Custom Is King: Bunker Custom Cycles’ Cafe Racer, Made With British Customs Upgrades

Just released on leading global motorcycle blog Bike EXIF, Turkish custom motorcycle garage Bunker Custom Cycles built an achingly gorgeous cafe racer from a modern Bonneville, and used British Customs upgrades to realize their vision.

“From our point of view, new age bikes just lost their attitude and character along the way of consumerism. Of course some technologies are incredibly useful and make us drool over them, but in the end many of them just weaken the connection between man and machine,” Can Uzer, one of the Bunker Custom Cycles’ founding Uzer brothers, said when asked about why they work with vintage motorcycles. The Uzer brothers are keen on the heritage of motorcycles, and their work is driven by a desire to help riders connect as closely as possible with their machines.

When the Uzer brothers sit down to design a custom build with a customer, they believe that ergonomics are as important as aesthetics. They want the rider to have as much of a connection with the bike through the way it feels as with the way it looks. For them, the bike has to pull together as a whole: form must meet function.

The Uzer brothers are big believers in being able to adjust, maintain, and work on your own bike. When asked why that is, Can Uzer stated that “at the end of the day, it’s about being connected with the bike. It may sound a bit sentimental, but it’s how we feel.” Accordingly, the parts they choose to install reflect that philosophy.

When you look at this bike’s sleek lines and lean-muscled components, you get a strong sense of a lifestyle. The purposeful minimalism of the design doesn’t conflict with its elegant looks, but only accentuates a sense of class and luxury. The bike isn’t designed to only look beautiful, but to run too. “As a mass-produced object of desire, stock bikes can’t fulfill a rider’s every need in terms of functionality, ergonomics, or aesthetics. So we customize bikes according to a customer’s specific needs,” Can Uzer explained.

But performance and handling came before looks on this build.

Bunker wanted to get as much out of the engine as possible. In order to do this, they installed a Predator Exhaust System and an airbox removal kit alongside a Power Commander V. Once dynotuned, they stated they raised the horsepower from 68 to 81.

Other handling upgrades they installed include a Norman Hyde steering damper, Hagon Nitro rear shocks, a floating front brake rotor, and a wide rear wheel kit to fit a massive 180-55/17 rear tire.

With the hard parts taken care of, Bunker then focused on matching the look of the bike to how it performed.

To complete the bike’s cafe racer feel, a set of LSL clip-ons were installed with a single gauge bracket to clean up the front. A British Customs rectifier relocation bracket, turn signal bracket, retro turn signals, and low-profile headlight ears were all installed to enhance the sleek lines of the build. Not even the quality of the seat screws were overlooked, which were replaced with a pair of British Customs quick-removal seat screws.

Bunker also made several parts by hand to give the build their own custom touch, in proper fashion. These parts include the sleek top yoke, the cushy velvet seat, and the lightweight aluminum tail section fitted with an LED brake light. These elegant customizations make this build truly one of a kind.

Once the build itself had been completed, Bunker wrapped the bike in a beautiful blue grey finish with gold accents.

The beauty of this custom build is that it isn’t unattainable to the average rider who wants to do something similar. Anyone who wanted to closely replicate this build could, or even take many of the same parts and produce a new build entirely their own.

Find yourself inspired by this cafe racer? Get the wrenches out and transform your Triumph this weekend with some upgrades available from British Customs and see how you easily you can build your own custom motorcycle.