Many of the custom builds we feature are wild, wacky creations, like if someone stuffed a Hayabusa engine into a Grom that looks like a Harley, for example. Renee Rouleau's custom Triumph Bobber, named Crystal, is extremely tame in comparison, with nothing more than tasteful cosmetic changes and a custom exhaust. Crystal's story isn't so much about the modifications as how it came to be in the first place.
Renee and her husband, Florian, traveled the world by motorcycle, flying all over the place and renting motorcycles when they got there. Suddenly, he was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, which is precisely how long he lasted. At first, Renee didn't want to go on riding without him, but he wouldn't hear of it. He wanted her to go on having adventures, and together they chose her next motorcycle—a 2019 Triumph Bobber.
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The Rouleaus were regular customers of Revival Cycles and went to them to customize Crystal for Renee. One of the Bobber's distinguishing features is that nearly everything on the bike is blacked out. Revival removed this and polished all the parts to a gleaming chrome, giving the bike a more vintage look. They also gave it a custom paint job, white with sparkling blue trim.
Revival added MotoGadget M-Blaze turn signals and M-View Spy bar-end mirrors for a cleaner look, as well as custom handlebar grips. They also color matched the seat and custom luggage to Florian's old leather riding jacket and even integrated his favorite patch into the seat. The luggage unclips easily, and the brackets come off with a couple of Allen bolts to clean up the look.
You won't find another Triumph Bobber on the road like it, even though it's still mechanically stock. That's okay, though. Not every custom build has to have crazy looks or insane horsepower. This one is a rolling memorial to Renee's husband, and it serves that purpose perfectly.