When you think of the bobber style of custom motorcycle, performance is usually not front of mind, with minimalist styling generally being front and centre. But the original ‘bob-job’ bikes drew their inspiration from AMA Class C racing, where only limited modifications were allowed, and stripping off the front fender, ditching all the chrome and removing extra weight was the only thing allowed to improve performance. In the spirit of these machines from nearly a hundred years ago, head builder at The House Of Simple Pleasures, Jeremy Tagand, has crafted a sweet custom that perfectly balances stripped-down styling and hopped-up performance. Known as ‘The Dragoon’, this new Triumph Bobber is the latest brilliant bike to roll out of Deus Ex Machina’s flagship store in Sydney, Australia.

The bobber as a style might have begun as street-based versions of their racing counterparts, but it really took off in the motorcycle culture when WWII came to an end, and a liberated generation was looking for new ways to express themselves. Smaller gas tanks with stunning paintwork, pinstriping by the likes of ‘Von Dutch’ and open exhausts to piss off the neighbours all became part of customising a bike into a true bobber. And looking across ‘The Dragoon’ it is clear that Jeremy has ticked all of those boxes.

And in the modern Triumph, you have yourself the perfect basis for such a build, with the British manufacturer designing the factory motorcycle to be customised far more easily than most of its counterparts. “The most recent creation from monsieur Tagand, arrived at the Deus Workshop almost directly from the showroom floor at Triumph- with hints of new bike smell still detectable on it,” the Sydney team tell us. But just as quickly as it had arrived, Jeremy was stripping it down and ditching the big fenders, the factory indicators, pulling off the exhaust and then hoisting it into the air to remove the wheels.

Having swept the pile of parts to one side, Jeremy now had to get the ride rolling again and the wheels are a stunning set of oversized items from Canyon Motorcycles. The company sells all manner of offerings for the Triumph product, but the lightweight TT wheels in the wider configuration are their most popular, and with blacked-out rims and spokes, they look badass to boot. But before these were bolted on, and the right sprockets and chain added to make them work, they were wrapped up in super sticky Pirelli Supercorse rubber, to really improve the on-road performance.

To cover that new tyre, an order was placed with the kings of the Triumph Bobber, the boys at the UK’s Thornton Hundred. Jody has developed an incredible range of parts and as simple as it may appear, the billet front fender kit with its fully integrated struts is one of the best. To take care of the rear end, Jeremy shows off his skills with a beautifully bobbed custom fender, which is fitted up with a set of Wunderlich struts. These come with combination rear indicators/taillights built into the upper section, and when combined with the offset number plate holder create an uber neat rear end.

Time to give this bad boy some tyre-shredding capability and although the 1200cc engine only produces 77bhp from the factory, the real figure to get excited about is its massive 106nm of stump pulling torque. To raise these figures, give a hell of a sound and achieve a sinister appearance, Jeremy had Thornton Hundred send over one of their exhaust kits, with its aggressive upswept side exit pipes. To help the bike breathe on the other side of the motor, a DNA filter set is deployed and then crucially, a Dynojet Power Commander has been fitted which allows the engine to be tuned to take maximum advantage of these modifications.

You’re going to hear this bike long before you see it, but when your eyes finally meet the prize, the guys at Juds Customs have ensured there is a gift to reward your patience. The colour scheme is bang on, slightly understated in nature, the two-tone green is the best of British and helps to make the most of the Bobber’s beefed-up lines. Then there are those pinstripes, straight from the ’50s and beautifully integrated with the old school Deus logo. To ensure the seat had that same high-end finish, the solo saddle was removed and sent over to Bad Arse Trim Co, who have given it the full back in black vibe.

Now at some point the party is going to have to pause, so to ensure the bike brakes with the best of them, Jody sent over one of his big brake packages. A proven product on his world’s fastest bobber, the kit takes full advantage of EBC wave pattern discs to give the front end massive twin stopping power with the Brembo calipers, and adds an equally effective setup to the rear. To finish out the build, Jeremy wanted to keep things clean and simple, so the cockpit is finished with Motogadget mirrors, Indicators and grips to keep everything cohesive and tidy. Now this Dragoon is ready for battle, and like its namesake, sitting on your saddle, you can’t help but feel more than ready for full on attack.

[ Deus Sydney ]