From Desert Sleds to Street Sleepers: The 9 Best Custom Triumphs of 2020 — a concise explainer

# Quick summary

In 2020 the custom-moto community returned repeatedly to Triumph machines. Bike EXIF compiled nine standout Triumph customs that year to show how the same British hardware was adapted for distinct purposes: vintage flat-track racing, aggressive off-road scramblers, minimalist craft builds, and high-speed sleepers. The selections combine thorough mechanical work with focused design choices rather than showy gimmicks.

# What these nine builds demonstrate

Triumph's Bonneville and related twins served as blank canvases. Builders either restored and upgraded old race bikes for track use or stripped later-donor machines down to functional, dirt-oriented or street-focused builds. Common interventions across the list include frame modification for corrected geometry, engine rebuilds with modern ignition or internals, bespoke exhausts and tailored suspension setups to match the intended use.

# Representative builds (highlights)

• Hookie Co. — T100R 'Snow Tiger' flat tracker
• A 1967 T100R with a history as a short-track racer arrived in poor condition. Hookie Co. cut and rebuilt frame sections to fix an extreme front rake, fitted shortened BSA forks and new Koni shocks, and sent the engine to a specialist for high-compression pistons, polished intakes, a dual-coil electronic ignition and twin Wassell carburetors. The bike uses modified BMW-style wheels and a custom rear brake assembly. After shakedowns the machine returned to racing.

• Maria Motorcycles — Bonneville T100 Scrambler

• Auto Fabrica — Type 19 (1972 Bonneville T120)
• The Type 19 follows a restrained, industrial approach. Auto Fabrica fully rebuilt the engine and fitted new Amal carburetors with velocity stacks. The build is notable for hand-formed stainless exhausts, a hand-beaten low-profile aluminum tank integrated with a suede seat, and upgraded suspension components hidden behind a clear, minimal silhouette.

• Hello Engine — Bonneville TT Special

# Common technical themes

• Chassis correction and geometry: several builds involved cutting and reworking frames to achieve usable geometry for racing or off-road use.
• Engine modernization: high-compression pistons, rebuilt intakes, upgraded carburetors or electronic ignition systems recur across projects.

• Functional aesthetics: tanks, seats and exhausts were often custom-shaped to serve both ergonomics and a simplified visual line.

# Why this matters to a reader who follows customs

# Quick wrap