Gold Edition: Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE

Dark and Minimalist Scrambler from Brazil’s Atlantic Custom Studio…

A lot of custom builders grew up riding and racing bikes from a young age. However, it’s interesting how many actually weren’t allowed to own a bike as long as they lived under their parents’ roof. Funny how that works: often, prohibiting something only makes it that much more desirable.

Such was the case with our new friend Frederico Fernandes of Brazil’s Atlantic Custom Studio. As a boy, Frederico was passionate about motorcycles, but his parents wouldn’t let him ride one. However, his grandfather had been a motorcyclist in his youth and was always willing to talk to his grandson about bikes.

Later, when Frederico went to work for his grandfather in the family business, working on trucks and excavators, he decided to take the first step on his own. He might not be allowed to ride a motorcycle, but he could build one:

“One day when my work was all done I asked his permission to do something in the workshop and that’s how I created my first motorcycle. I didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle, I just built one in my head and from then on I realized that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Frederico had found his calling, and he followed it to the teeming city of São Paulo to make a name for himself as a custom builder. Fast forward several years, and at just 30 years old, Frederico has opened his own design studio, Atlantic Custom Studio, and worked on projects for major brands like Honda, BMW, and Triumph.

The bike you see here is part of Frederico’s “Gold Edition” series, where he does blacked-out custom builds with gold details. Interestingly, the customers for these builds leave their donor bike at the workshop and don’t see it again until the finished product is ready — talk about butterflies for both builder and client!

The base machine here is a 2024 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE, the more off-road-focused version with a full 9.8 inches (250mm) of suspension travel — nearly two inches more than the 1200 XC. In general, Frederic likes to avoid altering the riding experience of new motorcycles like this one, and the XE is known to handle both tarmac and dirt with athletic grace. So the changes would be mainly aesthetic, transforming the stocker into something unmatched on the road, both in Brazil or beyond.

The work would include both old-school handcraftsmanship and cutting-edge tech. For example, Fred designed the front and rear fenders on the computer and 3D-printed them, while the exhaust was handmade from stainless steel.

As per the Gold Edition standard, the bike was painted black with gold details and matched with accessories like the black chain with gold pins. The indicators and taillight were switched over to tiny LEDs to be as minimalist as possible, so you can’t even tell the bike has more than a main headlight when it’s off. Other highlights include the custom radiator guard, number plate mount, mirrors, and more.

The result appears almost like a limited-production “Gold Edition” straight from the Triumph factory rather than a one-off custom build — a testament to how well the design was conceived and executed. The high performance of the standard machine remains undisturbed, but no one would mistake this Scrambler XE for what’s currently available on the showroom floor.

Hats off to Frederico for the great work. Below you’ll find more of our interview with Frederico about the build, as well as more shots courtesy of Evoframe Studio.

Builder Interview: Scrambler 1200 XE Gold Edition

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

My name is Frederico, I’m 30 years old, and I own Atlantic Custom Studio. Since I was little, I watched programs and saw magazines about motorcycles, but my father and mother always prohibited me from riding a motorcycle.

A big reason for me to start getting into motorcycle customization was my grandfather, he rode motorcycles when he was younger and always talks to me about motorcycles. I worked with him in the family company taking care of the maintenance of trucks and excavators.

One day when my work was all done I asked his permission to do something in the workshop and that’s how I created my first motorcycle. I didn’t know how to ride a motorcycle, I just built one in my head and from then on I realized that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I left everything in my hometown and moved to São Paulo, where the references in the Brazilian market are. I came alone, looking to follow my dream and become a great customizer. After six years I set up projects for major manufacturers such as Honda, BMW, Triumph.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE 2024.

• Why was this bike built?

The client asked me for an aggressive design, but without losing the sophistication and elegance of British design. It’s a line of projects that I call “gold edition,” where I make motorcycles in this all-black look with gold elements.

It’s a project by Atlantic where the customer leaves the bike and doesn’t know what they’re going to get.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

My customization line is mainly influenced by European and Asian customizers.

I like to work with a cleaner look, valuing the construction of the bike as a whole, so people can look at the bike and see it as a work of art, without anything standing out more than another. Less is more.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

On this bike we changed the front and rear fenders, where we designed them with a computer and printed them in 3D.

We did a painting job on it where we took away the aesthetics of the aluminum and left it dark.

We put a black chain with gold pins, we made the number plate, and changed the rear and front lighting to very small LEDs with the aim of making it more minimalist, so that when the bike was off or parked, they didn’t appear, as if the bike has no lights.

We also changed the mirrors and made her an exhaust in stainless steel.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

Gold Edition

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

In our projects, we avoid changing riding experience as much as possible. The Scrambler 1200 is a fantastic bike to ride, so we left it “original” in this part.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

One of the parts that I’m most proud of in the projects is the mix of handmade and technology. The exhaust is all handmade, while the mudguards and other items are printed in 3D.