![TT Cycles’ Tuxedo Bonneville Bobber](images/DailyArticles/june2010/tt_cycle_black_taxedo_triump/tt_cycle_black_taxedo_triump_01.jpg)
TT Cycles’ Tuxedo Bonneville Bobber
Story by Buck Manning
Photos by TT Cycles
As my old friend, Billy Shakespeare, once said, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,” and so we go unto the breach once more with another of TT Cycle’s affordably cool Triumph customs. The deliciously understated black ’66 Triumph Bonneville T120R has all the qualities of TT’s thoughtful approach to creating a custom bike that can make you the envy of anybody at a local cruise-in or the vocal wrath of purists at a concours event (pissing off purists is enough to make me want to buy one). And, all this comes at the price of what a new XL 1200C Sportster runs for in dead stock form. If you really want to be different as every motorcyclist seems to say, here is a choice that can make you the belle of the ball without breaking the bank.
The comparison to an off-the-showroom-floor bike probably isn’t fair considering that this bike technically is 44-years old, but the lads at TT Cycles in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, take an old crock and rebuild, refurbish, or replace anything that needs it while replacing any pesky trouble-prone areas with the latest technological upgrades. The possibly coolest part of this build is that it keeps the stock frame geometry that made Bonneville owners speak in hushed tones about how nicely they handled on back roads and if at any time you wanted to restore this bike to original showroom condition, the possibility is there. Nothing’s been hacked, whacked, or jacked on this bike as the hard tail is a bolt- on sub-assembly that gives this bike its attitude without damaging its future.
TT’s owners, Dennis Harrold and Steve Blaufeder are pretty close-minded guys when it comes to working on and owning bikes and keep their creative juices flowing on a daily regimen of restored, refurbished, and custom “Triumphs-only” for a couple of decades already with no end in sight. “Most of the people we encounter have history with Triumphs. By and large, they come to us and say, ‘Look I had one of these when I was a kid or dreamed about them and I just want one,’” said Dennis. “As the market gets more knowledgeable about Triumphs, you’re gonna see the prices just really go up. Right now you can still buy a basket case for a very reasonable price.”
The “Tuxedo Bike” as Dennis refers to this bike sold for a “very reasonable price” on eBay as far as I’m concerned. “It’s a very clean looking bike which is probably why we had to stop the eBay auction early. We had to tell people this guy made us an offer we couldn’t refuse,” said Dennis. “That offer was $10,500 and we didn’t expect to get that much.” Not too shabby on both parts for a basically newly minted Brit bike with a rebuilt engine with upgrades, refurbished stock components throughout, never mind the one-off look that almost appears to be a production model with all its TT-designed and built-in tidiness. For relatively short money, the new owner got a ride that he’ll have to make no excuses for and will probably get tired of all the compliments and questions he’ll get. And, the most important thing is he’ll have a bike that will be a blast to ride as well as look at.
Keeping it real and under the 10K mark is something that Dennis and Steve have as a strong selling point. “As long as we can keep it inside that price range and still make some money on it, we’ll keep building those bikes. We’re finding that there’s customers out there who’s not looking for just a straight, stock, slightly modified, Krylon rattle-can choppers,” said Dennis. “They want something that’s nice, different, and fun to ride and if we can provide that, so much the better.”
The Tuxedo Bike is only one of the many Triumph customs TT Cycles has created ranging from mild to wild and everything in-between. If the throb of a historic Brit twin gets you where you live, be sure to check out their website www.ttcycles.net or give them a call at 908-464-2288. In the meantime, you should peruse some previous bikes we’ve featured online or in print at the links below.
TT Cycles’ Time Travelin’ Triumph
Chatting Away with Steve and Dennis of TT Cycles
TT Cycles: Triumph Coffee Bike
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