Underground Bobber's Carbon-Clad Triumph

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Underground Bobber's Carbon-Clad Triumph

Written By: Bill Bryant
1-25-2010
Categorized in: Features, Motorcycles

Carbon fiber and classic Triumphs aren't subjects you'll find together very often. Northern California's Underground Bobbers is trying to change that. With extensive experience in the boat industry and a passion for vintage Brit iron, their latest example #72 shows just how well the two go together.

Underground Bobbers

, 2127-D So. Vasco Rd. Livermore, CA94550?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Owner name, email address, location: ??Seventy Two ?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Bike name: ??Engine: 72-650 triumph Bonneville, ?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Engine, year and make, model, modifications: ???1972 Bonneville?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Frame: ???Original ?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Fork: ????_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Chassis mods: ???R 120/80-18 Avon Distanzia

F 100/90-19 Avon Distanzia

Dual sport?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Tire/wheel size and style: ???Carbon Fiber Work?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Favorite thing about this bike: ???The bike is finished, So another bike?_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Next modification will be: ??Carbon Fiber:

Headlight

Gass tank

Front Fender and Spartan Fin

Battery box

Number plaits

Seat scoop

Seat base

Drainpipe

Cover exhaust

Gauge mounting bracket

Front shock covers??_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Other mods, accessories, cool parts, etc: ????_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Any building or riding story or info you'd like to include:

Farzin (partner who bought the project bike)

ProFiberglass http://www.Profiberglass.com

Rick Price

Rabers Part Mart

Reza Gohary (designer, and fabricator)

Underground Bobbers http://www.undergroundbobbers.com

_____________________________________________________________________________ ?Thanks to: (you may include links to websites here)

The bike is a stock-framed 1972 Triumph Bonneville running 18"/19" Avon Distanzia tires. The list of hand-crafted carbon fiber pieces on the machine is stunning: headlight, gas tank, front fender and spartan fin, battery box, number plates, seat scoop and base, drainpipe, exhaust cover, gauge mounting bracket and front shock covers. Whoa.

Thanks to:

Farzin (partner who bought the project bike)

ProFiberglass

Rick Price

Tim Besser

Rabers Part Mart

Reza Gohary (designer and fabricator)

Underground Bobbers

Last minute note: Word on the street is that this machine will be up for sale on eBay soon...

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Comment with Chopcult (41)

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 07:07 am

northeasteric

uuugggghhhhhh!

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 07:49 am

it's different therefore i like it

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 07:54 am

revmike

I would be interested to know the considerations that went into the exhaust covers. Is the gas tank covered in carbon fiber or MADE of carbon fiber?

Nothing shocking design wise about the bike, but, as I said on JJ a few months back, it would be interesting to see some traditional styling and molding done with carbon fiber and modern techniques. I guess if CAD and computer driven cutters are 'metal fabrication' then carbon fibers and extensive molding has a place as well.

Thanks, good insight... more about the exhaust.

~Rev Mike

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 08:43 am

Eh, nothing special aside from the parts being made of Carbon Fiber but that in and of itself, is not that special. In my opinion the Carbon Fiber stuff should stay with new crotch rockets, a good Cafe is only good if it's got original parts.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 08:51 am

revmike

I get what you're saying Mike, I think we agree for the most part. I think there are some places where it could come in handy. Making aerodynamic body parts, for the most part, is def a crotch rocket/racing deal. We can disagree on the Cafe, since I'm sure the Cafe crowd has as much variation in definition as we would defining a bobber... I don't see where we have a lot of need for plastics and fiber (carbon or glass) but I could see some covers, fenders, fender/tailights, etc where it could play.

