?This is not a project bike? is a lie I frequently tell my significant other. But the truth is, I can’t help myself (and she knows it, judging by how she rolls her eyes). Although my 2012-model Triumph Bonneville SE is a handsome enough motorcycle out the box, it looks even better when you gradually start ditching the factory frou-frou.
I have no desire to take an angle grinder to the Bonneville’s frame, nor do I have the time and money to cover it in scratch-built parts. So this project is all about big wins from small changes?the type of stuff that can be done in an afternoon over a few beers. These goodies that Sam at Motone Customs sent over tick that box.

Based in Newport, Wales, in the United Kingdom, Motone produces a pretty substantial catalog of universal and model-specific parts. Although they focus on multiple marques, they have more Triumph-specific bits than any other brand, covering everything from early-2000s carburetted Bonnevilles right up to the new liquid-cooled bikes. The box that landed at my door contained replacements for most of the parts that I didn’t like about my Triumph Bonneville SE?its broad seat, giant plastic fenders, and the cheap turn signals and taillight that the previous owner had fitted. It also included a handful of brackets and wiring accessories, a few more dress-up parts, and a couple of truly practical upgrades.

It took no more than a few hours to fit everything to the Bonneville, using just a 4 mm Allen key...