Triumph Thruxton R Creme Is Custom Minimalism at Its Best, Nickname Suits it Perfectly

We’ve seen the guys at Tamarit Motorcycles customize these variants in many different ways, yet the project shown above hails from the other side of the big pond. More specifically, it is the work of A&J Cycles over in Hillburn, New York, just 30 minutes away from The Big Apple. A&J was established back in 2014 by one Brian Ballard, and they’ve since garnered a ton of attention with bespoke gems like the one we’re about to look at.

Dubbed the Creme, this breathtaking cafe racer is based on a Triumph Thruxton 1200 R from the model-year 2018. That means Brian and his crew were starting with a very solid basis here, one powered by a 1,200cc parallel-twin with four valves per cylinder and a compression ratio of 11:1. The engine has 96 hp and about 83 pound-feet (112 Nm) of torque to play with, resulting in speeds of up to 135 mph (217 kph).

High-grade suspension and brakes are also available straight out of the box, making the Thruxton R one hell of a donor to work with. Now, the motorcycle’s running gear may be fantastic in stock form, but the bike-modding gurus at A&J knew that improvements could be made. With this in mind, they performed the customary teardown and narrowed their focus down to the suspension department.

First, the inverted Showa forks were rebuilt using an NIX 30 cartridge kit from Ohlins. To keep the Creme’s front end nice and stable at high speeds, the same brand also supplied a premium steering damper. The adjustable shock absorbers found at the back are Ohlins parts, as well, featuring piggyback reservoirs and progressive springs.

Brian and his team haven’t overlooked the brakes, either, installing higher-spec billet Brembo calipers on both ends and floating aftermarket rotors at the front. A Brembo master cylinder controls the front brake, actuating the calipers by way of high-quality hoses. The whole shebang rides on laced hoops from Kineo’s range, both wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires for plentiful grip.

Moving on to the cosmetic side of things, the A&J squad wanted to tighten up the Thruxton R’s rear-end proportions. Consequently, they got Evan from Speakeasy Motors to shorten the subframe and integrate an LED lighting strip into the looped portion of its tubing. To keep that area as clean as possible, the license plate bracket was placed much further ahead within the subframe triangle.

Evan shaped a discreet sump guard, too, as well as the seat pan and a compact battery box. On the other hand, the scrambler-style black leather saddle was painstakingly fabricated by Fish Brothers Upholstery. Aside from the unmistakable Thruxton fuel tank, all the original bodywork had been discarded during the initial teardown. The tank is now accompanied by an off-the-shelf front fender from Meyerbuilt Metalworks.

Glance upward, and you’ll come across a potent LED headlight supplied by Motodemic, hanging on to the forks via custom mounting hardware. The cockpit area is quite a delight, too, having gained a multi-function Motogadget Chronoclassic dial and fresh clip-ons with adjustable control levers. Snazzy grips and glassless bar-end mirrors from Motogadget also made an appearance, rounding out the cockpit paraphernalia while keeping clutter at a bare minimum.

The ergonomic package comes full circle with a pair of CNC-machined Sato rearsets. With close to 100 ponies at its disposal, the bike’s parallel-twin motor didn’t exactly need to be upgraded in any way. As such, A&J Cycles simply installed some new breathing equipment at both ends of the combustion cycle. On the intake side of the equation, we notice Sprint pod filters replacing the standard airbox.

A perfect off-the-shelf solution was found for the exhaust system, as well, in the form of a blacked-out setup from BAAK Motocyclettes. Power is now channeled to the rear wheel via a 520 drive chain, and the engine’s exterior is now adorned with finned Motone covers. The last piece of the Creme puzzle was the paint job, and this is where A&J would call in reinforcements once again.

It was Dave of Slag Kustom who lent a helping hand here, finishing the fuel tank and front fender in a gorgeous off-white hue from Porsche’s color palette. Black paint predominates everywhere else you look, but the upper engine cooling fins got polished back to bare metal. When all was said and done, the Creme’s total weight was 45 pounds (20 kg) lower than that of a stock Thruxton R.