There?s something quintessentially English about Old Empire Motorcycles. The quirky name is matched to an instantly recognizable signature style; you can spot an OEM build just like you can spot a Wrenchmonkees or Classified Moto bike, but the style is almost impossible to emulate.
Alec Sharp and his crew are based in the old Norfolk market town of Diss, which is in the middle of nowhere literally and geographically. Yet they?ve made their mark in all the right places, with bikes exhibited in Harrods and the Saatchi Gallery, and ?best in show? trophies from the Salon Privé concours in 2014 and the Malle Mile in 2015.

Not surprisingly, OEM are on the radar of the major manufacturers. ?We?ve been approached a few times,? Alec says. ?But the way we build?mostly from little or no visual reference?makes it difficult to convince companies to just ?leave it to us?.? ?But as we turn out more and more bikes, the trust gets stronger and the decision gets easier.?

OEM starting talking with Triumph in early 2016. After many phone calls and trips to the Hinckley HQ, the lads had a loose brief. The idea was simple: Create something to catch attention at the shows Triumph attended. The bike also had to be rideable.
?Styling wise, the only thing we both agreed on was: No low bars, and not too café racer.? A brand new Bonneville T120 Black was duly dropped off at OEM headquarters. ?We were quite impressed, it sounded better than the older models, performed better and, most importan...