Death Machines of London (DMOL) has to have the best name in the business. Founded by designer James Hilton and engineer Ray Petty, their debut build was this incredible Moto Guzzi Le Mans “airtail” cafe racer. Now the crew is back with another build, a 2007 Triumph Thruxton cafe racer nicknamed “Up Yours Copper” (UYC). A bike with a name like that has to be bad to the bone, and this Thruxton delivers.
We’ll let James give you the full story on the build.
Custom Thruxton, “Up Yours Copper”: In the Builder’s Words
Resurrected from the earthly remains of a 2007 Triumph Thruxton 900i, “Up Yours Copper” is an exercise in detail and materials.
The frame, finished in a deep coat of Beluga Black paint, has been de-lugged, weld-cleaned and extensively modified with an entirely new rear. Work on the engine comprised of a gas-flowed cylinder head and remapped fueling to suit the custom exhaust system. The fuel pump and injection system have been remodeled and uprated with the oil cooler being removed as a weight reduction measure. DMOL designed and manufactured velocity stacks were developed to assist the remapped fueling programme. They feature a brushed outer and mirror polished interior surface with etched brass grills and DMOL logo inlays. The sprocket is protected by DMOL’s Sprocket Cage Type 1, which features solid brass grills and an engraved name plate. Custom designed and copper coated injection caps together with powder coated engine covers and a copper plated cam cover complete the reconditioned 900.
The bespoke exhaust system features ceramic coated pipes and a carbon fibre muffler terminating through the rear light cluster in a DMOL designed copper-plated nozzle. The ceramic pipes expel as much heat as possible before entering the muffler. The nozzle itself features further heat-shielding and is designed so there are no touching parts to the light cluster. At the point of exhaust, sufficient heat has been lost to be within the heat tolerance levels of the materials in the light unit.
For the wheels, both shod with Avon trail rider tyres, a front 100/90x19inch was used on a 2.15 mild steel rim, with a 160/60×17 inch on a 3.5 mild steel Harley style rim for the rear. Both rims were electroplated in copper, then laced in-house using black anodised spokes and nipples. The front brakes have been stripped and modified with a custom Fontana four leading shoe assembly. The front to the Fontana brake assembly, and the rear of the original hub, along with the sprocket carrier and sprocket, were powder coated black. On the forks, the front lowers underwent remodelling with re-valved internals uprated with progressive springs. The rear shock absorbers are remodeled, 20mm over stock, Hagon units.
The sweeping bars, manufactured in-house, are welded from underneath to a slotted custom top clamp. This clamp continues down through the yoke into copper spacers which hold the light cowl assembly, all of which were designed and fabricated in-house. On the bars, the right grip conceals an internal throttle assembly, while the left features finger-tip controls for the lighting and horn. Both feature machined grips with in-house levers in brushed aluminium. The grips, as well as the foot pegs and copper washers, feature the signature DMOL single-spiral knurling pattern, which is then finished smooth. All cables are custom made items.
For electrics, an in-house designed loom feeds to the main switch, in this case a 1940 Supermarine Spitfire Mk1 magneto. The first magneto makes the bike live, while toggling the second engages the starter motor. The magneto switch is the only item on the entire machine that has been left in its original condition. The battery is held in a custom case situated between the foot pegs.
The in-house fabricated light cowl in brushed aluminium houses a 7” military-specification LED headlamp, as well as the custom-made speedometer. The speedometer is made from precision-etched solid brass using photolithography, a process more often used in micro-fabrication and watch making. Moving along the machine, the fuel tank, an in-house modified item, is fitted with an aero style filler. The filler is covered with a brass plate engraved with the Hunter S. Thompson quote: “Faster, faster, until the trill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” The hand-stitched and tanned leather tank strap is made from the finest saddle hide and was styled and manufactured at DMOL. The entire assembly is completed with an in-house manufactured brushed aluminium strap clamp.
The seat was designed by DMOL and hand-carved from American Walnut by Ben Heeney at Ian Dunn Woodwork and Design in London. Meticulously shaped to the riders form, the seat is constructed out of seventeen parts in order to maintain a consistent grain pattern within the highly complex compound curves. As the aggressive stance of the machine carries the majority of the weight distribution through the pegs, tank and bars, the seat itself, whilst being extremely comfortable, is primarily there to aid balance. The wood is finished with several coats of Danish Oil.
The final paintwork was kept as simple as possible to highlight the beauty of the materials used in the build. The tank carries a satin black finish with gloss hairline delineating it from the hand-brushed aluminium. The polished engine fins feature the DMOL logo wrapping around and, as with all other elements, is finished in satin and matte black.
This is Up Yours Copper. Build DM02 from Death Machines of London.
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Follow Death Machines of London (DMOL):
- dmolcustoms.com
- Instagram: @dmolcustoms
