It’s as close to a universal truth as you’ll hear in the motorcycle world: most bikers learnt to ride on a little dirt bike. I can’t count the number of people, from all over the world, who recall that first time twisting the throttle, usually on an Uncle’s farm. And yet, despite that simple fact, most of us graduate to road bikes and never look back—except perhaps those with the good fortune of owning both, or more! So, the titans of Triumph, Spain’s Tamarit Motorcycles, decided to transform a British twin into the sort of machine you can take anywhere. On the road and off, touring or simply spinning to the shops, you can do it all on this Scrambler 1200XE, which has earned itself the fearsome name, Big Bertha.
You can say two things with absolute certainty about Tamarit Motorcycles: they know the Triumph product backwards, and they are absolutely unapologetic about building custom motorcycles that make their clients ecstatically happy. Inevitably, that will result in some of their builds not being to everyone’s taste, but hey, isn’t this whole thing about individualism anyway? Located just outside Alicante on Spain’s Costa Blanca, their workshop looks out over the beautiful Mediterranean Sea in one direction and up towards the arid and thin mountain air in the other direction.
It’s when heading towards those peaks, with dry and dusty dirt tracks to conquer, that a motorcycle like the Triumph Scrambler 1200XE comes into its own. It’s truly a motorcycle that can do it all, and not just because the Triumph says so. MCN’s group of experienced testers summed it up this way: “The best thing about the Scrambler 1200 XE isn’t just how it looks, but more so about how capable it is and how enjoyable the ride is, whether you fancy sitting on a motorway, tackling twisty sections of tarmac, or more importantly, taking it off-road.” So, to build a bike to tackle the turns of the coast or rip up the backroads into the inland hostile landscape, Tamarit had picked the perfect pup.
The client wanted these qualities improved upon, as well as giving the machine a unique look. “It is also designed to be a comfortable city bike and for two riders.” To achieve this goal, the team only had to go from their workshop to their storefront and start picking from the company’s very impressive range of parts for transforming Triumphs. The first item chosen was their Alpine seat, a product that not only looks a million dollars in its quality black leather but is also super comfortable for the backside, thanks to its unique foam construction, and is also designed for two-up riding.
“It is not only the seat but a kit of parts that also includes the rear fender, modifying the rear of the bike.” That new fender is not only significantly lighter than the stock item but also impressively offers far more protection from flying stones. Both the seat and fender bolt on using the factory anchor points, no cutting is nice on a new bike! In addition to these changes, a Tamarit eliminator kit has been fitted that does away with the god-awful stock number plate holder and adds an integrated tail light for a significantly cleaner look.
The front end undergoes a similar transformation, with the stock tyre-hugging fender given the flick. In its place goes a Tamarit ‘Sahara’ item. Again, the high-mount unit offers much better stone attack protection than the factory offering, it looks a hell of a lot better, and the rear is angled to also protect the radiator. The factory fuel tank is simply beautiful and remains unchanged, but the side covers have come in for an overhaul, with the right side featuring a flat-track style number board that also serves as a heat shield for the rider’s leg.
The colour scheme was an easy pick, with the client wanting black, and the gold is taken from the body of both the USD Showa front forks and the remote reservoir on the Ohlins rear shocks. Form and function combine in the best possible way, as the gold is not too over the top, while the black is laid down in a mix of both satin and gloss. More of that black is sprayed onto items like the ‘Patagonia’ skid plate, which gives the engine a tough look while also protecting it from the worst the environment can throw its way. And to give the big twin some extra spice, a Tamarit end can unleashes a beautiful sound.
Having designed this bike to be able to take on all comers, more protection is added in the way of the company’s own fork leg protectors, made from a much stronger material than the factory offerings. The same philosophy is applied with their selection of a steel chain guard and that grilled-out factory headlight, which gives the XE one hell of a tough appearance. Finally, the lighting is all overhauled, with the aforementioned LED taillight joined by Motogadget’s mo.blaze pin indicators. Before the bike is handed to the client, the in-house engineer thoroughly tests the bike and ensures it’s ready for even the toughest of rego check. Job done, a machine that can truly do it all, and undoubtedly bring back some of those childhood dirt bike dreams.
