New Bike, Old School Charm: Kingston Custom’s Thruxton
Custom builders must breathe a sigh of relief when a customer drops off a brand new bike. Sure, old motorcycles are simpler to work on, but with fresh metal there’s no shady past to worry about?and no fear of gremlins lurking under the surface.
It’s a great time to be buying modern retros too. Just look at all the goodness that poured out of EICMA this year. The big brands are filling showrooms with modern classics that don’t just look pretty, but actually perform really well too?like the new generation Triumph Thruxton.
The top of the line Thruxton R gets all the engineering love, with upgraded brakes and suspension. But even the ‘standard’ Thruxton is a catch?offering up 97 hp and 112 Nm in exquisite style. So Dirk Oehlerking of Kingstom Custom was smiling when his customer handed over a fresh Thruxton, and told him to do whatever he wanted.
Dirk’s had a storied career, starting with his first motocross race where he snuck out, borrowed a Yamaha and took home the winner’s trophy. Since then he’s been German motocross champion, represented his country at world cup level, worked in a luxury car restoration shop and opened his own Yamaha dealership.
In 2010 a friend convinced him to build two Yamaha SR500 café racers. Two years later he ditched the nine-to-five and launched Kingston Custom as a one-man custom powerhouse, based in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region.
?With a new project,? says Dirk, ?I put a lot of empha...
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