Triumph Originals 2026 voting now open: Seven countries compete with ‘time capsule’ customised scramblers.
The search for Triumph’s most original custom build of 2026 is underway, as voting begins in the Triumph Originals global custom motorcycle challenge. Teams from Canada, China, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and US have collaborated with their hand-picked custom workshops to create a Triumph Scrambler that best reflects the Time Capsule theme of this year’s competition.
Scrambler and custom fans can cast their vote on a dedicated hub on the Triumph website, which features details and photos of each custom build. Voting closes at 13:00 BST (UK Time) on 22 September 2026.
The Scrambler was born from the custom culture scene, making it a fitting platform for Triumph Originals 2026. In the 1960s, riders with a thirst for freedom would adapt the leading performance bikes of the day, kitting them out with knobbly tyres, wide handlebars and high exhausts to create machines capable of tackling the desert and dirt. These were the ‘real’ desert sleds: the bikes that Steve McQueen and Bud Ekins raced and won in the sand of the International Six Days Trials and the legendary Big Bear and Baja 1000s. The Time Capsule brief has seen the teams select a chapter from this legendary history, and create a custom build that best encapsulates the style and attitude of that specific time.
THE JUDGES
The public vote will be combined with the voting from Triumph’s panel of judges from around the world, who bring together unparalleled levels of expertise and knowledge in custom builds and motorcycling history.
Steve Sargent
Triumph Motorcycles’ Chief Product Officer will lead the judges by selecting the Time Capsule builds he believes truly showcase original and innovative design and build techniques. His focus will be on assessing the technical creativity of the build.
Chase McQueen
The grandson of Steve McQueen and the son of Chad McQueen, Chase works with his sister Madison to steward his grandfather’s legacy, through authentic partnerships and events honouring Steve’s life. These include the Boys Republic, the non-profit school and treatment community where Steve McQueen spent time as a youth, and Steve McQueen’s Festival of Speed, a gathering of the most notable and eclectic vehicles in the world.
Eric Hendricx
Bestselling author and journalist, Eric writes about motorcycles, adventure, culture, human performance, travel, and modern masculinity. He’s written for Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, Robb Report and Revolver, and his latest book, Motorcycle Life: Stories, Wisdom, and Obsession from Riders Around the World, features more than 100 riders from around the world.
Satoshi
Co-founder and lead mechanic of the legendary Fonk Motorcycles in Kobe, Japan, Satoshi possesses a deep understanding and passion for vintage Triumphs. The revered custom builder describes Fonk as distinctly Japanese in spirit, but with the heart of pure Triumph.
Rolf Henniges
Rolf Henniges is one of Germany’s leading motorcycle journalists and writers, and the founder of FUEL magazine, which focusses on motorcycle culture, custom machines and their builders. Having covered more than a million kilometres on hundreds of motorbikes, Rolf brings a combination of technical knowledge, riding experience and editorial judgement to the panel.
Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer at Triumph Motorcycles commented: “Triumph Scramblers are recognised globally as the perfect starting point to create a custom build that reflects the personality and creativity of the owner. This model has inspired generations of motorcyclists to build their perfect bike and now with our current range of 400cc to 1200cc Scramblers, custom builders have more choice than ever to fire their imagination.”
THE ENTRIES
UK
Custom Workshop: Stockwell Design
Model: Scrambler 900
Team Leader: Charlie Stockwell
“It’s a balance of design, engineering, and storytelling.”
For three decades, Stockwell Design, in collaboration with the LIND Group & Triumph London, has been an epicentre for meticulously crafting custom motorcycles. Lathe at the ready, Stockwell defines the studio’s approach in three words: Refined, functional and purposeful. It’s a standard that last year’s competition only sharpened, pushing the team to balance storytelling with execution in every detail.
“At the core of our work is the belief that every build must carry a clear concept – because the bikes are not just visual pieces, they’re built to be ridden,” says Stockwell. For 2026, that concept drew from the Scrambler’s 60s and 70s identity: raw, functional, and stripped back. Not the work of any single machine, but the spirit of all Scramblers and their adventures through life.
The result is a bike imagined as though it’s lived a long life – not beaten, not neglected, but properly used. “It’s a bike that looks like it’s spent its time traveling around the world and then come back home to England, rising through muddy lanes,” says Stockwell. “It’s a moment in time, captured and made relevant for today.”
Canada
Custom Workshop: Motos Illimitées
Model: Scrambler 1200 XE
Team Leader: Pascal Lauzon
“The goal was to take this icon to another level where no one expected it to go.”
