germany. Now, to really understand the spirit in which this Triumph was built, we should delve a little deeper into the customer’s car collection.

That’s right; he doesn’t just own the rad 911 we’ve mentioned earlier, but also a BMW M2, a Mercedes-AMG GTR, and an S-Class. The Bobber would therefore need a distinct premium feel and performance upgrades to match, so Chris spared absolutely no expense here. His first port of call had to do with the bike’s suspension, as the whole thing needed to sit closer to the ground for a mean, slammed look.

He got in touch with Touratech to arrange a custom solution for the rear end, and a shorter, fully-adjustable shock absorber was built to his exact specifications. Once that was installed, our protagonist turned his attention northward to the Bonnie’s forks, which were lowered ever so slightly to get its stance just right. Next, the unsprung sector was in for a radical transformation.

Gone are the original wheels from Triumph, making room for laced Excel items measuring 17 inches in diameter at both ends. These new rims are hugged by Shinko rubber front and back, with the tires’ dimensions being 120/70 and 180/55, respectively. Looking for some additional stopping power, the mastermind at Motocrew installed wave-style rotors from EBC all-round.

Minimalism is the name of the game in the bodywork department, where the only stock components that remain are the fuel tank and side covers. The modded Triumph is now devoid of any fenders, and there’s something very interesting to be admired behind its factory tank. Chris did away with the original saddle, replacing it with a neat custom subframe that’s been fashioned in-house.

The tubing is concealed by a sort of outer sleeve, which works wonders in giving the rear end a more muscular look. A bespoke seat pan was added in that area, too, then topped with a thin but comfy saddle upholstered in black Alcantara. Underneath, we spot a 3D-printed taillight assembly with LED hardware lighting it up, while the license plate is attached to a swingarm-mounted bracket on the left-hand side.

Tiny Motogadget turn signals accompany the taillight left and right. At the front, there is a premium LED headlight from Koso illuminating the way ahead, and the blinkers are incorporated into a pair of upper fork sleeves. Right behind the headlight lies a digital Motoscope Pro dash from Motogadget, but this isn’t the only change to have taken place in the cockpit area.

Chris fitted a new handlebar complete with adjustable control levers and underslung bar-end mirrors. Another cool little touch can be seen further back, in the form of a pop-up filler cap that gives the gas tank a cleaner silhouette. Moving on to the powertrain department, Motocrew sought to unlock a nice bit of extra grunt from the Bonneville Bobber’s parallel-twin motor.

On the one hand, this was achieved with a custom exhaust system wrapped in high-end heat shielding from Thermotech. The real star of the show is a Raisch Stage 5 performance kit, though, only fitted after the photoshoot but said to make a huge impact. With some dyno tuning and an ECU remap, that translates to 29 extra ponies and an improved distribution of power throughout the rev range.

To bring the project full circle, Motocrew enrolled the help of Holyhall for the paint job. The minimalistic bodywork was cloaked in a stunning silver hue that matches the client’s Porsche, with some neat black lettering applied to the fuel tank. Most of the other bits were painted matte-black, save for the Excel rims which were done in a gloss finish. With that out of the way, Chris was ready to call it a day and hand the motorcycle back to its owner.