Triumph’s present crop of recent classics reveals actual divergence from mannequin to mannequin. From variations in engine dimension and tuning, to model-specific geometry and variations in components that transcend primary trim, every bike is constructed for a goal. However that wasn’t all the time the case.
Again within the air-cooled period, the BonnevilleThruxton, and Scrambler have been separated extra by styling cues and ergonomics than substance. This strategy to platform sharing was the inspiration behind this Triumph Bonneville Café Racer. It’s the work of our good mates Marcelo Obarrio and Germán Karp, who function as STG Tracker out of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
STG Tracker’s mission was to show the 2011-model Triumph Bonneville T100 right into a café racer; a riff on the standard Thruxton method, dialed to eleven. The temporary included a full fairing and a conventional café racer seat, with low-slung bars and rear-set pegs to match.
Marcelo and Germán began by fine-tuning the Bonneville’s stance. The 19” entrance wheel was swapped for a 17” hoop, and the rear finish was propped up on a brand new set of adjustable piggyback shocks. The tires are a 120-wide Michelin Energy One (entrance) and a 160-wide Mitas Sportforce (rear), and the brakes use the OEM Nissin calipers with new floating discs.
STG additionally stored the inventory gasoline tank and aspect covers, retaining among the Bonneville’s DNA. Additional again, the blokes formed a fiberglass tailpiece that takes cues from the air-cooled Thruxton seat, however is extra compact and classy. Particulars embody indents that echo the form of the tank, and tidy Alcantara and leather-based upholstery.
A tidy blank-off plate sits beneath the tail, built-in seamlessly with the abbreviated subframe. Tiny LEDs are mounted to the higher rear shock mounts through customized brackets, doing double obligation as taillights.
Many of the work went into crafting the Bonneville’s beneficiant fairing. “We needed to make it out of fiberglass in only one piece, so it might look clear with no seams,” says Marcelo. “Sure, it was a bit difficult to mount—we needed to elevate the entrance fork and take off the entrance wheel to slip it into place.”
Regardless of how a lot actual property it occupies, the fairing cuts a sublime silhouette. It’s hooked up to a customized mounting system, with mesh-lined vents decrease down to assist hold the exhaust headers cool. An LED headlight sits out entrance, however the rectifier, which is often located under the sunshine, has been relocated.
The Triumph’s authentic speedo and tacho stay behind the fairing’s tinted windscreen, flanked by clip-ons. The bars put on new grips, bar-end mirrors, and a smartphone mount from SP Join. The ignition’s been moved to the left-hand aspect of the bike, tucked away between the fairing and the body.
Slim LED flip alerts are secured to the edges of the fairing, whereas a stubby fender hovers over the entrance wheel, held in place by a singular diamond-shaped bracket. Triumph Thruxton rear-sets, retrofitted to the T100, full the management bundle.
With regards to selecting a livery, STG by no means misses. This Bonneville café racer wears an intoxicating mix of gloss and matte black finishes, complemented by goldleaf striping and logos, all laid down by Dibu Hernandez. Many of the Bonneville’s exhausting components are accomplished in black—together with its 865 cc parallel-twin engine.
In case you’re conversant in this era of Triumphs, you’ll understand how peachy this specific powerplant is. So STG skipped the efficiency mods, opting to easily improve the air filter to a DNA unit and remapping the engine. Modified SC-Mission cans, initially supposed for the Triumph Thruxton, create an applicable stage of raucousness.
STG Tracker’s Triumph Bonneville café racer proves that you simply don’t have to go overboard to make an announcement. With sharp styling and intelligent mods, it delicately balances kind and performance—with out shedding its soul.
STG Tracker | Fb | Instagram | Photographs by Darío Rodriguez
