Fans of motorsport were treated to a masterclass on the weekend, as the BSB paddock arrived at the famous Thruxton circuit in England, and witnessed Aussie Jason O’Halloran put on a clinic. Starting two of the three races from mid-pack, the O’Show sliced through the large field like a hot knife through butter on his McAMS Yamaha to take the treble. It’s a feat Triumph fans had witnessed in the ’60s, as race-prepared Bonnies wearing the circuit’s name powered to race victories throughout the decade and took all three podium spots in the 1969 Thruxton 500. But it wasn’t until 2016 with the release of the water-cooled Thruxton that the general public could purchase a road bike that truly lived up to the name. Over at Tamarit Motorcycles in Spain, they absolutely love the R model and this beauty in blue is a Triumph with a twist, known as ‘TurXton’.
The Thruxton circuit was originally built as an airfield during WW2 and was the home of troop-carrying planes that flew soldiers to many a successful mission, including the D-Day landings. Following the war, the facility was slowly handed over to the local motorsport club, with races first held on the runway and perimeter roads, and then the fully completed circuit from the late ’60s to today. With the fastest average speed of any track in Europe, the place has always been special, and not only gave its name to the 52 homologation Triumph race machines of the ’60s, but also a Velocette model and the classic Thruxton handlebars, known as Clubmans to many.
But it wasn’t until 2004 that the Thruxton name was used on an official Triumph model, with the 900cc air-cooled versions getting the hallmark cafe racer treatment, a nice set of mufflers and the signature seat cowl. But let’s be honest, this was a bike that dressed the part, but didn’t pack the punch to truly earn the badge. But come 2016 and the new Thruxton 1200 R was dubbed the most thrilling and full-blooded sports classic you could buy. And with that torque monster of an engine, a great chassis, big Brembo brakes and quality suspension, it was and is a weapon. The guys at Tamarit who are Triumph fanatics fell in love with its launch, and they’ve been building amazing custom R models ever since.
And yet this just might be their most conservative to date, which gives you an idea of just how wild the boys are willing to go. But for this build, they wanted to maintain the classic lines of the bike, use plenty of pieces from their custom parts catalogue and then throw in a few twists, because that’s just how they roll! “The TurXton project captures the racer spirit with a contrast of colours that makes it stand out. A motorcycle for those who seek to feel power under the saddle, all without losing an iota of style and neoclassical essence.” Down to business and the big rear fender with old school lights was ditched and the frame’s black paint renewed.
Having cleaned up the rear end, the decision was made to ditch the stock seat and its cowl and go for a complete cafe racer styled piece that extends all the way to the back of the fuel tank. This is one of the many parts you can select from the Tamarit online store, and an alloy base allows for a good place to hide electrics. Over the top of the new base, a beautiful black leather seat has been upholstered and is adorned with a custom Tamarit badge. Below, the stock side covers are a little OEM boring for the Tamarit team, so they optioned a set of their Dakota items to add a little muscle to the build.
The final bodywork changes were to swap the big stock front fender for a blade-like item on custom mounts, again from the company catalogue, and then add one of their custom laser-cut chain guards which is finished in a black powder coat. Now the boys could start to look at colour combinations and selected gloss black, contrasted by a custom mixed Cyan blue, for a modern mix. It is absolutely brilliantly laid down, with the black doing the bulk of the work, including on the rear springs, and that blue is used to lift the vibe, and is even applied by hand for the pinstripes on the side covers.
The custom Tamarit badging isn’t just added to the bodywork, with the engine also sporting the name of the bike. But the standout feature of that thumping parallel twin is undoubtedly the exhaust system and it’s sure to get a few people’s knickers in a twist. The fabricated stainless steel system wraps its way over to the right-hand side of the bike, before enveloping the side cover and spitting out of some meshed-out pipes. To keep the engine roaring on the intake side of things, a pair of FreeSpirit filters on their out turned mounts help to ram fresh air down the big motor’s throat and deliver a beautiful sound.
To complete the build, the team dove head first into their own custom parts catalogue and came up with a host of cool parts. The engine is protected by a blacked out Anvil bash plate and the rear end sports one of their full tail tidy kits, which includes all lighting and a neat number plate holder. The headlight is a special bit of gear, a genuine LED gyroscopic unit, which is capable of swinging to the left or right as you corner, and helps to drastically improve the nighttime riding experience.
Some quality pieces from Motogadget take care of the indicators and mirrors and you have a custom bike that is absolutely stunning to look at and ready to set a lap on the famous Thurxton tarmac.
