The gasoline part of the Anthony’s shop’s name is obvious from looking at this vintage-looking Triumph bobber he built for 2016 Artistry In Iron Show in Las Vegas, but the coffee aspect might take a little more explanation. It seems that this is an after-hour gig for Anthony after his day job as the owner of a successful garage door business. Burning all that midnight oil building custom motorcycles after a long day’s work is surely going to involve copious amounts of coffee I’d imagine. Well, you’ve got my interpretation and I’m sure his is a lot better, but I’d venture into any place that advertised Gasoline and Coffee before I’d chance a beat down at Satan’s Hell Cycles or Pay Up Sucker Customs.
This build started out as something that probably shouldn’t have been started with a craigslist basket case that wasn’t even a full basket. For 700 bucks, Anthony picked up a 1961 Triumph T100 engine, frame and wheels and he had his muse. Not much to start with and even later it was found out the engine was seized which could have been a catastrophic deal breaker for most of us, but not for Anthony. It was his starting point and it was to be his eventual finishing point so he just dug in and got going.
The 500cc vertical twin engine was completely rebuilt back to stock with only some reasonable upgrades to make it run better and more reliably. The ignition became an electronic unit that not only ran better, but was always in tune so kick starting the bike became an event you wouldn’t fear. The original single Amal carb was replaced by a JRC 30mm carb which is basically a new Keihin carb reworked by JCR Engineering specifically for Triumphs. The carb is topped by an Amal air cleaner for traditional Brit good looks. Anthony fabbed up a set of pipes that look like a set of Triumph’s famed TT pipes on acid. They’re just a little more out there and exaggerated while sweeping back under the engine on the right side. They look pretty awesome to me with just the right touch of custom and competition in one.
The twin rear shocks and swingarm hopefully have found a new home elsewhere as they’ve been replaced with a rigid rear section that I’d swear has always been there. It’s clean and tidy with a four-inch stretch that keeps the Triumph from looking a bit stubby. Nobody likes stubby motorcycles. Up front that’s not an aftermarket DNA springer or anything like that, but a real touch of OEM. Anthony picked up a 1937 Triumph T80 girder fork and restored it to better than new. It fits nicely with the stock T100 rake and certainly adds a bit of serious vintage to the build that no modern aftermarket part can ever do. Man that thing’s 80-years-old and it’s still working for a living. And, it’s working quite well after the rebuild and powder coating by Pacific Coast Powder Coating in Palmdale.
After a good rebuild and more powder coating, those original Triumph wheels with their seven-inch drum brakes, front and rear, found their way onto the build. The copper-plated nipples and the stainless spokes are the only color to be found, but it’s more than enough to keep them from looking like rolling slabs of black. One of my favorite vintage tires to look at more than ride, Firestone Deluxe Champions, were mounted on 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels. The slightly staggered sizes help bring on the stance that everybody’s looking for with just the right amount of nostalgia. For the life this bike’s probably going to face now that it’s cool as hell, the Triumph drum brakes will at least be adequate and they bring on the vintage attitude like no disc setup can. Score one for Old School guys.
Bodywork doesn’t consist of too much, but what there is turned out to be perfect for this bobber build. A nicely shaped fuel tank that embodies the spirit of old Wassell and Mustang tanks takes its own direction with a hint of streamlining to the old formulas. It’s got that aerodynamic look of a raindrop in a free fall that we’ve all seen photos off back in grammar school. The shape brings a sense of movement or even more so, of urgency, like it can’t stand just sitting there parked. The classy oil tank was made out of the two bottoms of old fire extinguishers while the battery and electricals are contained in an old Electra battery charger housing under the oil tank. Nice repurposing of junk into jewels and the oil tank says so with a recycle graphic
The back fender is from Lowbrow Customs and it’s simple, yet stylish. The little flip at the back is just enough to take it out of the ho-hum of just a fender into a fender with style. Straight tubular struts lean back to grab it before it gets blown away. That same kind of strut although in a much shorter version also mounts the Bates-style headlight. That’s a nice kind of repetition and it adds more interest to the headlight while tying it into the whole design.
With the reach to the straight drag bars from the beautiful dual shock seat at a comfortable reach, Anthony decided to stay with the stock Triumph foot peg position. Actually he stayed with the stock rubber foot rests and left-side brake lever. He did fab up a new short shifter for the Old School four-speed right-side gearbox. Personally, I like the stock rubber footpegs as they bring a bit of heritage to the modern build. It is a potential rider so why not make it so? By the way, I forgot to mention the fabulous seat covering that might not be the fanciest ever, but it sure is effective. The thick brown leather held together with rawhide lace X-stitching is comfortably crude cool. I just like the raw use of leather here that gives it a bit of garage-built feel to the build without looking tacky. It’s a smart feature.
Paint was handed over to Mat Egan of Extreme Designs for his own take on what he felt the bike needed. He laid down a base coat of deep gloss black from the House of Kolor that blacked out the whole bike before he got down to graphics. Rich with metal flake HOK gold and red orange swaths of paint with copper leaf pinstriping formed into a design that overwhelms the black base. The bodywork now sports more color than the base paint, but the rest of the bike’s black finish on the wheels, brakes, frame and fork keep black a dominant overall color. Anthony’s liberal use of brass fittings and copper tubing brings a bit of enticing contrast to the mix and keeps it from being two-dimensional. I really like his use of mixed media to end up with a more jewel-like build.
Funny thing, though, is that when it was just all black, it really must have looked like an old vintage motorcycle more than a custom. Paint can so change the direction of a build it’s insane. Here, Anthony’s been large and in charge of exactly how he wanted this build to be. Not only did he get that down to a science, but because of it he got to be one of the invited builders to last year’s Artistry in Iron show. Not too shabby for a garage door installer building bikes on the side.
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