We love show bikes for their cutting edge design concepts, wild engineering and straight-line performance?but they’re not much use in the real world. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are customs that aim for maximum usability, by cleverly blending form and function.
Most builders stick to just one of those camps, but Fred ‘Krugger’ Bertrand plays at both ends of the field. The Belgian maestro has won multiple AMD World Championships, but he’s just as happy to build ?practical? bikes?especially when the brief and budget both call for restraint.

Krugger has just finished working his magic on this brand new Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE, as a corporate project for Triumph Benelux and the motorsport-focused watchmaker Rebellion Timepieces. The idea was to make the off-roady Scrambler a little more road-focused, shed some weight, and leave it with a polished factory-like feel.

The Scrambler 1200 XE is one hella capable bike?both on the tarmac and off it. But it’s also tall, with a big front wheel to keep it surefooted in the dirt. So Krugger started by swapping the 21F/17R rims for a set of 19F/18R Excel hoops, laced to the stock hubs.
They’re wrapped in Dunlop DT3-R tires?the street legal flat track items that come standard on the Indian FTR 1200. Krugger then tweaked the stance further by lowering the stock (and adjustable) suspension at both ends.

The bodywork has been tightened up without losing the Triumph’s distinc...