Tamarit motorcycles have enough plug-and-play components in their portfolio to turn any modern classic Triumph into a mid-range cafe racer. But the Spanish shop knows how to ride a bike as well victory thruxton, and turn it into something truly spectacular. With over 100 custom Triumph builds in their portfolio, they’ve learned a thing or two about how to make them appealing to customers.
This Triumph Thruxton 1200 R is one of the most radical cafe racers we’ve seen Tamarit built yet. Its strong stance and exaggerated proportions are what grab your attention in the first place. But once you’re hooked, you’ll discover an interesting set of mods—and some ingenious part swaps.
The Triumph Thruxton 1200 R is the best sponsor you can get for this build. It’s one of the few factories cafe racer available on the market, in sufficient quantities to fit its program. With 97 hp from a 1,200 cc parallel twin engine and a combination of Showa, Öhlins and Brembo parts, it is no slouch.
That said, Tamarit sees fit to upgrade Thruxton’s already capable running gear even further. They kept the Brembo brakes, but replaced the Showa forks with an inverted fork from the Öhlins Blackline product line. The stealthy Öhlins steering damper adds stability to the front end.
Moving to the rear of the car, Tamarit made a twist that we haven’t seen on Thruxton; they installed a Triumph Scrambler 1200 rear grip. Not only does it look better than the original unit, but it’s also longer, stronger, and lighter.
Gone are the OEM double shock setup. In its place, Tamarit braced the swingarm and built a svelte bolted saddle mount with a new upper shock mount. An Öhlins kit connects the two, with a remote preload adjuster mounted just below the tail for easy access.
The bodywork is a combination of custom and reusable parts. Tamarit started by adapting the Triumph Speed Twin to the car, then built a tapered tail section directly onto it, effectively creating a monocoque body. LED taillights are embedded in the cutouts at the rear, with the slim saddle flowing right up behind the fuel tank.
Press a button on the remote and the entire body lifts with a hydraulic shock, which helps access Thruxton’s wiring. It’s a trick Tamarit has used on several builds already, but we’re still not sick of it.
The front bib is a twist on Triumph’s own aftermarket for Thruxton, but with some notable changes. First, the traditional headlight arrangement has been replaced with slimmer LED daytime running lights, with more powerful circular LEDs underneath. The Tamarit also lines the inside of it, with a dashboard that molds itself around a digital Motogadget tachometer.
Thruxton’s clip-on handlebars are equipped with small Motogadget push buttons, Rizoma grips, side mirrors and turn signals at the end of the bar.
To keep the engine running, Tamarit installed a pair of Free Spirit pod filters, mounted on the intake manifolds that propel them forward. The twin exhaust system comes from Zard, an Italian exhaust specialist.
Going deeper, the team rewound the bike with a Bluetooth-enabled Motogadget mo.unit control box. But that also presents its own challenges, as Thruxton’s stock ECU is extremely picky about what it will do. In the end, Tamarit found an additional box that acts as a conduit between the OEM ECU and the new brain.
Other mods include a spacious sump guard that also serves as a radiator guard and a custom front fender. Gorgeous 17-inch wheels from Canyon and tires from Pirelli. None of the stones were overturned – that’s why it’s no surprise that this building took almost a year to complete.
Completing the work is an elegant black paint job and lots of chrome. Tamarit’s apparently chromed parts like the swingarms and wheels, then went even further by removing, chromed and reassembled the brake calipers. Custom engine and fuel tank badges, and a contrasting Tamarit logo on the swingarm brace, add elegant finishing touches.
Thruxton’s elongated, forward-facing design probably won’t appeal to everyone. But there’s one big fan: Tamarit’s customer. He traveled all the way from California to Tamarit’s store to get the car in person and ordered another custom Triumph from them.
We’ll take that as a win.
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