Classic Riders Community
As all editors on BikeBrewers are active members of the Classic Riders community we thought it would be a good idea to regularly spotlight on special builds spawned from within this 5000+ member community in over 40 cities across the globe.
This time we travel to New York where we meet with professional photographer, writer and graphic artist Rahoul Ghose to check out his dream.
A dream: Ten years in the making
Rahoul bought his Triumph Thruxton T100 brand new (*picture below) as it came out of the factory back in 2010. At the time he was still residing in California, one of the birth places of customization.
Los Angeles is the heart of the US aftermarket parts but Ironically most of the material manufactured and sold there is also illegal (in the States) to install on the bikes the parts are made for.
But hey, how boring would life be without #motorcyclemischief?
From the moment our friend bought his bike it as been subjected to constant modification. As Rahoul puts it: “Modding has always been in my blood. My other project is a 2002 MINI Cooper which has been highly modified and race-tested on tracks in Western Canada, where I grew up.”
Before the bike was even delivered there already was a full box of updated parts to install waiting in his garage. It contained a 2 into 1 powder-coated Arrow exhaust, a FEK and Airbox Removal Kit with pod filters, new led signal lights and numerous other bits and pieces to get the Triumph to match the riders’ taste. He also knew He wanted to get going on the suspension and brakes as time passed and give them serious upgrades as the OEM ones were considered ‘fairly unremarkable’ according to the New Yorker.
Strip and Eliminate
The owners vision for the bike was always to strip it down in the café racer tradition, eliminating weight and increasing power. The preferred colour scheme was always black with red highlights and just enough raw metal to not have the overall look completely blacked out. Contacts in the LA moto-community helped him to start the mod work. Aftermarket parts dealers, powder coaters, metalworkers many specialists were involved in creating Rahoul’s dream.
He had had this mental picture ever since his university days. At the time he was riding a (not very exciting) Yamaha Seca 400, while a friend of his snatched all the girls away from him showing up on a modded all black Honda CB 900, (circa 1980s), ‘cafe’d out’ with a sleek quarter fairing and red rims. This image stuck in the mind of the student like glue, knowing that one day he would zoom around on a bike like that too.
How much did it set you back?
This is always an interesting question when you talk to riders who are also passionate modifiers. His candid answer was: “The base model of the bike was $8799 US when purchased new. In the 10 years I’ve owned/modded the bike I have spent that much again, if not more” he wryly smiles.
Cross country
Since the bike left the dealership back in 2010, many loving hands have touched her and turned this already good looking Thruxton in to a ravishing black beauty with flaming red details in her hair. With a sunny start in the West, the bike has been done in both LA and New York.
In LA powder coating, parts installs and OEM parts modification were done by Yoshi at The Garage Company and Sashan Pirouzgar at Metrikmoto. In New York Rahoul called in help from Brian Ballard at A and J Cycles and powder coating by my friends at Arcanemoto.
Modification is the name of the game!
Our New York Classic Rider is not satisfied easily. The list of modifications just goes on and on. For those Triumph Thruxton afficionados amongst us here’s a taster and some inspiration:
Benji’s Cafe Racers (rear seat cowl with leather seat, and chopped front fender)
MAS Engineering bodywork (side panels, chain guard)
Tamarit belly pan
Kineo tubeless rims and rear sprocket; Avon Storm 3D tread
Motodemic adaptive LED headlight
Motogadget dark motoscope classic tachometer/speedometer and m.View Blade bar end mirrors
British Customs top triple tree clamp, airbox removal kit, billet headlight brackets, clutch arm finisher and fork brace
New Bonneville FEK and oil pressure gauge
Beringer brake caliper and pads with EBC rotors
Öhlins blackline rear suspension and race tech front fork springs
Oberon LED blinkers and brake/clutch levers
Ceramic coated Iron Cobras Fabrication 2-1 GP shorty exhaust
Free Spirits chain tensioner
Wilder Factory tank strap
Carpy’s Cafe Racers auxiliary fog lamp and ‘Thruxton’ pedestrian slicer
Deus ex machina saddlebag
Translogic quick shifter
Nology performance spark plug wires and ignition coil
powder coating through Brooklyn’s Arcanemoto.
As well as:
Woodcraft clipons & bar-end sliders
Spiegler steel-braided brake lines
LSL rearsets and engine frame sliders
Norman Hyde steering damper
Motone classic Monza gas cap
Super Corse Temperature Gauge Oil Fill Cap
STS Self-Cancelling Turn Signal and Smart Brake Modules
LC Fabrications EFI tops
In the works:
Omega Racer bullet fairing (SR 400 style), powder coated in black with black anodized hardware and self-made upper brackets (chromed knuckle joints and 8mm stainless steel rods)
Dream on
As can be distilled from the latter part of the above list, Rahoul is not finished dreaming yet. He describes his infatuation with the Triumph as “It’s been a labour of love, a conversation piece which has enabled me to meet some incredible friends in the moto world. Every time I think it’s finished another idea pops into my head. So safe to say the bike grows along with me.
I just love the way it handles. With its vastly improved suspension, its upgraded brakes, its wider tyre profile, its reduced weight and frame stiffeners (fork brace and steering dampener), the Translogic quick shifter, its power mods (airbox and air injection removal, Nology ignition coil and plugs and 2 into 1 exhaust, the bike handles extremely well and punches way above its class in terms of acceleration and top speed. In true 59 Club fashion, the Ton is an easy accomplishment.”
Builder details:
Builder: Rahoul Ghose – [email protected]
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Photography credits: Mark Squitieri
The Triumph in its original state back in 2010
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