When Derek Boling decided it was time to get himself a motorbike, it was only logical that a guy who's been wrenching on cars since he was 15 and makes his living fabricating custom hot rods from pre-1960s Fords, Chevys, and Dodges would have to build it himself. But what isn't as logical is the fact that he chose to mold his bike from vintage British iron (1964 and 1966 Triumph Bonnevilles, to be exact).
So why would a guy who's dedicated his life to the edification of classic American motorcars choose a Trump over, say, a Harley of the Pan, Knuckle, or Flathead variety? Well, it seems Derek's cousin owned a Triumph chopper that Derek had been coveting for a number of years, and the British nameplate also just suited his style.
"I remember seeing classic Triumphs from the '60s at shows, and that made me want to build one," Derek explained.
The fact that they're a bit rare in Central California where Derek lives and has his shop-Boling Brothers Early Iron-didn't hurt, either.
"There's an individuality about Triumphs," Derek said. "They're unique, and just look the best as far as I'm concerned." (At this point, I must confess that as a guy who owns two of them, I wasn't the least bit inclined to argue with him.)
But what makes Derek's bike even more unique is the fact that it's actually comprised of two vintage 650s and took him about four years to build. Plus, there's a 500 Triumph in the story as well!
Yep, it seems the bike you're looking at right now started off as a 1966 basket case that Derek began building, then put aside when a sweet little road-ready 500 came his way, for which he robbed quite a few parts from the '66. He rode that 500 for a while, until he came across another project 650 (this a '64) and saw that it had what he needed to finish the bike he'd originally envisioned.
"It was a crazy chopper frame-6-over, long-ass forks-but it had a pretty good engine, and it was cheap, so I decided to buy it so I could build the original bike I had in mind," Derek told me.
Out came the '64 motor. And it, along with the parts Derek had been collecting along the way (a Wassell peanut fuel tank he'd bought from a buddy, an oil tank from a Triumph Tiger Cub, a custom ribbed-aluminum rear fender, and assorted other goodies), went in and onto the '66 frame he'd converted to a hardtail, and his vision began to come into focus.
When it came time for paint, he chose a classic, two-tone candy red scheme for the sheetmetal.
"I wanted to shoot it myself, and since I'm not a painter, I knew it would take me twice as long," he chuckled, "so I decided to go with something clean and simple."
A set of Z-bars he fabbed himself, a custom-upholstered solo seat, chromed case covers, a Bates-style headlight, and a taillight off (of course!) a Model A Ford pulled it all together.
Finally, in November '09, she was ready for the road. The end result? A bike that can stand proudly right alongside those classic Trumps that inspired Derek to craft one of his very own.
"But what exactly do you call your bike?" I asked him. "A chopper?"
"Hmm... Well, the forks aren't raked."
"Well, I did convert the frame to a hardtail, and it is 6 inches over stock to fit the oil tank and rear fender. I'm not sure what you'd call it, exactly," Derek wondered.
Well, I do Derek-one badass Triumph!
For more in-depth photos and a complete build list of parts used on this bike go to: streetchopperweb.com.