A "bobber", originally called a ‘bob-job’ from the 1930s, is a style of custom motorcycle. The typical construction includes removing the front fender, shortening the rear fender, which is "bobbed" (as in bob-tail), and stripping excess bodywork as well as all superfluous parts to reduce weight.”  (Wikipedia)

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While there are many genres in motorcycling world, from Café Racer to Brat and Street Fighter, none have been around as long, nor had such a significant social impact, as the bobber. The bobber is the heritage of customising motorcycles.

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The Triumph Bobber culture originated during the early 1900's in England, which filtered to the USA in later years. These Bobber style bikes are also synonymous with the early custom culture in the United States. Their main purpose in the 1920s was to improve both the performance and styling of the Harley Davidson "J" model.

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The popularity of the Triumph Bobber in custom styling gained significant popularity in the USA in the 1940s, when many Speed Twins and Tigers were imported before the war with Bobber modifications already made - proof that the British had been involved in the Bobber movement from the beginning.  Although it was not until many years later that Triumph brought out its own factory built bobber, it is easy to see the Bobber styling queues from as early as the 1937 Speed Twin (above).

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Triumph’s modern, purpose built bobber, brought to market in 2016, is still based on the Bonneville. The factory built Triumph bobber pays homage to both the Triumph Bonneville and other earlier Triumph models, and the heritage of the bobber scene.  The latest models are magnificently connected to both the history of triumph motorcycling and the technology of the present.  While reflecting this heritage they still allow the individual customisation of the machine to reflect the personality and preferences of the owner of the bobber.