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David Beckham Rides Custom Triumph Bonneville into Amazon Rainforest

Tue, 10 Jun 2014

After 22 years on the soccer field, David Beckham took on a new challenge in the form of the Amazon rainforest. To accomplish this task, he needed three things: some friends, a documentary film crew, and a custom-built Triumph Bonneville.

There are nobbies under all that mud.

Since this is a motorcycle website, we’ll focus on the motorcycle. Look to the BBC or Showtime to learn more about the documentary, Beckham into the Unknown, and its subjects.

Preparing for a canoe river crossing?

Beckham’s ride started as a Bonneville T100, but that didn’t last long. Knowing that the bike would spend many miles on dirt – often muddy – roads, would be loaded into canoes, and generally harsh, jungle circumstances, a somewhat Scrambler-ish approach was planned. The signature high pipe was perfect for the job, but the fenders had to go. Streetable nobbies were mounted to the spoked rims.

A joint effort between the riders and Triumph, customization took place both in the UK and Brazil. The “hand-tooled leather seat covers” came from “one of Sao Paulo’s leading custom shops” as did the paint. Not even the tank badge escaped unchanged. The result is a bike with classic wide Bonneville bars and an upright riding position to attack conditions from cramped Brazilian urban roads to remote trails.

Back in the UK with stories to tell.

The documentary has begun its time on the TV-machine while Beckham’s Brazilian Bonneville has returned to the UK with wear and tear that was earned the hard way.

[Source: Triumph]


By Evans Brasfield


See also: Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials Set for Aug. 23-28, New Two-Day AMA Racing Schedule Will Be Used At Barber’s Triumph Superbike Classic, Isle of Man TT 2014: Monster Supersport TT 1 Results.