Renard is famous for its limited edition, $96,000 Grand Tourer—a high-end sport cruiser with a carbon fiber chassis and a Moto Guzzi power plant. It’s a spectacular showcase for the company’s design and engineering skills. So we did a double take when we heard that a humble Bonneville T100 was going under the knife in the Estonian workshop.
Why a Hinckley Triumph? “Building cafe racers and other custom bikes seemed to be so interesting and inevitable,” explains Renard’s Andres Uibomae. So he’s joined forces with two friends and formed Renard Speed Shop—a separate division that focuses purely on custom motorcycles.
Their latest work is this brawny Triumph Bonneville T100. It was brought to them by a customer who had only two requests: build a scrambler, and use a subdued color. With easy access to milling, 3D scanning and carbon fiber composite laminating facilities, the Renard guys’ imaginations ran wild. “We changed almost everything.”
The most radical change is also the most subtle: the T100 has been put on a diet and slimmed down. The subframe has been shortened and narrowed, with the shock mounting points relocated on the swing arm. The rear end is now a substantial 70mm narrower than stock—and perfectly matched to a custom tank and side panels, plus a practical vinyl-covered seat. “It looks like a proper scrambler now, and acts accordingly!” says Andres.
New Öhlins shocks have been installed, and anodized to match the rest of the bike. Modified forks house a Beringer radial six-piston caliper, and there’s a new triple tree from Free Spirits. Kineo tubeless rims have been painted grey to match the rest of the bike, and are laced to custom-made hubs with Swedish ISR brake rotors. The rubber is Metzeler’s Karoo 3, a dual-sport tire that’s becoming increasingly popular with custom builders. There’s also a 2-into-1 exhaust system with a Laser muffler.
On the electrical side, Renard wired the bike to run off a Motogadget m-Unit hooked up to a Motoscope Classic speedo. It’s set into a bespoke dash that includes neatly embedded LED warning lights and laser-etched markings. The front and rear turn signals are from Kellermann, with discreet bar-end units at the front.
A particularly nice touch is the Bonneville T100’s new switchgear. Since Renard couldn’t find adequate clamp-and-switch combos for the Beringer levers, they fabricated their own—CNC milled and anodized black. (If there’s enough interest, they’ll consider producing a small production run.)
True to the client’s request, the bike was finished in matte gray, with the engine painted black and stainless steel bolts installed throughout. Andres had one last trick up his sleeve though. “I wanted to have some element to make it visually more ‘active’,” he says, so he added carbon fiber inserts to the tank and side panels.
Renard Speed Shop have managed to build a scrambler that’s extremely desirable, but thoroughly practical. Subdued never looked this good.
Photos by Kalle Veesaar. Check out the Renard Motorcycles website and Facebook page.
