Bike EXIF | 8 of our favorite Triumph Cafe Racers

The Triumph parallel twin is more than just an engine; it is the structural and aesthetic heartbeat of the cafe racer movement. When the ton-up boys of the 1950s and 60s were looking for the ultimate combination of speed and style to blast between cafes, they reached for the Triumph Bonneville and Trophy. Even today, the silhouette of those vertically oriented cylinders remains the gold standard for “cool” on two wheels.

Modern Triumphs have carried that torch into the 21st century. They provide a unique canvas that manages to look both vintage and urgent simultaneously. The Triumph cafe racer is a testament to the idea that a motorcycle should look as fast as it goes. Here are eight of our favorite Triumph Cafe Racers featured on Bike EXIF over the years.

Kott Motorcycles: The Born Free Daytona

Dustin Kott is a name synonymous with the quintessential cafe racer silhouette. However, for the 15th Born Free show, he pushed his boundaries by blending cafe racer ergonomics with board-track-inspired bobber elements. Using a 1969 Triumph Daytona 500 as the heart, Dustin created a machine that feels both delicate and incredibly sturdy.

The chassis is a hybrid, consisting of a 1969 front section mated to a Factory Metal Works hardtail. The centerpiece is the handmade girder front end, a parallelogram system cut from steel that utilizes a mountain bike shock for damping. The adjustable clip-on bars are integrated directly into the girder fork, creating a cockpit that is as much a piece of sculpture as it is a control center.

The aluminum tank and seat unit shrunk Kott’s signature style down to bobber proportions, while copper-plated rims and brass accents add a warm, vintage glow. The custom exhaust snakes around the frame downtube, exiting just ahead of the rear wheel. It’s a stunning departure for Kott, proving that a cafe racer’s soul isn’t tied to a specific frame style. [MORE]

Tamarit Motorcycles: ‘Helios’

The Spanish team at Tamarit Motorcycles has customized over 120 Triumphs, and ‘Helios’ is arguably one of their most ambitious builds. Starting with a carbureted Thruxton, they developed a monocoque tank and tail unit that features a hydraulically assisted hinging mechanism. This allows the entire body to lift like the hood of a supercar, providing easy access to the electronics and intake.

The endurance-inspired front fairing houses twin round headlights recessed into a cream-painted nacelle that matches the leather seat. Under the hood, the engine went through a full rebuild and was fitted with Keihin carbs fitted with K&N pod filters. The exhaust is a work of art: dual stainless headers that exit through MotoGP-style hexagonal mesh outlets under the rear cowl.

Visually, Helios is a knockout. The frame and swingarm were chrome-plated to a mirror finish, then draped in a custom burnt metallic orange paint. To clean up the lines, Tamarit utilized its proprietary integrated oil cooler, which hides the cooling fins inside the frame’s down tubes. It is a high-fashion cafe racer destined for the streets of Miami. [MORE]

Workhorse Speed Shop: The Carbon Speed Triple

Brice Hennebert of Workhorse Speed Shop is known for his industrial, race-inspired aesthetic. This 2009 Speed Triple 1050 was a “lost project” that sat in a box for seven years before Brice finally brought it to life. The star of the show is the monocoque carbon fiber bodywork, which Brice shaped from insulation foam before converting it into a CAD model and a final lightweight structure.

The entire body weighs just two kilos and sits on a custom chromoly subframe. Hidden beneath the carbon shell is a 13-liter aluminum fuel cell and a maze of electronics centered around a Motogadget mo.unit. The Speed Triple’s aggressive stance is bolstered by Nitron suspension and CNC-machined yokes from Vinco Racing.

With a full titanium Zard exhaust and a 35-kg weight reduction, this Triumph is a modern cafe racer with a serious performance edge. Brice has finished the bike in Cerakote black, allowing the weave of the carbon fiber to take center stage. It is an aggressive, “new-school” interpretation of the cafe racer ethos that remains relevant nearly a decade after its initial conception. [MORE]

Foundry Motorcycle: The Modern Triton

The Triton—a Norton “featherbed” frame with a Triumph motor—is the demigod of the custom world. Tom Simpson and Alex Chesson of Foundry Motorcycle were tasked with building a Triton that could hold its own in a collection filled with modern superbikes like the Ducati Desmosedici. They started with a 1961 Norton Slimline frame and a 1963 T120 Bonneville engine, but the finish is purely 21st century.

The bodywork is sand-cast aluminum. The team even melted down old Moto Guzzi crankcases to cast a custom oil cooler that mounts low in the frame. The engine was punched out with a 750cc big bore kit and fitted with Dell’Orto PH36 pumper carbs. For modern stopping power, they adapted Triumph T140 forks and a disc brake setup using custom yokes.