Inspired by a lifelong passion for motocross and off-road riding, this custom Scrambler reimagines the platform as a modern big-displacement supermoto rather than a traditional adventure motorcycle.
Drawing design inspiration from the TF 250-E, the build incorporates its aggressive off-road styling into the Scrambler’s chassis to create a machine that is both purposeful and distinctive. Seventeen-inch Thruxton RS wheels, Moto-Master wave brake discs, and a custom Zard dual-silencer exhaust system enhance its supermoto character, while a series of carefully integrated modifications contribute to a cleaner, more minimalist appearance. The front indicators are neatly housed within the radiator shrouds, the instrument cluster and ignition have been repositioned, and the rear lighting is discreetly concealed beneath the rear fender alongside the license plate bracket.
Complementing the bike’s performance-focused stance are MX-style footpegs and a striking custom graphics package featuring a unique lace-inspired design. While many Scrambler customs lean towards rally or round-the-world adventure themes, this project takes a different direction, paying homage to the era when supermotos were at their peak and riders transformed dual-sport motorcycles into lightweight, agile street-focused machines.
The result is a bold and nostalgic interpretation of the Scrambler, blending contemporary craftsmanship with the raw energy and rebellious spirit that defined a generation of supermoto culture.
China
Custom Workshop: BVL Garage
Model: Scrambler 900
Team Leader: JOMO
“We want to share China’s custom motorcycle culture with the world.”
The BVL-VMX-900 is built on the new Scrambler 900 platform, inspired by the 1981 TR7T Tiger Trail. BVL reinterprets the spirit of the 1980s, an era of freedom, optimism and adventure through a VMX-inspired design language.
A bright yellow fuel tank finished with silver leaf, an oversized front mudguard, a handcrafted rear mudguard and a white frame combine to create a distinctly period-inspired silhouette. Revised suspension and wheel specifications raise the ride height, improving off-road capability while giving the motorcycle a taller, more purposeful stance. New manufacturing techniques, including metal 3D printing, have also been incorporated into the build.
Drawing on China’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, BVL blends industrial processes with traditional craftsmanship to create a unique interpretation of the Scrambler 900, carrying the adventurous spirit of the 1980s towards every road worth exploring.
France
Team Leader: Sebastien Guillemot
Custom Workshop: FCR Original
Model: Scrambler 1200 XE
“For us, the word Scrambler, above all, evokes freedom.”
The name Triumph Scrambler has always evoked images of adventure, dust, action and rugged capability, combined with the timeless style of the 1960s.
Bringing these elements together, Triumph France partnered with renowned custom builder FCR Original to create the Scrambler 1200 XE ‘Red Dust’.
Designed to be purposeful rather than purely decorative, the ‘Red Dust’ is a high-performance, capable and robust machine. It is the antithesis of a showpiece – a heavily modified motorcycle inspired by the past, but not exclusively so. A machine that remains true to its neo-retro roots, while impressing as much with its appearance as with what it can achieve in the dust.
Italy
Custom Workshop: South Garage Motor Co
Model: Scrambler 400 XC
Team Leader: Giuseppe Carucci
“I’m relentlessly in search of the perfect balance between aesthetics, functionality, comfort, and performance.”
Born from the renewed collaboration between South Garage Milano and Triumph Italy, Dune 400 is a custom build based on the Triumph Scrambler 400 XC platform, reinterpreting the authentic spirit of the original Scramblers while blending it with the aesthetics and charm of the legendary desert racing motorcycles of the 1980s and 1990s.
The inspiration comes from an era when motorcycles were modified to go beyond the limits of paved roads, driven by a desire for exploration, freedom, and adventure. While the first Scramblers emerged from adapting road bikes for dirt trails and rough terrain, Dune 400 embraces this heritage and translates it into a contemporary vision, preserving the essential and adventurous character that made those motorcycles iconic.
The project stands out through a range of components specifically developed to enhance its off-road identity: protective side fairings inspired by desert rally bikes, a larger windscreen, tubular crash protection, a high-mounted exhaust, knobby tyres, and a sand-coloured livery that immediately evokes the vast desert landscapes from which it takes its name. Every element has been designed to improve functionality, protection, and visual presence.
Dune 400 represents South Garage’s vision of a modern Scrambler: not an extreme show bike, but a practical, replicable, and ride-ready motorcycle designed to leave conventional routes behind, embrace new adventures, and rediscover the thrill of exploration without boundaries.