Of course, I only really care about the exhaust covers anyway. LOL

~Rev Mike

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 09:13 am

erikweste

I am not necessarily into this machine, but can respect the work that has gone into it. As far as a cafe only being good if it has original parts, I disagree. There has always been an underlying theme in racing of making parts lighter, using exotic materials, and removing unnecessary items to make a bike that handles and performs better, sometimes at the cost of appearance. What are considered original parts on a custom bike anyways? Isn't that what its all about? jmo.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 09:32 am

Honestly... I never really gave two shits for carbon fiber....I have always loved the look and feel of metal. It is a cool bike though.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 09:40 am

pangeaspeed

wow i cant belive the kind of negative responce this is getting...... i thought this was all about doing your own thing, building the best bike for your situation ie, riding fast, traveling, doing burn outs or what not, etc. i also thought it was about demonstrating your skill set to display your personal vision for what you think a cool bike looks like.

i am over the square mentality that is so popular right now of " lets make a chopper how they did in the 70's and thats the only way to do it " . i am not saying those old bikes arent cool but i am just saying they take very little thought because those bikes are just a snap shot of the past.

at any rate i think this bike is rad. i have done a fair amount of carbon work, and laying up carbon like that is super tricky to make it turn out nice. my hat goes off to you for building a rad bike. is it super insane crazyest bike i have ever seen? no but less is more most of the time.

-ac

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 09:52 am

damned

Well, I tend to like it for the work and the idea, but, as a purist I think that carbon fiber and cafe-racers don't match! Anyway, nice work (conceptually speaking).

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 10:27 am

#10

dannyb

Great idea, though i would like to see a "vintage" looking rigid triumph salt flat racer made largely out of carbon fiber. Here's to being origional.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 10:41 am

#11

Kyle	I'm all for it, not what I would build, but I didn't build it did I? Still great craftsmanship involved in something like that and it had to shave a ton of weight off the bike. It's amazing what dropping 50lbs off of a bike can do to your power to weight ratio!

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 11:02 am

#12

blacklistVISUAL

Amen to Andy.
And to the dude's whining that there's not enough OG parts? Dude... what was the point of a cafe racer back in the day? To shave weight and build a faster bike, dummies. Modern science has provided better ways to achieve these ends, so to pretend that modern materials and technologies don't exist would just be dumb.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 12:04 pm

#13

Loewe

Looks like fun to ride. I appreciate all the hard work you put into that bike. Like the taillight view or intro pic. Do your own thing and be funky with it!

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 12:34 pm

#14

ROGUESAINT

dig it!!!!!!!!!!!

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 01:28 pm

#15

I agree with andy as well. To think that racers back in the day wouldnt have used carbon fiber if it was available is crazy. Of course they would have! To shave that much weight would have been ideal. I think this is totally cool and as true to the original cafe form as any out there. Hell its almost even more true to the original cafe ethos of lighter & faster is better!

-Alex

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 03:06 pm

#16

curtisquatch

my original prejudices would have said that i wouldn't like the carbon fiber on an older bike but looking at the photos, i think it turned out great. it looks light and simple and i think it captures a lot of the philosophy behind cafe racers. if it looks good and it turns out the way you want it, hats off to you.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 03:09 pm

#17

revmike

Well, as I said above, our 'community' seems to have a thread of negativity that runs through it vis a vis carbon fiber. I had some almost violent responses on JJ. On the one hand, I think it has a lot to with CF's association with metric street fighters/crotch rockets/what have you. While Bondo and Fiberglass are 'okay', no purist would use CF. I think it is one of those things that all of us react to from time to time without thinking it through. It's hard to be a 'Steel, not Plastic' evangelist and then immediately see resin body parts as an advancement.

On the other hand, chopper/bobbers are supposed to be about stripping away the unnecessary or appurtenance. (not often I get to use THAT word). So ADDING things can be countraculture at time.

What some of us sometimes forget, and as Andy points out, the community has grown beyond a 'chopper' or a 'bobber'. There are plenty of garage built cafes and streetfighters that folks on this here community work on.

The common thread is building and fabbing.

But I would advise a re read, I don't think anyone knocked the work or the craftsmanship, merely where they thought CF fits in to their reality.

I for one would love to have some time to experiment with CF in order to fabricate some things that I don't have the skills for in metal.

.02

~Rev Mike

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 03:10 pm

#18

steffan

i like it. its not my style but its still cool.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 03:50 pm

#19

Thanks Rev Mike...we all have different taste and like assholes we all have out opinions....doesn't make anybody a hater.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 03:54 pm

#20

GreaserMike

Make it your own, ride it, thrash it & repeat.

I like the modern nod to the pedestrian slicer and military headlight cover.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 03:56 pm

#21

kromsucks

im with pangea speed i apreciate this bike and even if it not your style you should apreciate it too

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 04:30 pm

#22

damned

Agreed with RevMike.
Carbon fiber and vintage don't tend to "walk the same path", but, even so, you have to look to creativity and craftsmanship with bright eyes.