The attention to detail is staggering: Jaguar Italian Racing Red paint on the frame, Jaguar-inspired aluminum polishing, and a hidden battery box underneath the custom oil cooler. It is a Triton for the rider who loves vintage soul but demands modern precision. It’s “incredibly shiny,” incredibly fast, and perfectly balanced. [MORE]

Wenley Andrews: ‘Rumour Monger’

Wenley Andrews is known for building bikes that challenge conventions. ‘Rumour Monger’ is a 2010  Bonneville that was built around a fuel tank and seat Wenley had lying around his shop. The most unusual feature for a cafe racer? A springer front end, which Wenley shortened by five inches and braced for the extra weight of the modern Triumph twin.

The bike takes on a board-tracker-inspired stance, utilizing a 21-inch front wheel and a 19-inch rear. To get the lines right, Wenley lopped off the subframe and used custom-length Ikon shocks to raise the rear end. The exhaust is a burly stainless system that curls around the motor, while a Vespa headlight was repurposed and mounted off to the left for an asymmetrical look.

Despite the vintage vibes, the bike is technologically current. It features a keyless M-lock ignition, Motogadget speedo, and a cable-actuated hydraulic brake system hidden under the tank. The retro paint scheme and elegant leatherwork by Beyond Trim ensure that this Triumph looks like a high-speed relic from a parallel dimension. [MORE]

Wheelies Motorcycles: The Harrison Triton

Joel Harrison of Wheelies Motorcycles is a one-man army of fabrication. His take on the Triton started as a 1968 Norton Slimline frame and a 1967 Triumph TR6R motor. Joel pieced the engine together using a 1970 Bonneville head, MegaCycle cams, and an Airco 750cc big bore kit, creating a motor that is “very fast and handles like it’s on rails.”

The bodywork is classic: Lyta-style aluminum fuel tank, oil reservoir, and matching tail unit from Legendary Motor Parts. Joel modified the tail to be narrower and shorter to perfect the proportions. The triple clamps were made “the old-fashioned way” with grinders and files, and a single dial was sunken directly into the top yoke for a minimalist cockpit.

The finish is purposeful and raw. TT-style pipes were cut and welded to hug the frame, terminating in simple reverse cone mufflers. Joel calls it a “very simple bike,” but that simplicity is exactly what makes it a world-class Triton. It is a mechanical harmony of the two greatest names in British motorcycling. [MORE]

Junichi Nomura: The Futuristic 675

Junichi Nomura from Tokyo took a 2010 Triumph Street Triple 675 and gave it a “futuristic cafe racer” facelift. He discarded the iconic “bug eye” headlights in favor of a single round LED unit and replaced the bars with Gilles Tooling clip-ons.

The subframe is custom, topped with a Ducati Imola-style seat that Junichi bought online. The modern, angular lines of the stock fuel tank pair surprisingly well with the rounded tail, creating a silhouette that bridges the gap between classic and contemporary. Performance was bolstered with a Nitron rear shock and a custom titanium exhaust using Arrow headers and an Akrapovič muffler.

Finished in a deep navy blue with silver pinstripes, the bike looks like a factory-built “R” model that never was. It’s a lithe, 100-plus-horsepower street fighter disguised as a cafe racer. For a home-built project, Nomura-san’s Street Triple is a stunning example of how modern performance can be repackaged with timeless style. [MORE]

Heiwa Motorcycle: ‘Wild Pigeon’

Kengo Kimura of Hiroshima’s Heiwa Motorcycle is a builder whose proportions are consistently flawless. To celebrate his shop’s 20th anniversary, he built ‘Wild Pigeon’—a 1965 Triumph TR6 that is simply elegant. Almost every piece of this machine was built from scratch, including a custom twin-down-tube frame that gives the bike an impossibly narrow profile.

The technical highlight is the “reversed” head arrangement. Kimura-san flipped the top end of the engine so that the Amal carburetor points forward into the wind, shrouded by a finned aluminum intake spoiler. The twin exhaust headers exit directly out the back of the motor, snaking through the frame to exit neatly beneath the tail. It’s a radical bit of engineering that looks as though it could have come from the factory that way.

Finished in a Gunmetal Green livery with gold leaf logos by N2Auto, Wild Pigeon is a commemorative build that earned the “Best European Motorcycle” trophy at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. From the handmade clip-ons that bolt directly to the top yoke to the polished Paioli forks, it is a pitch-perfect tribute to two decades of Heiwa craftsmanship. [MORE]

On the Block: A 1971 Triumph TR6 Tiger Café Racer

For those looking to own a piece of this parallel-twin legacy rather than just admire it, a remarkably sorted 1971 Triumph TR6 Tiger is currently up for auction on the Bike EXIF Auctions. This survivor has been leanly reimagined as a quintessential café racer. The mechanicals have been modernized for the contemporary rider, and has recently been serviced. This clean-titled Tiger is a turn-key entry into the world of vintage British ton-up culture.