It feels like only yesterday that Tamarit Motorcycles was celebrating its 50th build. Today the Spanish powerhouse workshop is about to surpass 130. I think it’s fair to assume that siestas aren’t part of a regular day’s work at Tamarit HQ.
This motorcycle named ‘120 Monaco’ is the 120th that Tamarit has undertaken and they’ve just lifted the covers off it. The design of this bike was inspired by the sovereign city-state of Monaco on the Fench Rivera; a place that is renowned for its glamour, opulence and the famous Monte Carlo Casino. Finished in sleek indigo blue paint, brown leather accents and dripping with gold and chrome details, 120 Monaco is nothing short of a rolling work of art.
“All the luxury of the French Riviera in a unique Cafe Racer” – Tamarit motorcycles
The 120 Monaco project began with the selection of a suitable donor which Tamarit undertake with each of their clients. Triumph’s are Tamarit’s forte and in this instance, it was decided a Triumph Thruxton 900 would best suit their customer’s needs. Once a worthy donor was sourced, Tamarit removed the engine and gave it a thorough overhaul, fitting it with their own secret formula of performance upgrades.
In regard to the chassis, most Tamarit projects simply involve removing any unwanted brackets and modifying the subframe. But with this project they did things a little differently. Along with the usual modifications Tamarit has made a series of unique mods that they plan to offer to future clients. Starting with the cooling system Tamarit has removed the unsightly Thruxton oil cooler at the front of the bike. To replace it the chassis has been cleverly converted to an oil-in-frame setup, similar to Triumph’s own designs in the ’70s. Along with providing superior cooling, this approach resulted in a cleaner more unified appearance thanks to the cooling fins on the frame complimenting those of the engine.
Another dramatic change to the Thruxton frame is the conversion to a mono-shock and the fitment of a custom-made extended swingarm. Similar to modern sports bikes, Tamarit has installed a single, centrally located shock. Tamarit says these changes have resulted in improved overall handling and stability. Completing the list of changes to the frame is a new subframe/seat pan and some carefully planned reinforcement.
What made the frame modifications most challenging on this project was Tamarit’s devotion to building motorcycles that are 100% street-legal. Since this bike was to be ridden in Spain, it had to meet strict homologation standards. This takes time and money to achieve but Tamarit saw it as an opportunity to expand its offering. As a result, the design is now completely legal for road use and can be reproduced for future projects.
The bodywork on Tamarit’s 120 Monaco has been reduced to the bare minimum. Both the front and rear fenders are made from fibreglass and are held in place by bespoke aluminium and brass bracketry. The fuel tank and tail now function as a single monocoque-style assembly which is also constructed from lightweight fibreglass. Another trick addition to the design is that by pressing a button under the tail the entire body lifts from the rear using hydraulics. Similar to funny cars seen on drag strips this allows access to components mounted beneath the seat.
The new fuel tank and tail also feature an unorthodox seat design. The brown leather saddle starts halfway up the tank and runs all the way back to the seat hump. Tamarit took this approach to achieve a smoother silhouette, but the seat also contains a trick hidden feature. Built into the very front of the seat is a Motogadget m-lock RFID keyless ignition module. So when the rider approaches the bike all he needs to do is place a key fob on the pad to fire the bike into life.
Along with the keyless ignition Tamarit has fit 120 Monaco with an assortment of other Motogadget goodies. Hidden under the bodywork there’s a Motogadget M-Unit Blue ECU that allows the performance of the bike to be monitored via a smartphone app. Both the front and rear turn signals are Motogadget items too with bar-end mo.blaze discs in the front and mo.blaze pins at the rear. In order to keep the cockpit clean the stock twin Thruxton gauges are gone and in their place is a Motoscope mini pro speedometer that’s mounted within a custom-made top clamp.
For the headlight, Tamarit took an “avant-garde” approach by installing an adaptive LED unit. Using inbuilt gyroscopes the state-of-the-art headlight rotates its beam as the bike leans in either direction. This functionality keeps the road directly in front of the rider illuminated at all times which has been shown to improve rider safety. As for the brake light, it’s a tiny, superbright LED unit which is housed within an aluminium case that bares the bike’s name.
As part of the engine overhaul, Tamarit has increased performance by freeing up the flow of gases. Rather than a restrictive airbox the parallel twin now inhales through high-flowing K&N filters. Hanging off the front of the engine is a hand-made Monaco Sports exhaust, built in-house by the Tamarit team. To make the most of the changes the fueling has of course been tweaked too.
Not content with the Thruxtons stock brakes, this bike now wears premium components from Beringer in a theme-matching gold finish. Surprisingly, the choice of tyres here was a style over substance decision, but I think it’s fair to assume that the owner of this bike isn’t planning on getting a knee down.
In keeping with the theme of the bike Tamarit has finished it using a generous amount of chrome and gold details. These include a solid rear wheel conversion which is chrome plated and embellished using a gold trim. The nipples of the front wheel spokes are gold too as is the chain, shock spring, frame bolts, tank badges and various brackets. Almost everything else has been either chrome-plated or polished to a mirror shine.
Usually, I’m not a big fan of overly shiny bikes, but Tamarit’s Monaco has me thinking otherwise. Like a luxury timepiece, this custom Thruxton promises clockwork reliability and has a refined look that’ll never go out of style.
