Hasta La Ideas

Hammarhead and Triple Aught Design build a Triumph-inspired motorcycle for city streets

High-performance apparel and equipment manufacturer Triple Aught Design earlier this month offered up floorspace at their San Francisco headquarters for motorcycle builders Hammarhead Industries to set up temporary shop. The intense three-day bike build—a process involving a few dozen tools and many more sleepless hours—resulted in a beautiful bike that typically would’ve taken three months, the Jack Pine Triumph Scrambler.

“Both inspired by classic design but without being nostalgic,” as TAD founder Patrick Ma describes the bond between the two design-driven companies, they teamed up based on a shared “clean, stripped-down aesthetic of the modern design approach, upgraded with the performance advantages of current technology.” While their compatible values made the project a no-brainer, the build proved to be a different story.

James Hammarhead himself took to the shop armed with an ample supply of cold Pabst to fuel his creative fire. After working tirelessly through all hours of the three days, this California spec Jack Pine motorcycle was born.

With a reworked seat unit and custom pegs to accomodate a passenger, a new “dark matter” black paint job and weighing 45 pounds less than a stock Scrambler, the street-legal bike was designed with the SF streets in mind. A modified exhaust system and shortened rear frame loop adapt the bike to the rigors of city riding (previous builds were geared for Hammarhead’s backwoods Pennsylvania stomping grounds), while remaining true to the iconic bikes of the 1950s.

In the final nod to their deep roots in craftsmanship and hands-on approach to manufacturing, James rode the Jack Pine out of the shop moments after completion, showing both companies’ dedication to making products built for daily use.

Head to Hammarhead Industries for more information on their limited series of production builds and to Triple Aught Design to check out their gear and garments—including their to-be-released locally made Horween leather Streetfighter jacket sported by James (pictured) throughout the build.