Triumph Bonneville SE - Maccomotors

It seems weird to say it, but there are actually riders out there who spend their whole life on non-customised bikes. Riders who are perfectly happy using a factory-prepared bike in exactly the same state that it left the maker's premises. Stock pipes. Stock rubber. Hell, even the air in the tires probably has the whiff of aftershave from the factory worker who inflated them. Yes - such people do exist. Juan Manuel, the owner of this bike, was actually one of them. But through luck or through fate, he stumbled across the rather bitchin' custom work of José and Tito from Maccomotors and the rest, as they say, is historia.

“When Juan bought his new Triumph Bonneville SE with its standard mag wheels, he still hadn't really twigged to bike customizations,” notes José, “And then, hallelujah, he discovered them. He was impressed with our Macco Nº1, so then he contacted us to completely change the look of his bike. He wanted us to build an industrial-looking bike, but with some retro touches at the same time. The first step was to change the original rims with spoked rims, and after that it was all up to Maccomotors. So we went to work designing and building. Looking back, we have changed almost everything. One of the most noteworthy contributions in ‘Dusty Pearl’ (as it came to be known) are the handmade side panels that left the rear brake pump outside. We love them the most.”

“Our philosophy when it comes to customising motorcycles is to do something aesthetically beautiful and functional at the same time. We always speak with the customers to know what kind of riding they do or even to advise them when they are choosing a bike to customise. We like the retro style and beauty that hides in the bikes of the 60s, 70s and 80s and when we have finished a bike and we give it a new life and a new personality, we feel really satisfied. We know what we do is truly worthwhile. But the design for us is fundamental; the shapes, colors and all parts must have total harmony.

Juan Manuel, like most of our other clients, knew of our work and contacted us directly. When he bought his Bonneville SE, he wasn't really into custom bikes. But once he was bitten, he wanted to completely change the look of the bike. He wanted a motorcycle that was industrial looking, muscular and functional. The client's only real requirement was that he wanted a Supertrap exhaust and to change the tires. The rest was up to Maccomotors.”

“So, as with every new bike Macco, we presented Juan a design concept for the build. Colours, tires, seat, lights - we try to cover it all. He was more than happy with what he saw and trusted us to see it through. 

But there was one big challenge for Dusty Pearl. Juan wanted to be able to put the stock seat back on to allow travel with his wife. This was by far the hardest job for the build. Our answer was to build twin subframes that we could mount both seats to. This is the first bike we know of that has two subframes.”

“The details on the build include Rizoma 22mm handlebars, shorty polished control levers, Tomaselli grips, a Rizoma front brake reservoir, a Bates 5¾" headlight, a ‘mongrel’ tail light, Maccomotors mudguards and brackets, spoked rim with an 18” front and 17” rear, a Metzeler Tourance 140 rear and a Dunlop 110 front, racing footpegs, Bitubo WME progressive rear shocks with Wilbers progressive front fork springs, a Supertrap exhaust, and the new seat and paint is also by us.”

Do you know of a rider who has yet to appreciate the sublime beauty of riding a bike that is the only one of it's kind in the world? You do? Then save them. Save them today. Do it for Juan. Do it for Maccomotors. But most of all, do it for us. Hallelujah.

[Photos by Sergio Ibarra from Semimate]

via PIPEBURN