We’re usually all about high-end customs here, but not everyone has the budget to put an extreme machine in their garage. And we know that many readers have lightly-customized daily riders—often older bikes that are subtly fettled without compromising practicality too much.
Untitled Motorcycles have built customs at both ends of the spectrum, mixing commissions from manufacturer marketing departments with low-key but classy BMW airheads.
This latest Thruxton build is a textbook example of how to refresh an older bike without breaking the bank. It comes from Untitled’s London workshop, headed by Adam Kay. (Co-founder Hugo Eccles runs the San Francisco sister shop.)
The donor bike is a 2015 Triumph Thruxton 900—the last of the air-cooled bikes—owned by Untitled’s client Victor Douce. “Victor came to us because he saw our GQ Thruxton and loved it,” says Adam.
Victor has owned his 2015 air-cooled Thruxton 900 from new, and rides it daily. But it had been in a minor crash before it arrived in the Untitled workshop.
The footrests were broken and there was a dent in the dark green tank. “It also had off-white, dirty pipewrap which was fraying badly and looked messy,” Adam recalls.
Even before Victor arrived to chat about the build, Untitled had stripped the Thruxton right down. “He wanted something different from the bolt-on, off-the -shelf parts that so many custom Triumphs have,” says Adam.
Untitled sat down with Victor to work out his riding style and what his expectations were. “He wanted a classic cafe racer with a twist: low clipons, simple controls and a single speedo, for an uncluttered view when riding.”
So Adam and his crew CNC’d up new triples and bar mounts, making it possible to flush-fit a Motogadget speedo and slot in new clip-ons. A new LED headlight, a quick-action Venhill throttle, and minimalist Motogadget switchgear and mirrors add to the upmarket feel.
After removing the tired old pipewrap, Untitled sent the pipes away to be ceramic coated white—and then blacked-out the engine covers for maximum contrast and installed their own proprietary sprocket cover.
They talked about colors. “Victor has a record label and his logo is the white eye on the tank. The look we wanted was clean lines and nothing to distract from the glorious white pipes that frame the engine so well.”
Untitled have also liberated the brake master cylinder and clutch perch from a Triumph Street Twin, and swapped out the stock wheels for a stunning set of 17-inch Kineo items—which means that Michelin semi-slicks can now be spooned onto the rims. The rear wheel is slightly wider than stock, and runs 180/55 ZR17 rubber.
Right above is the only serious grinder work: a new rear hoop welded on, with integrated stop, tail and indicators lights in one unit. It’s supported by Maxton shocks set up to lower the ride height a little, and provides a base for the new seat and tail unit.
“The seat hump was a labor of love for me,” says Adam. “It took ages to make a shape I was happy with, and then I made a plaster mold so we could make it more than once,” says Adam. “I really enjoy making one-off parts for our customers, it makes the bike so much more ‘individual’.”
The hump covers the back half of a pillion setup. The seat itself was diamond-stitched by Glenn Moger, and the bodywork was given a fresh coat of jet black paint by Image Design Custom. They’re two outfits that Adam highly recommends.
Another high recommendation is Steve Hallam, who chopped the electrics and kept the volts flowing smoothly. (“What Steve doesn’t know about electrics isn’t worth knowing.”)
The latest water-cooled Thruxton range launched three years ago, and secondhand air-cooled machines are now selling for around half their original sticker price.
They’ve still got bags of café racer style, and there’s a massive inventory of aftermarket parts online. We reckon Untitled’s client made a smart move here.
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