Source: Bike Bound
[[{“value”:”From Alan Cross: A Scrambler for a Bluegrass Mandolin Player…
At the 2024 Handbuilt Show, we spied a bold and burly modern Triumph Street Scrambler from a builder named Alan Cross and set out to track him down for a feature. The trail led us right back to our home state of Georgia, where we learned that Alan is an Atlanta-based veterinary orthopedic surgeon who also has an engineering degree and moonlights as a self-taught garage mechanic and fabricator — wow!
Alan’s last noteworthy project was his ExoDyne electric motorcycle, which was featured by our friends at Silodrome. The box frame was custom-built to connect the headstock and swingarm pivot while containing 48 LiPo batteries capable of a 600 A output. The ExoDyne boasts an EnerTrac rear hub motor with 11 kW (30 kW peak) power, Warp 9 supermoto wheels, Suzuki RM / RMZ suspension, 60 mph top speed, and a curb weight of less than 250 pounds.
“It’s unusual to see a bespoke motorcycle built to this level of fit and finish – typically it takes a team of engineers to turn out something like the ExoDyne, not a solitary veterinary orthopedic surgeon.” –Silodrome
Indeed! Now Alan is back with something that runs on the old prehistoric dino fuel, a 2019 Triumph Street Scrambler built for his old friend John Griffin, a bluegrass mandolin player whose musical affinity would become a theme of the build.
They decided on a “fat knobby tire look” and everything else grew from there. While some garage builders might be satisfied with a set of wider wheels from Canyon Motorcycles and a few muscular accoutrements, Alan modified nearly every aspect of the bike to complement the new undercarriage.
“Frame modifications were needed to keep the tires from overpowering the bike visually. Wider forks, fenders, tank pads, etc. helped to keep everything in proportion.”
Alan details all of the modifications in our full interview below, but we’re particularly impressed with the false subframe that matches the engine crash bars while retaining the stock attachment points for the OEM electronics, the handmade rebar foot controls, the subtle use of mesh screen throughout the build, the exhaust shields with musical note cutouts, and the gorgeous blue paint scheme courtesy of North Georgia’s J Darr Customs.
While the ICE drivetrain of this Triumph might seem primitive compared to the ExoDyne, Alan came to regret dealing with the EFI, ABS, traction control, and other electronic wizardry that characterizes a contemporary Street Scrambler.
“In retrospect, this was a terrible choice. Modern motorcycles have a wiring harness that weighs more than some vintage motors… I recommend making a donor choice after extensive research, rather than modifying the bike that happens to be in your garage.”
In spite of the many challenges, this “Bluegrass Scrambler” came out amazing — a standout at the Handbuilt Show and sure hit at any gathering of banjo, mandolin, and fiddle players ready to sing the old songs and ballads of mountains. And Alan says the bike remains great fun getting there, too.
“My stable is mainly Italian sportbikes so my first ride on the stock Triumph was a bit of a revelation. I told everyone who listened that it was the most comfortable and easy-to-ride bike I had ever been on. I was relieved to find that my modifications did not alter my first impressions.”
A special thanks goes out to our friend and photographer, Atlanta’s own Drew Perlmutter, who met up with Alan to take these shots for all of us to enjoy. Below is our full and uncut interview with Alan for those who want to delve deeper into the nuts and bolts of the build. Enjoy!
Triumph “Bluegrass” Scrambler: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I am very much an amateur garage mechanic / fabricator. I have no formal training in any of these areas but have slowly developed skills through building an electric bike, customizing cars and trucks, building race cars, and other small creations. My real job is a veterinary orthopedic surgeon. My workshop has basic mechanics tools, metal fab tools, mini-lathe, CNC plasma cutter, drill press, and welder. Last noteworthy project.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
2019 Triumph Street Scrambler, 3400 miles. In retrospect, this was a terrible choice. Modern motorcycles have a wiring harness that weighs more than some vintage motors. This bike remains OBD II compliant, retains ABS, and has 3 traction control modes.
Getting the bike to run without the stock gauge required a black box from Thailand and a month of international troubleshooting. I recommend making a donor choice after extensive research, rather than modifying the bike that happens to be in your garage.
• Why was this bike built?
My old friend John Griffin understands my need for passion projects. He often provides inspiration, motivation, and occasionally, funding. He asked me for a custom scrambler and gave me a budget, but no other constraints. After the design phase, I realized I could not build a bike I could be proud of and stay within budget so it became “our” scrambler.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
I had settled on a blue / titanium paint scheme, and John is a Bluegrass mandolin player, so a Bluegrass theme seemed appropriate. We liked the fat knobby tire look and design took off from there. Frame modifications were needed to keep the tires from overpowering the bike visually. Wider forks, fenders, tank pads, etc. helped to keep everything in proportion.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
Working from front to rear: Larger front wheel / tire (TKC80 150) / brake rotor, a custom made front shorty fender, wide Down-N-Out billet triple clamps, Ohlins cartridge fork inserts.
LSL bar clamps and bar with Motogadget LED bar end signals and mirrors, custom headlight bucket with Revival LED light, Koso multi-function gauge with PeakMod CAN bus interface.
Relocated ignition switch, 1 inch tank raise, custom floating leather covered tank pads.
Black valve cover, custom made crash bars.
Custom made rebar foot pegs and foot controls.
Custom false rear subframe and down-tubes with perforated metal covered LED tail light, modified stock seat foam and custom upholstery, seat raise 1 inch.
Custom rear fender and mounting brackets, perforated metal side covers, larger rear wheel / tire (TKC 180), offset sprockets and gold RK chain, Mass Moto exhaust with custom music note heat shields, Fox rear shocks with stand spools, custom rear stand.
Blue paint by J Darr Customs, swingarm and fork lowers powder-coated satin black, frame and stand, powder-coated titanium, black powder-coated hardware and brackets.
I did everything but paint, upholstery, and large part powdercoating.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
“Bluegrass.”
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
My stable is mainly Italian Sportbikes so my first ride on the stock Triumph was a bit of a revelation. I told everyone who listened that it was the most comfortable and easy-to-ride bike I had ever been on. I was relieved to find that my modifications did not alter my first impressions.
Even with the fat tires, it handles great on the street. The suspension is improved in every way. The gearing is noticeably higher due to the limited selection of offset sprockets to accommodate the wide rear tire, but the torquey motor overcomes this. My off-pavement experience with it is limited but I would recommend sticking to existing dirt and gravel roads.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
The false rear subframe required the most design and fabrication time. Modern Triumphs often lack the defining topline feature (bottom of tank continuing to subframe) which is a classic defining feature. The stock seat drapes over the subframe, which is lower than the tank line. It has dozens of brackets and attachment points for all the modern electronics so rather than scrap it, I welded a new, false subframe around it using larger tubing to match the crash bars. This new frame was blended into the rest of the bike using perforated metal. A new rear light design was part of this process.
The rebar foot controls are pretty cool too.
More Details
Builder Thanks
Painter: jdaarcustoms.com | @jdaarcustoms
Wheels/tires: canyonmotorcycles.com | @canyonmotorcycles
Upholstery: buxcustoms.com | @buxcustoms
Photography: Drew Perlmutter | @drewperlmutter”}]]
