British Customs teams up with the legends of motorcycling to restore the community’s lost heritage through new custom motorcycles and products inspired by classic designs.British CustomsTo know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. British Customs, a Southern California-based lifestyle brand and designer of aftermarket parts for Triumph motorcycles, is delving deep into the rich, illustrious heritage of motorcycling, and is breathing life back into much of what is considered old and tired — or entirely forgotten — in the motorcycle scene.
They’re finding that a significant portion of the history of motorcycling has been lost behind a blind spot in documentation, or simply due to a lack of the stories being passed on to the next generation. A love for working on your own motorcycle and an appreciation for quality materials are another large part of motorcycle culture that has been fading away.In order to restore this heritage and love of craftsmanship, British Customs has been collaborating with many of the legends of motorcycling to tell their stories through a new line of soon-to-be-released custom motorcycles and upgrades inspired by the classic designs of the 50s and 60s.There has been a massive movement among people to go back to the vintage, to the things that filled their grandparents’ fabled “good old days.” In response to the blindingly fast pace of the times, people have been seeking things that are made to last, and self-expression through things that tell a story.To help in bringing this community together, British Customs has been working with multiple motorcycle legends and icons so that their knowledge and experience are not lost to the next generation of enthusiasts. Together, they are paying homage to the community’s heritage by building a series of modern custom motorcycles modeled after the bikes that the legends rode to victory in major races. These tribute bikes, as they’re calling them, are designed with the idea that form must meet function. They are outfitted with parts modeled after classic designs, but made to modern quality and performance standards.The first of these custom motorcycles is modeled after a nine-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb-winning bike, with modern updates like a carbon fiber gas tank and tail section. They have also created several dirt flat track bikes, one of which features a TT-inspired slash cut straight pipe exhaust system designed after the same style pipes that were in demand when the flat track scene was an international sensation in the 60s and 70s.The motorcycles they have been using for these builds are modern Triumph Bonnevilles. The Triumph Bonneville, reintroduced in 2001, has been a wildly popular go-to for vintage style motorcycle enthusiasts because of the ease of being able to customize it yourself. The build notes for these custom bikes will be released shortly, at the same time the components used to make them are made available to the public in upgrade packages designed to allow the average Triumph rider to easily replicate these builds with their own motorcycles.For additional information, visit British Customs.
British Customs and the Heritage Revival Movement Photo Gallery
KTM RC 390 and Gordon McCall of Quail Motorcycle Gathering
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the new KTM RC 390. The entry-level KTM has always been an impressive motorcycle that has sold extremely well, however the factory has now taken the bike to another level, with top-spec features that are typically found on flagship machines. Clearly KTM has realized that even smaller engined machines should have high spec suspension, brakes and electronics packages. Nic tells us how well the new RC 390 is equipped, and what he thought of riding the smaller displacement rocket.
In the second segment I chat with automotive and motorcycle industry icon, Gordon McCall. Gordon is the Director of Motorsports at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.
This weekend of Saturday May 14th sees the annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering re-start after its Covid-forced hiatus, and having attended every one of the previous Motorcycle Gatherings, personally I’m very happy that the event is back on the schedule. Gordon chats about the event and a little of what’s happening this year. It’s a great event and if you feel like a trip to the gorgeous Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, you’ll get to meet Gordon, Roland Sands, and of course a large number of stunning motorcycles too.
From all of us at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!