The best part of building a motorcycle are the collaborations and relationships formed along the way. Although I developed the design, did the majority of the research, resourcing and modifications to the bike, I was assisted by the following talented artisans on these challenging design details:
– Leather Work by Larson Upholstery: @larson_upholstery
– Aluminum Radiator Shroud / belly pan fabrication by Craig Rodsmith: @craigrodsmith
General Details of the build:
– Design concept to retain the lines of the stock modern-classic styling, but augment with upgraded technology for enhanced performance
– Custom Titanium Headers
– Decat (catalytic converter removal)
– Stock Airbox Delete / removal of side covers
– Custom air filter pod unit
– Modified seat pan
– Custom (Brooks) Perforated Leather with “speed line” motif details (seat, side pads, hand grips, tank strap)
– Leather side mount tool bag (left side)
– Modified wiring and hoses
– Under-seat electronics pan
– Shorai Lithium Battery under rear cowl
– Custom prototype: brushed aluminum radiator shroud and belly pan
– Modified and dropped radiator and silicone hoses to enhance air-cooled look of bike
– Custom and relocated coolant reservoir (in belly pan)
– Rear Fender eliminator / brake light / set back license plate holder
– Bobbed front fender
– Rizoma Accessories (brake oil reservoirs) bar ends and turn signals
– JW Speaker Adaptive Headlight
– Yellow Headlight Tint
– Power Commander unit install
– Dyno’d and ECU remap
– Structural Frame de-tab and paint
– Custom perforated swing arm splash screen
– Customized right side chain guard cover
– Modified aluminum heel guard plates to carry “speed line” motif throughout bike (seat, knee pads, hand grips, heel guards)
– EK 3D x-ring Chain
– Modified and plated front drive sprocket
– Performance rear sprocket bolts
– Tire lettering
– Overall reduction of (+/-) 30lbs from bike due to modifications
– Increase of 9bhp overall to 96bhp (dyno’d) … but more to come
– Reduced weight, increased horsepower & torque plus a lightened overall appearance
Tools Used:
– A Dremel
– Wrenches & pliers
– Sandpaper & elbow grease
– Rattle can paint
– Plenty of Curses
– The inter-webs
– Help from talented friends
– Evenings and weekends after work in my garage (about 4 months)
Biggest challenges:
– This was my first custom build.
– It was the first time these particular modifications were made to the new, Thruxton R platform (globally) so I had to figure it all out on the way.
– The radiator shroud / belly pan was measured and mocked up with a cardboard paper template on the bike then set to Craig Rodsmith for fabrication. It was a one-shot effort to get it on the bike with no test fits. A huge thanks to him working remotely!
– Surprisingly, the radiator modifications to relocate the cooling system were technically very difficult from a modification and positioning standpoint on the bike. After modifications, I was test riding and kept getting repeated overheating warnings…I couldn’t figure it out until the YouTube told me to “burp my radiator” – look it up. Whew..!
– Decating the exhaust / new headers took some research, learning and patience to achieve.
– Messing about with a fuel injected bike and learning how to manage an ECU system was a big learning curve.
– Appreciating all of the efforts custom builder go through to build bikes that are “clean” and look simple or minimal.
– Translating “Aussie speak”
Photo credit: @brianbraun – although I had to reduce and compress the heck out of it to get the image size down to 1mb