mardi 11 mars 2014
TON UP GARAGE IAWATA
Daniel and Pedro, aka Ton Up Garage, have built quite a reputation for turning run of the mill Bonnies into really special looking, yet still totally useable daily rides. Although every bike is completely unique, you can tell they are all from the same Ton Up Garage family. This is a real skill, to have ‘a look’ that you can call your own, but at the same time produce bikes that are totally individual.
The Iawata was commissioned by a client who lives in Lisbon. He’d seen one of Ton Up’s earlier Bonnevilles, the Urban Pearl, and decided that he wanted to have one of his own, (who wouldn’t?). So the guys found him a 2007, pre-fuel injection Bonnie and the build was on.
This particular customer wanted a little more go as well as a lot more looks, so the engine and electronics were tweaked to deliver a dollop more power and torque, no doubt helped by the tailor made exhaust system and K&N filters. The engine was sprayed black apart from the sprocket cover which was painted the same subtle, yet super cool green as the tank. The hand made rear mudguard was also painted in green, and the rear section of the frame was cut and reshaped to fit the battery, ignition and electronics, and to help accept the Ton Up seat . We really like the pale grey leather, it’s a great example of how thinking a little bit differently can help make a bike stand out from the crowd.
A tiny speedo is nestled in the middle of the black handlebars, and Ton Up have installed a hydraulic clutch system and changed the front brake master cylinder to have less volume than the original, presumably sacrificing a bit of performance for aesthetics . Talking of which, the black hubs and 16″ rims have been adorned with ‘classic style’ fat tyres. Do they grip? Do they turn? Do we really care when they look this good?
But the Iawata hasn’t just been an exercise in looks alone. As well as the engine mods, the stock shocks were replaced with Ohlins, and the fork springs were changed to Ohlins progressive springs for a better, more responsive ride all round. Guess those tyres must work after all then.
The Iawata is the latest addition to Ton Up’s growing family of Triumph Bonneville customs. Of course, Daniel and Pedro are keen to point out that they don’t just work on Bonnies (a few months ago we featured their Kawasaki Zephyr 750 build), but we’re sure they won’t mind us saying that they seem to be particularly good at turning a humble Hinckley parallel twin, into something awesome.
You can see the rest of the stunning bikes (not just Triumphs) in Ton-up Garage’s Website, Facebook Page and onVimeo. Thanks to Joel Bessa for the photographs. And thanks once again to Daniel and Pedro for wheeling Iawata into The Bike Shed for us, …can we keep it?
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