The Australian motorcycle adventure documentary ‘Wide Of The Mark’ showcased not only a spectacular two-week adventure but proved an average road bike can actually do some pretty cool things off-road with a few tweaks and the right tyres. Luckily for the customers of Queensland’s Purpose Built Moto, boss Tom Gilroy was also a producer and participant in the film. So, he’s taken the lessons he learned on the rough and rugged back roads of Tasmania and applied them to this chunky Trumpy. It’s a 2006 Triumph Thruxton 900 that’s been built for pure unadulterated fun, on any given Sunday.
Tom tells us the owner already has a pretty cool garage of bikes, “He has a Speedmaster for long-distance riding, and a Harley-Davidson Shovelhead to make sure there’s always something to work on in his shed. The main goal of this bike was to create a bike fun to rip around on, a few gravel roads, but most of all to be an object of envy for his mates.” The Thruxton had previously been modified, with some good and bad changes, and arrived at the workshop in fairly run-down condition.
The first step was to get it straightened out and ready to serve as a solid base for the rest of the build. “Starting with getting the bike running and riding like it should, the rear suspension mounts were removed and rebuilt. Brakes gone through, rebuilt and braided lines made for the setup, with a set of Accossato levers,” Tom explains. The back end of the subframe has been shortened for a far neater and more purposeful look, the rest of the frame has been cleaned up and the bulky factory side covers have been ditched.
For the looks of the bike, things are kept simple and clean, but keen Triumph fans might have noticed something different about the tank. “The most interesting of the past mods was a thinned-out tank. That had been cut and shut, that actually looked pretty good.” This stays in place and looks amazing next to the handmade aluminium side covers, complete with extruded additional details. For those worried, Tom tells us that there is a custom front fender for those days when the bike hits the dirt, but that it simply looks better with it left off.
As for the colour, “I was out on a ride one afternoon and saw the 2021 Defender in this amazing stone colour after a quick search I found the colour code for Gondwana Stone and sent that off to our painters to be laid down on the tins. While that was being done the seat was sent for a coat of leather at Timeless Auto Trim. A glossy black hide was used to match in with our colour scheme.” Keeping the looks clean is a 7” flashpoint classic headlamp and integrated indicators.
The engine is of course the classic looking British parallel twin and in a carby fed model, you get simple performance at its best. To boost it up and give superior throttle response, Tom fitted up a set of Mikuni carbs with DNA pod filters, and wired in a new aftermarket ignition. But stealing the show in the mechanical package is that stunning stainless steel high-mounted exhaust that starts with a perfect set of headers. These finish at the centre-post, with a Purpose Built Moto 2” Torpedo muffler providing the soundtrack.
“The wide wheel kit has come from Canyon Motorcycles who PBM is now distributing for in Australia. A very simple aftermarket triple clamp and bolt on wheel kit that comes with everything you need to run a 150 wide front tyre, with a 180 Rear. It’s probably the easiest way to take your Bonneville from bland to ‘what the fuck is that thing’ in the course of a few hours. Black on Black wheels wrapped are in Continental TKC 80s.”
It’s a hell of a look, but showing the range of products they have on offer, from big wheels to tiny electronics, the bike is fitted with a PBM black box, that can be mounted anywhere and allows for an ultra neat wiring install. A set of Pro Taper bars are perfect for the application and they are fitted with all of the best pieces from PBM for an clean, yet functional front end.
At first look it’s by no means a wild custom, but dive deep below the surface and you realise you have a stunning looking motorcycle, that sounds wicked and will have you smiling from ear to ear with those wide tyres kicking up the dirt; roll on Sunday.
[ Purpose Built Moto | Instagram | Photography by Ninefivers ]