Custom Cafe's video: Triumph Bonneville Cafe Racer by Bunker Custom

The Triumph Bonneville is due for an upgrade. It might have pioneered the ‘modern classic’ segment, but these days the field is stacked. Hinckley has taken note, with reports of 1100cc liquid-cooled versions due to hit showrooms next year. But if you can’t wait until then, there are plenty of ways to give the iconic British twin a shot of adrenaline. Which is exactly what Bunker Custom Cycles have done with this glossy, 2014-model Triumph Bonneville custom. Its crisp livery was the first thing that caught our eye, but cosmetics weren’t the Turkish shop’s highest priority. “We wanted to squeeze out as much performance from the T100 as we could,” says Bunker’s Mert Uzer. “The form and posture of the bike naturally followed.” High on the agenda was uncorking the T100’s 865cc power plant. So Bunker sourced an airbox removal kit (including K&N filters) and a pair of Predator mufflers from Californian Triumph specialists, British Customs. Those were installed along with a Power Commander V, before the bike went onto the dyno. It’s now good for a reported 81hp. Moving to the suspension, Bunker fitted a set of Hagon Nitro rear shocks, two centimeters longer than stock. They also dropped the front forks by two centimeters, and upgraded them with Progressive Suspension springs. As a result, the Bonnie’s laid-back nature has given way to a more aggressive yet balanced stance. Other rideability mods include a Norman Hyde steering damper, a floating front brake disc and a new 5.5 inch aluminum rear rim—running a whopping 180 tire. Both rims were stripped and refinished in black, and are now fitted with Metzeler ME880 Marathon tires. With the bike now going, turning and stopping better, focus turned to the bodywork. The bulky stock seat was ditched, replaced by a sleeker and shorter, hand-made aluminum tailpiece. The seat itself was shaped using high-quality foam and a gel insert, and the whole unit mounts on the stock seat mounts. The frame’s rear tubes were also cut and reshaped to follow the shape of the new tail. Sitting neatly between them are an LED tail light in a CNC-milled housing, and a pair of British Customs quick-removal bolts. Up front, Bunker fitted a set of LSL clip-ons with new grips and bar-end mirrors. More British Customs parts were added to tidy things up—such as a rectified relocation bracket, turn signal bracket, smaller turn signals and shorter headlight ears. Plus a short, single gauge bracket for mounting just the speedo. The T100’s tacho normally houses its ‘idiot’ lights—with it gone, these had to be relocated. So Bunker designed and CNC-milled a new top triple clamp. It has the high beam, neutral, turn and oil LEDs integrated into it, as well as a recessed mounting area for the speedo bracket. And the ignition’s been relocated to the left side of the bike, courtesy of a Joker Machine bracket. The standard side covers were treated to some mesh-lined vents, and the front mudguard was replaced by a smaller aluminum one. The crew also created a more svelte sprocket cover by cutting up the original, and added Biltwell Inc. foot pegs. With every detail handled, the Bonneville was wrapped in a stunning blue grey finish with gold accents. (And we do mean every detail—note how even the filler cap’s been redone in black.) Bunker have done such a stellar job, that you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re looking at a factory-issued special edition.