Garage Builder: Cody Allen

British Customs: When did you start riding? 

Cody Allen: I started riding about 2 years after I graduated high school. I don’t remember exactly why I wanted to learn to ride other than a love of cycling and I got an itch for a moped but after learning you still needed an M2 license, decided I might as well get a real motorcycle and license for the price and effort!

BC: What was your first bike? 

CA: Early 2000s Suzuki GZ250 which was tiny on me.

BC: What is your background/interest in motorcycle customization? Family hobby, selftaught, trained pro, etc? 

CA: After getting my first bike and learning to ride I sold that and would go through 3 more bikes, always upgrading and getting whatever I could afford at the time and it wasn’t till my 3^rd (05 Triumph Bonneville) that I would really start tinkering and wrenching for myself. With the Bonnie around, British Customs was really my main introduction to customization of a motorcycle and the ability to do things myself. After college I began working in the motorcycle industry at a company which is very heavy on the Harley parts so I sold the Bonnie to my dad so he could get back into riding and picked up and rode a Harley Dyna for about a year. In that time I developed my bolt on mechanic skills further and learned a lot from coworkers but it then came to time I missed the Triumph side of riding and sold the Dyna so I could get my first brand new motorcycle from the dealership, a 2015 Triumph Scrambler and it has just taken off from there.

BC: What is your inspiration when wrenching on or designing your bike?

CA: Well, in regards to the Triumph line, I love to find parts that are a distinct mix of form and function which is why there are a ton of BC goods on my steed. I, like everyone else, could probably cite the Ducati Sport Classic scene from the Tron remake as something that has always stuck out in my mind. I love mixing the classic heritage the Triumph modern classics offer with some more futuristic looking elements like LED lighting and some less traditional parts like my sissy bar and headlight grille. Old and new tastefully colliding is always an aesthetic I admire in a motorcycle build.

BC: What are some things outside of motorcycling inspire you?

CA: I love anything from bygone eras along with the sort of throwback to heritage and Americana in men’s style and culture today; quality products and brands that pay homage to their history and authenticity and will stand the test of time, just like Triumph Motorcycles. Working as a graphic designer, aesthetics are engrained into my being; but not just the way things look, but the way they make you feel. As cliche as it is to mention, it would be even more cliche if i didn’t cite the importance of music as an influence. If I had to describe to someone what it feels like to ride a motorcycle, I would tell them to think about their favorite moment when just the right song came on and how that made them feel. I love taking gopro clips riding and sorting them to music later if only for my own amusement to go back on and remember a day out riding. 

BC: What are your goals in the coming year?

CA: Definitely riding more new places. More moto-camp trips with my dad and riding new places with friends. More exploring life’s adventures with my wife and miniature poodle. More good coffee. More self-discovery. More wrenching, maybe another project if finances allow.