Bike builders find inspiration in all sorts of places – dirt roads and oval tracks inspire some, others choose to build motorcycles which embody the spirit of 100mph dashes between back street cafés. Inspiring as high-speeds and knobbly tires can be, it was in “another dimension” where Vietnam based motorcycle company, Bandit9 found theirs when customising this 2012 Triumph Bonneville T100, aka the ‘Panther‘
As you can imagine Triumph’s from other dimensions are rare here on Bonnefication, especially when they appear to be from one which has a ‘bleak and dystopian future‘ – a future in which riders of imaginative, unique and home builds are perhaps outcasts in a world of factory faux-customs, ridden by Converse wearing bourgeoisie bikers.
Perhaps this matt black Triumph T100, which features a looped frame, stealth bomber style rear mudguard and a handcrafted leather seat with geometric stitching. A pattern which was inspired by the work of haute couture designer Konstantin Kofta, is the ride of a Mad Max character who once made custom motorcycle accessories, before being driven out of business and onto the roads (with a bloody big gun and an over-long cloak) by corporate greed.
It’s not all bad news as clearly noise pollution is not an issue in other dimensions, as the Bandit9 custom 2>2 exhaust system appears to be made from parts salvaged from a downed fighter jet – though in reality I imagine the system is no louder than a set of Zards or Arrows 2>2. Finishing mentionable unmentionables include; tinted headlight lenses, mini turn signals and side mounted brake & tail light setup. The T100 sits on stock wheels fitted with a mix of Metzler Karroo 3’s tyres at the back and Metzler Lasertec at the front.
Fortunately the Panther’s and it’s bitter and darkly clad, gun toting rider only live in the world of fiction….
Wherever it is we find our inspiration, be it in some fictional dystopian future, a computer game or a picture found on the internet, what is important is the creativity, individuality and effort that goes into building custom motorcycles, something which we can all appreciate and something which I hope to see plenty of in 2016… Happy New Year!
The guys at Bandit9 are building a limited addition of nine machines, with seven all ready being sold. Price is USD 15,750 – and comes with free international, and can be delivered to your doorstep. If you want your own Panther details can be found here Banditnine.com
Photos by Jeremy Wong of Nemesis Pictures
www.banditnine.com
www.facebook.com/bandit9bikes
@bandit9bikes
