Reader Ride. A sweet and nicely updated Triumph

Things have been really busy on my end this spring. Lots of great material coming in and I’ve been hitting a few shows and such. As a result this one slipped back in the queue a little. I really need to be more on the ball with my e-mail.

James from Ottawa, Canada writes in with another great bike.
Hi Steve

You may remember me from a couple of years ago after I bought my used ’96 Triumph Thunderbird 900 triple. Did some mods to it then sent you some photos – along with some of my former ’74 Norton Commando 850 – which you kindly posted. They’re still up on your archives I see – https://motorcyclephotooftheday.com/category/triumph/page/3/ – scroll down towards bottom of page Thank you.

Well of course I kept diddling with the Triumph. Bought a salvage ’98 Thunderbird Sport and ended up swapping the engine into her after the cam chain inexplicably broke on the Bird engine (these engines are virtually bulletproof and there was no advance warning). Lucky I had the TBS engine and it actually worked out better – more horsepower in the TBS (82 vs 69) and 6 speed tranny vs. 5. And I like the black engine body better than the Bird chrome/silver one too – although I left some of the Bird chrome pieces on for accent.

Here’s what else was done to the bike for the final makeover

HID headlight
Dunstall style megaphones – what a lovely throaty trumpet sound they have!
New 1/4 fairing (fairing and TBS front fender and partially bobbed rear fender all done and painted to match)
New 17″ Excel front rim from Buchanan’s Spoke & Rim in California (did a good job) matched with TBS front end with the dual discs and dampening adjustments) vs. the 18″ front wheel, single disc on the Bird. This combo is MUCH better. I now have proper stopping power!
New fork tubes by Frank’s Maintenance & Engineering in Evanston, Ill (did a good job) and gaiters
17″ TBS rear wheel replaces stock 16″ Bird rear – again, major improvement in handling
New Conti Motion tires front and rear
Partially bobbed TBS rear fender
New Lucas style rear tailight with new, smaller turn indicators front and back
TBS rear gas mono shock replaces Bird mechanical one
M-bars (with the folding bar end mirrors) although may have to change those – custom bars? – to find the right riding position for me especially for the longer hauls. I’m getting too old to be bent over for long periods of time!
Custom made solo seat that is REALLY comfortable for long hours in the saddle even if she is a bit on the large side – but hey, so’s the ass in the saddle! 🙂

Really pleased with the final product – a Thunderbird/Thunderbird Sport hybrid. She looks, sounds and runs GREAT and is definitely MY Tbird now.

Keep up the great work with your site. Like many others I check it out regularly to satisfy my motorcycle porn habit and really appreciate it! Thanks

Maybe the most underrated of the modern Triumphs. Great power and classic looks. you’ve really done a great job with her!

Thanks for the pics!

Riding Into History. A Stunning Triumph X75 Hurricane

Another from the show. Words don’t do it justice. I was lucky to have some pretty good lighting all day.

Just got back from spending the morning at Riding Into History in St Augustine Florida. Stay Tuned for some great shots!

More to come. LOTS more..

And yet another from the Kurt Bartlein “Dime City Cycle” portfolio…

I’ve always like the idea of vintage sport touring. This gorgeous Norton Commando wouldn’t be a bad way to head out!

Amazing video of some legendary “time capsule” Hondas.

Thanks to reader Johan Blom for pointing this one out to me.

He wrote in:
Hi!
I was searching the web for some movies of this project ( http://feber.se/bil/art/210331/saabskal_med_viperhjrta/) a SAAB with a Viper engine… But now to the fun stuff i found which might interest you – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvmnSiVpoH8.
As you can read in the comments “Short in bad english: A swedish motorcycle dealer bought the bikes as collectors items when they were brand new. Now, almost 20 years later, he puts them on display in his store. No, they are not for sale. :)”

So they are from the late 80s and early 90s and have been stored in their original boxes since they arrived to Sweden, and in march 2010 the were un-boxed and placed in the stores in glass cabins…

http://www.mcvaruhuset.se/index.php – this is the dealer!

Maybe this old news but I thought let you know.

Thank Johan I had not seen this one before. It’s amazing to think that bikes like this can even exist. What an amazing find! Thanks for the information and the links!

UPDATE: An Exquisite Reader CB550 Gulf Racing Tthemed Cafe Racer

Update: Chris had actually sent me links to a a pair of photo albums and he actually pointed me to the better of the two… which I promptly forgot about and posted the lesser quality of the finished pics. So I thought I’d update this oversight by sorting it out now. These are much better and more representative shots of the finished product. Someone really does has a nice touch with the lens Chris. Thanks and orry for any confusion..

Chris Trotter send in this very special build. I absolutely love the Gulf Racing colors. Oh and these are just a very small taste. Be sure to check out the slideshow folks. SLIDESHOw OF THE FULL BUILD

Hey Steve,
So I bought the original bike a 1975 Honda CB550K in October of 2010, which was stock except for the exhaust. With the exception of the engine, which was in great shape, everything on the bike was replaced, refurbished or built anew. The subframe was built to match up to the tail, which was built to echo the tank. Both tank and seat/tail are constructed from a mix of fiberglass and Kevlar. That was an eye-opener for me; due to Kevlar’s uncooperative nature, I have to say the next build will exclude it entirely! All of the 36 year old bearings and bushings were replaced for peace of mind. Many members of the forum Do The Ton contributed to this build whether by encouragement or hooking me up with parts. For instance, the rear sets and top triple clamp were machined by a forum member, and the logos were airbrushed on by a friend and fellow forum member, with the stencils being made by another! The paint scheme and name are in honor of Gulf Racing’s efforts at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Thanks Steve! Let me know if you need anything more.

Really special bike. Well done.

Here’s a progress pic…

And the before pic…

The latest masterpiece from Mule Motorcycles

Richard Pollock writes in:

Here’s a couple shots taken by David Edwards of our recent Café build. It’s called the Streetmaster “Brighton” Café Racer. Built by Mule Motorcycles for Streetmaster.

Regards

Thanks Richard. I’m a longtime fan of the Mule builds and this one really hits a nice chord for me. Just stunning. A deliciously perfect blend of old world style and updated modern parallel twin. That tank could have it’s own post…

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