If you wanted gag-worthy quotes of inspiration, you’d have headed over to Instagram, but indulge me just this once. “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” The fact it’s from Camus’ The Rebel makes it a little more relevant to what brings us all together and one custom bike mad Australian has taken the attitude to heart. After a recent health scare, he decided he was simply wasting time if he wasn’t living life in the now to the maximum. So, to make that possible he called his friends at Queensland’s Ellaspede and asked them to build the perfect Triumph to make today truly memorable, and they’ve delivered his dream with a modern Scrambler called EB1100.
A professional man by day, this wasn’t Jonathan’s first custom build by Ellaspede, having previously owned the bike known as EB433. With that bike sold it was a natural progression for Jonathan to undertake a build on the new Street Scrambler platform, especially when kicking off Covid projects was all the rage in 2021. “My rule of thumb is to always get a clean, low kilometre doner bike as it’s way less trouble,” Jonathan explains. But trouble in the form of COVID lockdowns meant he never saw the bike, a 2017 Triumph Street Scrambler before it was sent straight to Ellaspede for customisation.
“If I was to imagine riding my dream bike in my head, this new build is exactly what I’d be riding, so kudos to Ellaspede for helping get the bike from my head into physical reality. I could have done this later on in life, but after some recent health surprises, I’ve realised that if you’re not enjoying life to the maximum here and now, then you’re wasting precious time. An old fella once said to me ‘this ain’t no rehearsal’. So, with the bike in the workshop and in the safekeeping of the experienced team, it was time to get it stripped down and prepare it for some custom fabrication.
The first step was to shorten the rear frame and add in a smooth hoop, that hosts the LED strip taillight and is drilled and tapped for the tiny indicator conversion. On the underside sits a new mount for the inner guard, as does a quick release seat latch. “With the stock seat removed on these bikes there is a real ‘dip’ on the frame rails down to the rear suspension top mounts and across to the bottom of the tank. So, to raise the visual level of the seat and have the seat base match up more closely with the bottom of the tank we added another frame rail from the rear indicator mount right across to the frame backbone below the rear of the tank to get things looking streamline again.” The guys explain.
New side covers were then expertly fabricated that help to cover the original frame rails and completely hide the dip. “The left-hand side features a dummy air filter element inspired by the original Triumph Tigers of old.” To give the fuel tank some of that vintage vibe, an ultra neat ridge was welded in and the knee pads removed. It’s all dressed up with a perfectly spun satin aluminium fuel cap. With the final fabrication work used to produce the high quality, custom steel front and rear fenders, and an all-new seat base.
“The wheels were dropped off next and rolled out for some new rims, spokes and tyres. We opted for the classic chrome look in a wide 17×5.0 on the rear and a 19×2.5 on the front. Laced up with chrome spokes, they’re wrapped in Shinko 705 Series measuring 110/80-19 and 170/60-17 front and rear.” The suspension is sharpened up next with a set of Ikon rear shocks that raise the height a little and improve the quality of the ride. To take care of steering, the top triple clamp has been machined and a set of Biltwell risers dropped in and hold LSL Flat Track Lenker bars.
“The stock Vance and Hines muffler made way for a custom set of 2-into-2 pipes that fit up to the stock headers. The small factory exhaust heat shield was nice, so we mimicked the style with a laser-cut piece of steel, bent and welded it to extend along the new pipes and prevent any leg burns in traffic.” With Johnathan’s legs protected, next was a chance to give him a comfy place to sit, and the seat foam was shaped up, before being topped in a classic diamond-stitched black leather cover. This works perfectly with the new paint, with a vintage vibe flowing through the build.
This theme is continued with the Kustomtech ‘seventies’ brake and clutch levers matching up to the black grips. But the electronics package is all modern tech, with a host of Motogadget products fitted up to the bike to take care of everything from the instrument gauge, mirrors, and indicators. A classic 6in headlight is perfectly mounted hard against the forks and a Domino ride-by-wire throttle cleans up the bars.
Johnathan couldn’t be happier with the entire Ellaspede experience, and he’s got a great plan for his new machine, “I enjoy cruising from my place up to Noosa Heads for a Sunday beer with the lads and soaking in the balmy coastal air and the sunset on the return.”
[ Ellaspede – Instagram | Photography by AJ Moller Photograph ]