Bonnefication gave Johan Syrén from Stockholm, the chance to tell us all about himself and his beautiful Aston Martin Racing Green, 2006 Triumph Thruxton, A bike which has seen many hours of subtle tinkering to make it the perfect ‘bespoke factory’ machine.
I’m getting closer to my vision of what I want my bike to be but of course already have plans for next winter. To me it’s important to have a great handling and well balanced bike. Monsters and beauty queens tend to stay in the garage which is ok if that’s you’re thing but I enjoy both riding and tinkering.
When it comes to the bikes appearance – I guess what I’m going for is a bespoke factory look. All the parts shall work together as one coherent unit, both in terms of how things look but also performance wise. The looks are obviously prioritised if you get a Triumph twin and my ambition is a simple and clean but not minimalistic look where the parts just look right together.
I don’t want it to be obvious that I’ve put in a lot of hours in the garage. Well, if you have a Thruxton yourself or another one is parked next to mine you’ll see that things have changed but the modifications shouldn’t look out of place or aftermarket. Gimmicks or “cool” stuff that commonly are added to all types of bikes with the assumed purpose of conveying the “bad ass” attitude of the owner are not for me.
It’s ok for me if people enjoy having skulls, flames or trendy stuff on their bikes but I choose not to. Instead, what rocks my boat is a mix of a classic look and sound, purposeful high quality performance parts, and subtle changes here and there. It will never be a cool or trendy bike that wins awards on bike shows, but she sure looks and sounds great out on the road when I push her hard. It’s just wonderful to have the character and charm of a classic twin and to be able to keep up with my friends on modern bikes. To me it’s the optimal combination for joy riding.
Triumph’s classic twins are fun to ride taken straight from the dealer. But it’s no secret that the handling responds very well to upgrades. I took it step by step and have over the years stiffened up the front fork, replaced front and rear shocks, laced up new rims which allow me to have wider and better tires gripping the asphalt. The difference is huge compared to stock and I’ve spent quite a few hours dialing in the settings to suit my weight and driving style. Adjusting things correctly is really the key to achieving a balanced bike. I’ve taken her to the track a few times and she performs just as well when being pushed to the limit. She is however a bit loud so I keep my eyes open for track days without noise restrictions…
About myself:
I’m yet another example of the guy who goes all in on making a career, just to find out that you need something in your life to balance things out. Something tangible that gets the mind of everything else. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still happy and hungry for professional success, but it’s no longer all I strive for.
My profession is being a capital markets lawyer, being a motorcyclist is my passion. I like to challenge stereotypes – it appears difficult for people to comprehend that a guy in suit and tie can build his own headers from scratch and does the ton at every given opportunity. I like making people scratch their heads and never get tiered of showing up at business meetings on my bike…
Cars and bikes have been around me since forever. I grew up just outside the city and my parents friends always used to stop by unannounced with their bikes and Porsches showing of the latest modification and sharing the latest story over a cup of coffee. I loved that and knew that I would be doing the same thing later in life.
I actually started of looking for a nice car, like a Porsche 964 or an early M3 but failed to find an example that wasn’t overpriced or required too much work. Bikes came into mind as an interim solution but I soon realised that it is the thing for me. Just after getting my license I visited my parents (who at the time lived abroad and had no insight in my everyday life). I remember hesitating to tell them that I was about to get a bike. They are aware, but do not appreciate, my love for speed so I was expecting them to disapprove of my plans. Mom said “That’s great, but drive smart” and Dad’s response when I showed a picture of a Thruxton was just “Don’t overthink this, just buy it”. I bought the bike the weekend after that.
Living down town Stockholm meant that I not just wanted, but needed to find a garage for my new shiny bike. Happened to notice an add on Swedish craigslist and I was lucky to join a great garage in the very same block as I live (I had no idea that the garage existed before joining). Having 30 petrol heads around me soon got me going with the modifications. It’s just great to have likeminded and experienced people around you when building a bike. Sometimes you just need the extra hand but the greatest thing is of course that we have fun and learn from each other.
Photography by Emme MacDonald© fotografemme.blogspot.se
Modifications:
Handling:
Suspension:
Front: Andreani/Öhlins cartridge
Rear: Öhlins rear shocks (TR538/375mm)
Tires: Pirelli Diablo Corsa Rosso 2
Front: 17’ 110 wide
Rear: 17’ 160 wide
Rims: Front: 17’x3,5’
Rear: 17’x5’
Morad rims from Classic Wheel Components with stainless spokes and nipples. Laced up by a local Triumph expert called Sixten Ehrling.
Brakes:
ISR 6-pot front caliper with 320 mm floating disc and new adjustable grip and master cylinder
British Customs Fork Brace
Drivetrain:
Carburettors: Keihin fcr 39 with K&N filters mounted with British Customs billet intake manifolds
Ignition:
Procom Programmable Hi-performance CDI
Headers:
Polished home-made stepped headers (18 gauge 304 stainless steel) which follows the lines of the frame better than stock. Prepared for O2 sensors where the connecting tube used to be.
Silencer:
British Customs Predators
Clutch:
Heavy Duty Clutch Springs from cafetwin.com
Chain:
DID 525VMX (gold)
Aesthetics:
Paint:
Aston Martin Racing Green with highlights in bright yellow and red Triumph logo on the tank. Painted by Håkan Lindberg.
ISR:
· Clutch Grip
· Controls
LSL:
· Head lamp ears
· Grips
· Rear sets
· Sprocket Cover
Joker Machines:
· Oil filler cap
· Clutch cable bracket
· Ignition relocation
MAS Engineering:
· Aluminium front fender with 17’ radius to fit the smaller front wheel.
· Chain guard (not mounted currently)
Indicators:
Kellerman Micro Dark LED (front and rear)
Custom made:
· Bracket for front fender
· De-tabbed frame (no side covers)
· Battery box in stainless steel fitted under the swing arm using the mounting points for central stand
· Tray in Aluminium for the electronics under the seat
· Bracket for side cover reshaped to hold rear brake fluid reservoir from Brembo.
Head light:
Clear glass lens from newer model year
Fender elimination:
Kit from British Custom with red LED light
Instruments and electronics:
· Motogadget Motoscope Classic (10k rpm scale in white)
· Shorai Lithium battery
· Relocated horn (under tank
· Relocated rectifier (where the horn used to sit (painted black))
· Rewired more or less completely
Rear-view mirror:
CRG hindsight foldable
Other:
Wet sanded and polished engine covers
WANT YOU CUSTOM/MODIFIED TRIUMPH TWIN TO APPEAR ON BONNEFICATION, THEN WHY NOT SUBMIT YOURS HERE