The man behind the idea of using some carbon fiber on a cafe racer deserves respect for its vision, if it will make everybody happy that's a whole other story!

My 2 cents.
Dan.

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 08:47 pm

#23

leadfootedkid

thats awesome combining new tech with old looks

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 10:09 pm

#24

eliwolf6

nothing wrong with that bike, lots of my buddies ride cafes and that thing would be rad, lighter=faster. Good work, im always open to "new" ideas and using elements of other styles, even if it comes from the good ol crotch rockets..

Commented on 1-25-2010 At 11:18 pm

#25

jamesgs4

reminds me of an old lady wearing a micro mini skirt and boob tube.

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 12:41 am

#26

pangeaspeed

i like "crotch rockets" haha i mean moto gp....... um yeah!

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 01:26 am

#27

northeasteric

no matter what you people say, there is a natural intuition to good bikes that is similar to the reaction we feel from beautiful women.

STOP DICK RIDING!

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 06:50 am

#28

Jethro

Wow... this bike has generated a LOT of response. Took me a bit just to get to the end. One of the great things about the chopper community that many other motorcycle clubs don't share, is a great respect for other's ideas on what is a cool ride. I'm also a member over on another Triumph forum that is not nearly as open to my own ride BECAUSE it is a chopper... they are into the "traditional" British bike. It's funny, isn't it? I mean when you think of a bunch of hard core chopper riders/purists, you don't think open minded.

Anyway, great fabrication... and man would I like to ring this bike's bell up a canyon outside of the city somewhere. Don't tell Ginger (my chopper)

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 08:10 am

#29

motoguru

i dig it. always have. dude builds some badass british rods.

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 08:23 am

#30

4horsemen20

i dig it. i'd ride a wheelie with that fucker. wouldnt buy it, but i wouldnt knock it.

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 09:03 am

#31

crkhobbit

It's pretty bad-ass in my opinion. It's completely different, open-minded, and still tasteful. The headlight cover is sweet as hell.

What is really funny to me is how people in a community that revolves around customization and being different can complain that something is too customized and different. The irony makes me smile :D

I like it, and I can't say that I wouldn't try to build something along those lines if I had any idea how to work with CF.

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 09:22 am

#32

looks like it belongs at Thunderdome. Rad bike for sure.

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 09:35 am

#33

TuffLuckTom

All in all that is a killer take on a Cafe Bike. The fact that carbon is so light and the work is so nostalgic. I really have to say I wonder what that ride tips the scales at? You gotta appreciate the craftsmanship and I can't stop thinking about how much fun that must be to ride with so much less weight! Any one know what this thing weighs?

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 07:00 pm

#34

sparks

yeah, im diggin this bike, it looks like it has a purpose- no extra bullshit,

Commented on 1-26-2010 At 07:14 pm

#35

hugodv01

cool bike, headlight is evil!

Commented on 1-28-2010 At 02:55 pm

#36

c4ff31n3

It's an awesome piece of work, would like to ride that for certain.

Commented on 1-31-2010 At 07:29 pm

#37

Ironsled

Carbon fiber kicks ass!

Commented on 2-2-2010 At 05:59 am

#38

Tyler

I like it, all blacked out too looks pretty slick. It would be good for high speed evasion at night.

Commented on 2-2-2010 At 05:59 am

#39

Tyler

I like it, all blacked out too looks pretty slick. It would be good for high speed evasion at night.

Commented on 11-8-2010 At 01:51 pm

#40

irishbob

i think black makes every thin look god

Commented on 6-5-2011 At 08:30 am

#41

doom

I love it. All bullshit aside, lighter is better because lighter is faster and that encompasses the true cafe/bobber belief. cafes were stripped and aluminum tins were used when possible to save weight with the tech of the day and that was it. jump in the delorian, hit 88mph with a sheet of cf and a how to manual and you better fucking believe them old rockers would use that shit right up, and beg for more.

I feel the whole "if its not pure, its not right" mentality is for the birds. If you were a true purist you wouldnt hardtail and bike that came stock with shocks and call it a bobber, you would cut shit off the stock bike then call it a bobber.

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