Triumph’s “Modern Classics” range has proven to
be very popular with the riding public, one of which is the base model Bonneville
Street Twin. At its essence a naked “universal” motorcycle, the Street Twin
lends itself to customisation easily.
The Triumph Dealer Custom Built Competition is a
contest organised by Triumph for its worldwide dealer network. Using the
current Triumph Street Twin as a basis, dealers are allowed to display their
skills and talent in customisation, with the proviso that the machine remain
somewhat road legal.
Taking a Triumph Bonneville Street Twin, Triumph
Groningen, from the Netherlands, created their version of the famed “Salt Flat
Racer”. Closely mimicking the lines of the larger Thruxton R, the Salt Flat
Racer is the brainchild of Triumph Groningen owner Leonard Wagenmakers with the
design by Roger Koers and metal fabricator Rinaldo Wiegman.
Completed in only two weeks, the Triumph Bonneville
Street Twin Salt Flat Racer is their idea of what a care racer should look
like, with a milieu of fabricated and hand-built parts. The bodywork for the
racing seat cowl is made from rolled one millimetre think steel, and conceals a
transparent Triumph logo made from glass that is lit by a brake light from an
Opel Vectra.
A single PIAA headlight is located asymmetrically on
the front fairing, which follows the classic lines of racing machines from the
sixties. In the cockpit, the fuel tank, lifted off the Triumph Thruxton R, is
painted to imitate the patina of a slat flat racer, along with the cut-down
levers that served to cut down wind resistance in the days before motorcycle
aerodynamics was properly understood.
Retro-bikes with modern under-pinnings seem to be
enjoying a renaissance of sorts at the moment, and not just amongst the hipster
crowd. There is a segment of the riding population, notably new riders and
those coming back to the sport, who appreciate an approachable and easy to ride
machine like the Triumph Street Twin, which retails in Malaysia for RM56,900 in
2017.
