There?s an intercontinental vibe to this week?s selection. We?ve got a Triumph Bobber from Beijing, a new sidecar rig from the French brand Mash, a pair of Royal Enfields from Bali, and a thrilling new motorcycle movie from Australia.

Triumph Bonneville Bobber by Mandrill Garage The Bobber has been a sales hit for Triumph, with excellent performance and surprisingly good handling. It?s also one of the most ?custom? looking bikes on sale today, but that doesn?t stop the occasional builder from having a crack at it.
The latest workshop to join this small list is Mandrill Garage, based in Beijing and run by Luo Hao. And it?s more than a cosmetic makeover: Luo has given the Bobber a completely custom girder-style front end.

?Triumph?s water-cooled generation is much better than before,? Luo tells us. ?The frame, engine and details are all good, but it’s too ?perfect.? There?s nothing left to modify, so it?s very hard to custom build.? Luo and has crew decided to go back in time, and give the Bobber a 1930s hardtail vibe. That meant designing and building a new front end with a modern shock, after an internet search for a high-performance aftermarket setup proved fruitless.

Luo also dismantled the bike and repainted or refinished almost every part, and upgraded many others using CNC?d one-offs. He?s managed to keep the original brakes, but installed a vintage-style air filter assembly, new switchgear, new lighting and old school badges.
It?s a low-key and well-j...