OLD TRIUMPHS NEVER DIE...
THEY JUST GO FASTER
Over the years Henrik Edin, from Ornskoldsvik in Sweden, has built a number of bikes (and cars too), and this '50s racer style Triumph is his latest. The project started when he saw an ad in a magazine for a modified Triumph from the '50s for sale in Goteborg (or Gothenburg as you British call it) over on the Swedish west coast. It's about 600 miles from Ornskoldsvik to Goteborg, but that didn't stop him telling the owner he'd be there the next day to look at it. He and a friend took turns at the wheel to drive down overnight, and turned up early in the morning, and the seller, although surprised to see them so early, invited them in for coffee. There was some stuff about the bike that Henrik didn 't like, but overall it was okay, and he handed over the money, and they (he, the friend, and the Triumph) drove back home again.
Once there, he took the bike for a hard test ride. The engine, with a Morgo 750cc top end, was strong, but the original clutch couldn't deal with the extra power (or his riding!), and broke. That was the excuse he needed to tear the bike down to the bare frame and, once any brackets that weren't needed were removed, the build started .
The old Webb forks on it fitted in the new look he had in mind, and were kept, and the Borrani wheels (19-inch front, 16-inch rear) were also perfect. He fancied an old racer ethos that matched the Type 1 Beetle he'd done (without mudguards in a kind of salt lake racer style), and wanted a bike in a similar vein.
The rather large gas tank and fat mudguards that were on the bike when he got it had no chance of returning as they'd look too cumbersome for the new style, and a good friend gave him a small tank off an old moped. The round oil tank was in keeping so that could stay, but the seat that was there wasn't so an old Bates saddle was cleaned up (the upholstery removed, the pan cleaned and painted metallic blue, and then gold leaf was added, along with some pin-stripes, and the whole lot clearcoated to keep it just so), and pressed into service. The rest of the paint was equally dealt with - the frame is straight black topped with blue 'flake, and the tank first got silver 'flake and blue pearl, and much clear-coat . It looks as though it's nearly, but not quite, showroom condition, which is the way Henrik wanted it, and was a joint affair between him and a good friend who often helps hm with the finishing touches to projects.
Although the finish's much higher on this bike than it would be on an old race bike, the Triumph still has the right look - the clip-ons on the Webb forks were taken from a Laverda, the small headlight was, once up on a time, from an old Swedish moped (it was made by the Swedish company ASEA),and the tail light was originally used on a military truck, hut's been adapted with glass from a '56 Volvo PV car.
The engine, from '57, is now 750cc with Morgo cylinders, and has a Lucas magneto ignition, and the gearbox, while basically stock, has been upgraded to stand the power from the Morgo kit (and Hendrik's heavy right hand) . It runs an open primary for the correct race look, and the new exhaust he's made's also in a style that fits the overall style.
This isn't, obviously,a bike for long-distance rides, but it's a joy to take it on a trip round Ornskoldsvik or to a local bike show, and it proves the old adage - old Triumphs never die, they just go faster!0