The Triumph Speed Triple. A quintessential three cylinder engine motorcycle that truly stirs the soul. A perfect balance between the thump and torque of a 2 cylinder and the manic scream of a 4.
When we first looked at these bikes, we thought that there was not much we could do to it. It seemed somehow almost perfect. Like many of the bikes that we chose to customize, it was more about preserving the essential qualities that made this motorcycle what it is. Its soul and character. With that in mind we chose the 2013 Triumph 1050 Speed Triple. Triumph's latest variant of their enduring 3 cylinder motorcycles.
We've seen many custom versions of this bike, including some very radical rebuilds with creativity that blew our mind. We've never claimed to be custom bike builders. We're actually more of a 'makeover artist' or 'customizer' of the motorcycles we love. We've always endeavored to show off what can be done with the simple yet tasteful use of bolt-on top-shelf accessories and some custom paint. So began the journey for us.
With the support of the companies we currently represent, we utilized accessories from Rizoma, Zard Exhaust Systems, SAMCO Hoses, Ilmberger Carbon, Luimoto, Bazzaz Engine Management, Techspec Tank Protectors, Krystal Hess from Ricochet Customs for her powder coating skills and of course Brandon 'Scaz' at House of Air in Austin for his incredibly skilled custom paint. Photos by Doug Saylor.
Paint Concept:
We've seen many versions of the Union Jack. We beat ourselves on the head for weeks trying to figure out how to incorporate this element into a one-of-a-kind paint scheme that would work on this bike. After extensive research we happened upon a 'grunge' variation of the Union Jack Flag on the internet. After many hours of Photoshop mock ups we discussed our ideas at length with Brandon (Scaz) Scaramazzo at House Of Air in Austin. We challenged him with the task of making it 'loud' yet imbued with subtle detail that not only riders could appreciate but his peers would also admire. He was up to the challenge and so the work began. It was indeed a labor of love and the results from Brandon were outstanding! All the primary colors or red and blue were incredibly layered with iridescent shades of metallic and pearl. Splatters and splashes were 'grungy' yet smooth and artistic. Lines followed lines and flowed smoothly from panel to panel so the overall effect was that of one canvas split over multiple fairing panels. Everything exhibited such depth of colors that the layers appeared to float in their element. We were seriously pleased!
Billet Parts:
Rizoma clearly makes some of the nicest accessories for the Triumph Speed Triple and it was really a no brainer for us to use as many of their parts as possible for this build. Their anodized colors are pure and complement the overall look of the bike.
Seat:
We've always used Luimoto for all our projects because they have always been able to come up with good quality products with a design aesthetic that we really appreciate. So this project is no different. Our very good friends at Luimoto designed this über cool Café Line seat cover for us. Easy to install and really adds a nice touch. Alcantara Center with red and white accent stitching really adds a nice touch and the white passenger seat panel sets off the rear subframe extremely well.
Performance:
We chose the Zard Full System because of their reputation for quality and performance and it had the 'uncommon' look that we desired. Fit and finish was perfect. Many thanks to Eurocorsa for their assistance with this system. A full system would not be complete without fueling improvements. We tried, it made stupendous power but the backfiring on deceleration drove us nuts. A Bazzaz ZFi with AFM (Air Fuel Mapping). Simple and easy install because the units come with their own harnesses and great instructions. Plug a laptop into the ZFi, set the unit to record, ride as you would normally ride, connect the laptop again and the software will recommend the changes needed to get the best performance, select 'yes' to apply the changes to the ZFi and you're done! Voila! No more backfire with smooth power throughout the rpm range.
Samco hoses were chosen to allow the bike's cooling system to work much more efficiently. They come in a wide variety of colors and look really cool. Literally!
Carbon Fiber:
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| What's a pretty bike without a pretty face? |
Ilmberger is the world's leading supplier of quality carbon for today's modern motorcycles. They are one of the very, very few manufacturers that we have come to trust for their quality, fit and finish. They are also the only company that had the full complement of body panels that we needed for this project. We wanted all the carbon panels to come from one manufacturer because even though most of them will be painted over, we still wanted the weaves to match. Did you say painting over carbon? Sacrilege? Maybe so to some but we have never been a fan of a full carbon look. We like paint because we like colors. So we design our art to flow with the contour lines of the panels yet still expose carbon at the right places. It's just our style I guess.
Wheels and frames:
We really wanted white wheels and a white rear subframe so we turned to the charming(and beautiful) Krystal from Ricochet customs for some of her powder coating magic. Krystal was easy to work with, always prompt and does flawless work. This project was no exception.
Protection:
Of course none of our bikes would be complete without our Motovation products. So for this bike we've added Motovation fork and rear axle sliders.
Conclusion:
This Speed Triple project was indeed a joy for us to do and it is one that we are particularly proud of. She not only looks good but runs perfect too! Like our other builds, this one is really best appreciated by seeing it in person. The more you walk around it and look at it, the more you will see with each pass. Such are the details that no photograph can really do justice to. We hope that you will enjoy our Triumph Speed Triple as much as we have enjoyed dressing her up.
For a full list of products that we have installed on this bike and profile please click here.
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