The air-cooled Triumph Thruxton remains a solid base for a custom motorcycle. Thanks to the enormous numbers they sold in—and the internet—parts are plentiful, spares are easy to come by and tuning information is vast. So it’s little wonder that some shops specialize in customizing them.
This café racer started its life as a bone stock, carburetted Thruxton, but then the team at Tamarit Motorcycles got their hands on it. Well-versed in air-cooled Triumphs (they’re up to 120 now), the Spanish outfit treated it to hand-made componentry, stunning paint and a dash of Greek mythology, and dubbed it ‘Helios.’
Starting with the handmade bodywork, a monocoque tank and tail unit was developed exclusively for the project. It features a nifty hydraulically-assisted hinging mechanism, providing easy access to all parts of the bike without the need for disassembly. It’s not only practical, but also looks swish AF.
The seat is stitched in cream leather which runs up onto the tank, adding a subtle touch to the silhouette of the bike.
The custom front fairing incorporates twin round headlights, cleverly recessed to give the bike just the right amount of endurance racer vibes. The headlight area was painted cream to match the seat; yet another extremely classy touch.
These air-cooled Bonneville engines are stronger than they look, and hide a bit of pep. With a few choice modifications, owners can really wake them up—which is exactly what Tamarit has done. They treated the engine to a full rebuild, then tweaked the Keihin carbs to run with K&N pod filters.
It would be remiss of Tamarit to bolt an aftermarket exhaust onto a custom of this caliber, so they crafted one from scratch. Dual stainless steel headers snake their way along the engine to exit under the rear cowl. Complete with custom shields, and mufflers featuring MotoGP-style hexagonal mesh at the outlets, the system is a work of art.
See those fins on the frame’s front down tubes? Those are actually Tamarit’s own integrated oil cooler—and it’s the coolest cooler system we’ve seen on a Triumph.
A custom fender sits up front, mounted on a brass-plated support. Custom fork yokes are mounted above it, machined from aluminum with space for a tiny digital Motogadget speedo. The clip-on bars are Tamarit’s own design, and are equipped with Kustom Tech levers, and Motogadget buttons, bar-end turn signals and mirrors.
The bike’s been rewired around a Motogadget control box, tucked under the tank, and switches on via a keyless ignition. The battery and all the other electrical components have been shrunk down and hidden under the rear of the monocoque body. Peek around the back of the tail bump, and you’ll spot an integrated LED taillight and turn signals.
Tamarit has also fitted one of their stunning mono shock conversions to the Thruxton, with a drilled subframe welded on just above it. Combined with a 6” swingarm stretch and a Hagon shock, the whole arrangement suits this style of café racer well.
Classic sawtooth treads from Victory are wrapped around the Thruxton’s stock 18F/17R hoops. The rear wheel also features a lenticular cover with gold trim, custom-made for the project.
The mythological Greek sun god, Helios, not only inspired this Triumph’s name, but its color scheme too. The Tamarit team were so particular about the color, that they painted the bike several times before landing on this beautiful burnt metallic orange.
Not to be outshone by the bodywork, the entire frame and swingarm were chrome plated and polished to a mirror finish. Resplendent with gold Tamarit badges, we bet this lucent Thruxton would look incredible against a setting sun.
Tamarit has once again combined classic café racer style with modern technology, making Helios one of their best builds to date. From the bodywork, to the engine and exhaust, there are countless details to pore over.
Helios will fit right in at its new home in Miami.
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