French workshop 2020Motorcycles has quickly carved out a reputation for taking modern machines and turning them into something far more bespoke than the average bolt-on custom. Rather than relying on catalogue parts, the small Alpine outfit focuses on traditional craftsmanship, shaping large sections of each bike by hand in aluminium. Their latest creation, the tenth Triumph-based build to leave the workshop, starts with the familiar foundations of the Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS but pushes the design in a very different direction. Commissioned by an overseas client, the project blends classic café racer proportions with hand-formed metalwork, creating a road-legal ride that fuses old-school craftsmanship with meaty modern mechanicals.
The man behind the brand is Thomas Caniedo, who founded the company in 2020 with a clear goal in mind: to build motorcycles that are genuinely crafted rather than simply modified. While working for Triumph, he teamed up with Jake Apiata, who handles the metal shaping, and together they built a bike and then won a large custom competition. 2020Motorcycles was born, and joining the team is José Figueres, who assists with design, and electronics specialist Lionel, who develops the custom dashboards used across the shop’s builds.
From the outset, Caniedo wanted the workshop to focus on traditional fabrication techniques, particularly aluminium forming and old-school leather work. Instead of covering panels with paint, 2020 prefers to use a very pure aluminium that can be brushed, polished or clear-coated depending on the desired finish. The approach highlights the material itself, allowing the shaping marks and reflections to become part of the design rather than something hidden beneath layers of paint. Interestingly enough, most of their clients choose a modern motorcycle to be wrapped in this classic look.
For this build, the donor bike is the latest generation Thruxton RS, but the transformation begins once the bodywork comes off. Caniedo produced more than twenty sketches before settling on the final concept, refining the proportions to create a deeper, more enveloping fairing while still leaving the Thruxton’s parallel-twin engine visible. The finished design leans harder into the café racer aesthetic with lower clip-ons and a front fairing that plunges down toward the engine guard.
The fairing itself is the most complex component of the entire project. Its construction alone required more than 350 hours of work. The process begins with a skeletal template made from welded steel wire, which establishes the basic form and allows the team to check clearances for the headlight, handlebars, radiator and other mechanical components. Aluminium sheets are then gradually shaped over this framework.
Forming the panels is done using traditional methods, hammers and a sandbag, heat from a gas torch, and a hell of a lot of time, sweat and muscle. Each section is repeatedly removed, adjusted and reinstalled until the curves align perfectly with the bike’s frame and mechanical layout. Achieving symmetry between the left and right sides is one of the most time-consuming parts of the job, especially with a fairing that wraps so tightly around the motorcycle. The level of skill, just look at the finish around the headlight, it’s world-class!
Other elements receive the same level of attention. The original fuel tank remains underneath, but it’s now wrapped in a thin polished aluminium skin that exaggerates the stock profile while tying it visually into the fairing. At the rear, a completely bespoke aluminium tail section houses integrated LED lighting and supports a custom leather seat, stitched specifically for the bike to complement the metalwork.
Mechanically, the Thruxton RS platform remains largely intact, but several components are reworked or fabricated in-house. The stainless-steel exhaust headers are hand-made in the workshop, with sections of the pipe deliberately left exposed as a subtle design signature. The new air intake puts the pods just outside the metal skin, letting them breathe freely and produce a throaty induction sound. Suspension and braking hardware from the RS model are retained, ensuring the bike’s performance matches its aggressive stance.
As with all 2020Motorcycle builds, the project was completed with real-world usability in mind. The team spends around five to six months on a motorcycle of this complexity, ensuring everything from the electronics to the ergonomics functions flawlessly. The end result is a custom café racer that doesn’t just look like a handcrafted object; it genuinely is one, shaped panel by panel in aluminium before being returned to the road. The level of craftsmanship is out of this world, labour-intensive work that few welcome in this modern age, but you can’t argue with the incredible result.
[ 2020Motorcycles ]