Iron Moto Challenge 2015: Transforming A Triumph Motorcycle In An Afternoon (And You Can Do It Yourself)

Three motorcycles. Three teams. Five hours. A bunch of parts. One winner.

At this year’s Motoblot, three teams from local Chicago Triumph dealers shared a single stage for the Iron Moto Challenge, where they competed to create the best-looking light-custom Triumph motorcycle in five hours using only factory-spec bolt-on parts from British Customs’ part packages. Instead of being considered full custom jobs, in which one usually has to take the bike to a garage that can chop the frame and heavily modify the motorcycle — which can be prohibitively expensive — the bikes built here are considered light-customs. Light-customs feature parts that don’t require extensive (and expensive) heavy modifications that often require professionals with specialized tools to make, but can be built from bolt-on parts that can completely transform the motorcycle over the course of an afternoon.

Johnny “Moto” Scheff, Mikey, and Dani of the Motoworks team with their winning Bonneville Black build at the 2015 British Customs Iron Moto Challenge.

Each team was given a random Triumph motorcycle, straight stock out of the box. From there, they were given tools, parts, and five hours to make a custom Triumph in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The parts that made this possible were supplied by British Customs. British Customs makes factory-spec bolt-on parts that require only common tools and minimal technical knowledge to install, reviving the do-it-yourself heritage of the motorcycle community and putting the power to personalize a motorcycle back in the hands of the average rider. These packages are even ideal for dealers, because they boost profitability by minimizing risk, install easily and quickly, and look great.

The Woodstock Scrambler. Check out that pinstriping on the tank, and the diamond-stitched seat.

The three teams were from Woodstock Triumph, Windy City Triumph, and Motorworks. Once each team had an idea of what they wanted their build to look like, they picked from various part packages supplied by British Customs. These part packages, available for purchase from British Customs, include a number of pre-selected factory-spec bolt-on parts that will completely revamp an entire system — such as bodywork, handling, or performance — on a number of Triumph motorcycles. They take the guesswork out of a making a light-custom build, as the parts in each package are designed to go together, and can all be installed over the course of an afternoon by someone with any amount of wrenching experience.

The Woodstock team, given a Triumph Scrambler to work with, chose to use a BC “Cassidy” package. Weinstein, head of the Woodstock team, said that he “wanted to create an edgy gentlemen’s custom Scrambler that would be at home exploring deeper off the beaten path…a clean, functional custom that would clean up nicely after a day of riding.” Some major eye-catching components include the BC X Empire Shotgun Exhaust and the BC Slammer Seat with Diamond Stitching.

The Windy City Blondie in the making. Getting ideas yet?

When the Windy City Triumph team saw their white-and-tan Bonneville, they knew they had to make a “Blondie.” The classic vintage look of the Bonneville only got classier when they installed a stainless steel retro tail light, sleeper silencer exhaust, and a 7” chrome headlight visor. The result was a beautiful and mellow bike that would look at home cruising in any idyllic vintage setting.

Paint it all black, is what the Motorworks team thought when they received their Bonneville T100 Black. Opting for color-themed packages instead of BC’s build packages, Motorworks made the winning light-custom build by curating a truly sinister-looking bike utilizing a balance of vintage and modern parts. Some parts that really pulled this build together include BC’s Black Shorty Predator Exhaust, a black exhaust wrap kit, and an Analog 3T Tail Tidy — made exclusively for British Customs by Analog Motorcycle’s Tony Prust, one of the featured builders in BC’s Pro Builder series.

All these factory-spec bolt-on parts featured in the Iron Moto Challenge builds are available from British Customs, and are easy-to-install, requiring only common tools and minimal technical knowledge. Sign up for the British Customs dealer network and boost profitability as well as support the do-it-yourself movement that pays homage to the heritage of working on your own motorcycle with British Customs.

The bikes stand alone.