Spain
Custom Workshop: Tamarit Motorcycles
Model: Scrambler 400 XC
Team Leader: Quique Berna
“True perfection lies not only in looks, but in impeccable technical execution.”
What began in 2010 with two friends turning passion into profession has crossed continents. Quique Berna and Matías Canales now lead Tamarit Motorcycles from their headquarters in Alicante, Spain – a workshop that’s delivered over 210 one-of-a-kind bikes across the globe and become the world’s leading specialist in transforming Triumph’s Bonneville engines.
Fuelled by gasoline and coffee, Tamarit’s approach is “100% specialised and Triumph-focused”. By weaving classic British heritage through a laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle, their methods blend old-school craftsmanship with a custom accessory system. Never ones for trends, they enhance what’s already there, honouring Triumph’s timeless DNA and building for the long haul.
In last year’s competition, co-founder Quique served as a judge – an experience that sharpened the team’s eye for flawless finishes and strong storytelling and left them determined to channel that high standard into a bike of their own.
For the 2026 design brief, the team – who sum up their style as “elegance, exclusivity, and heritage” – focused their build on a concept of duality: past and present, two eras united in one machine. For Tamarit Motorcycles, they’ve been building time capsules all along – bikes whose essence gets frozen, then reawakened years later, untouched by time. Like a white t-shirt, it’s timeless now and will be in twenty years’ time.
US
Custom Workshop: Triumph Columbia River
Model: Scrambler 1200 X
Team Leader: Liz Rubin
“The Scrambler doesn’t pretend. It’s built to get dirty, take a wrong turn, and keep exploring. Its heritage design and instant cool factor make it a perfect canvas for customisation.”
A Tribute to PNW Adventure, built by Liz Rubin and the team at Triumph Columbia River in Portland, Oregon, is a custom Scrambler inspired by the landscapes, roads, and adventurous spirit of the Pacific Northwest.
Designed as a motorcycle that could be ridden and enjoyed every day, the build draws on the region’s strong connection to the outdoors, where the journey is often more important than the destination.
Inspired by US Forest Service vehicles and childhood memories of Smokey Bear in the Rocky Mountains, the bike blends nostalgia, rugged character, and modern functionality. Custom components, bespoke details, and distinctive CROOKED brand additions enhance both its performance and personality, while the paintwork, logos, and finishing touches reflect the creativity and collaboration of Portland’s motorcycle community. More than just a custom build, this project is a tribute to place, adventure, and the people who helped bring the vision to life, resulting in a Scrambler that is clean, capable, and unmistakably full of character.
SCRAMBLER: BUILT FROM CUSTOM CULTURE
In 2006 Triumph reintroduced the Scrambler, blending timeless style with genuine adventure capability. Now available in five variants, every model shares a confident riding position, easy handling and a rugged, go-anywhere character. Signature details like the high-level twin exhaust, stripped-back design and premium finishes give the bike its unmistakable look and timeless appeal.
Scrambler 400 X
The Scrambler 400 X combines accessible performance with authentic design cues, including its commanding riding position, wide handlebars and long-travel suspension. Its lightweight chassis and responsive single-cylinder 400cc engine deliver confidence on and off the road, making it a versatile entry point into the Scrambler range.
Scrambler 400 XC
The Scrambler 400 XC builds on the 400 platform with a specification focused on enhanced off-road capability. With a rugged stance and purposeful detailing, it is designed to deliver control and confidence across varied terrain while maintaining the core Scrambler character.
Bonneville Scrambler 900
With its distinctive high pipes, iconic silhouette and thrilling British twin bark, the Scrambler 900 is the first choice for urban classic style and all-road riding fun. Its high-torque 900cc Bonneville engine and ride-by-wire throttle delivers superb performance, rideability and control. Its 19” front and 17” rear wire-spoked wheels add to its stylish and confident stance.
Bonneville Scrambler 1200 X
The Scrambler 1200 X delivers authentic Scrambler style with thrilling, characterful performance, and effortless all-road agility. It is also remarkably accessible, with a seat height of 820mm, reducing to 795mm with the accessory low seat.
Bonneville Scrambler 1200 XE
The commanding presence of the Scrambler 1200 XE makes it capable of conquering the most rugged terrain, with an off-road ready 21” front wheel and Triumph’s premium quality and finish. The high-power, torque-rich 1200cc Bonneville engine has a dedicated Scrambler tune.
(original post on modernclassicbikes.co.uk)
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