Written by Marlon Slack
Red Clouds Collective may sound like an Eastern European anarchist group, but they actually make waxed canvas and leather goods out of their workshop in South East Portland, Oregon. And while their days are filled with stitching and designing gorgeous products for their store by night they flip the sign to ?closed? at the front door and build motorcycles. Most of them are old British and Japanese enduros, but this time they?ve tackled a more modern offering – a 2006 Triumph Bonneville T100 they?ve dubbed ?Rubber Soul?.

Thankfully for the collective the ultra-clean donor bike for Rubber Soul was found just outside of town. ?An old guy owned it and had a handful of other bikes that he loved,? head of the Red Clouds Collective, Seth Neefus recalls. ?He made sure they were all well maintained but had become more interested in adventure bikes instead?. When they went to check out the Bonneville he took them for a blat around some local country roads. ?We had a blast and his enthusiasm for motorcycles and riding made me feel proud to take the bike off his hands.?
Back at the shop Seth and the team spent some time deciding on what to do with their new stablemate. Eventually they decided on a timeless formula – to streamline the bike as much as possible and make it into a truly classic looking machine. ?The look of the 1960?s and 70?s Triumphs are so perfect,? Seth says. ?The high pipes, the wide bars, short seats and only the essentials left ...