Hailing from Verona, Italy, Mr. Martini is one of the most resounding success stories in the custom motorcycle world. Founder Nicola Martini has been rocking the custom motorcycle game for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. In addition to the well-equipped workshop where all the magic happens, Mr. Martini’s facility also features a motorcycle-themed restaurant that serves delicious food.
The company also offers a line of fashion apparel, but what we’re here to talk about are the incredible costumes that Nicola and his team create. If you’ve read some of our previous articles about Mr. Martini’s work, then you know we’re in for a real treat here. In a way, the Triumph-based project shown above has brought Nicola back to his roots.
Having founded the first Triumph dealership in Verona in 1994, our protagonist has been intimately familiar with the brand’s modern offerings for much of his career. A few years ago, Mr Martini’s operating room was visited by the most imposing Triumph model ever built: the acclaimed Rocket III with its colossal 2,294cc inline-three engine. With 140 horsepower and 148 pound-feet (200 Nm) of torque at its disposal, this monster cruiser still lives up to its name, even by today’s standards.
Nicknamed Big Bob, the thrilling one-off built by Mr Martini started life as a 2004 variant, so it was the purest version of the Rocket III you could ever find. The idea was to get rid of all the chrome and bulky stock bodywork, giving the bike a timeless look and bringing its massive three-cylinder engine to the forefront. With that in mind, Nicola and his teammates dove in.
Once the initial teardown was done, the real fun began with some powertrain modifications. The 2.3-liter beast didn’t exactly need more power, of course, so the guys didn’t mess with its inner workings in any way. They did, however, install a Ramair three-into-one filter on the intake side, ditching the stock exhaust pipe in favor of a bespoke alternative.
Photo: Mr. Martini
The new plumbing is less visually invasive than the stock setup, with a three-into-one setup feeding into a single low-mounted muffler. Hiding the exhaust headers from view is a hand-crafted metal cover that looks like it belongs on an aircraft, and improved cooling is courtesy of a massive aftermarket radiator. That was a solid start for this build, for sure, but the overhaul got even more interesting when it came to the bodywork.
Just above the engine is a custom-built faux gas tank that was meticulously built from the ground up to act as a storage unit for the bike’s electronics. It’s a clever bit of kit, and the actual fuel tank sits under the seat with all the associated fueling hardware left exposed. A flip-up filler cap sits high up, surrounded by a custom-made solo seat upholstered in black leather.
This new seat sits atop a modified subframe, along with a custom tail section that exudes café racer vibes. Further back, you’ll notice a neat bracket meant to hold the license plate, as well as a circular LED taillight. Completing the Big Bob’s attire is a replacement front fender, but there was no need for a rear fender since the fuel tank serves double duty.
Photo: Mr. Martini
While Mr Martini has retained the Rocket III's standard upside-down forks, the rear shocks have been promptly ditched in favor of adjustable Bitubo units. The OEM wheels and brakes are also still present, with the former repainted and then shod in Metzeler's ME 888 Marathon Ultra tires. Gone are the bike's dual headlights, replaced by a top-spec aftermarket LED module.
There’s a single Motogadget ChronoClassic dial in the cockpit, which looks much cleaner than the factory two gauges. A new chrome handlebar has also been fitted, along with some new mid-mounted footpegs for a comfortable riding position. With the project quickly approaching its finish line, Mr Martini outsourced the paint job to Garage 66 to get the best possible result.
For the tailpiece, the fake tank and the front mudguard, a light green shade was chosen as the main color. In addition, a black stripe decorates the upper part of the bodywork from front to back, combined with silver Triumph logos on the tank and Big Bob badges on the tailpiece. Other parts and pieces were painted black or polished to a mirror finish and the result is a wonderful sight to behold.
As always, Mr. Martini's team did a fantastic job on this build, even though it was a relatively simple conversion by their standards. At the end of the day, an iconic gem like the mighty Rocket III doesn't need a radical makeover to be incredible, as it's already phenomenal in its original form. By simply giving it an updated look, Nicola and his teammates ticked all the right boxes!