HOT-ROD T160 TRIDENT
Brian Eastham’s hot-rodded Triumph triple reflects his life in the fast lane – it’s rapid!
Triumph’s triple bored out to 930cc – and it’s anything but boring...
Triumph and BSA triples continue to inspire a loyal and committed following. In Triumph’s case, that all started with the summer 1968 launch of the T150 Trident. Despite the fact that the engineering of the new triple engine was based on Triumph’s existing twin-cylinder models, the Trident was hailed as a real attempt to bring the British industry into the modern world. Racing success further enhanced the Trident’s reputation (and that of its sister machine, the BSA Rocket 3). BSA triples locked out the podium at the Daytona 200 in 1971, while John Cooper famously pipped works MV star Giacomo Agostini to win the Mallory Park Race of the Year in ’71, too. And at the TT that summer, a factoryprepared Triumph Trident notched up the first of five straight wins in the Production TT. The new triples looked like a hot ticket.
In fact, the triples were originally only intended as a stopgap to keep the Triumph/ BSA name in the spotlight until a planned all-new range of modular machines was released. But that never happened and, apart from the addition of a five-speed gearbox and front disc brake for the 1971 T150V model, the Trident had to make do with relatively minor updates until what turned out to be its final incarnation.
The 1975 T160 was the final flowering of the Triumph triple and was intended as a serious competitor to the new wave of Japanese superbikes. Styling reverted to the traditional Triumph look, with the engine canted slightly forward in the frame, there was a left-foot gearchange, electric start and disc brakes at front and rear. While the British press hailed the new model as a significant improvement, it wasn’t enough to rescue the ailing NVT concern (which had sprung from the merger of Norton and the Bsa/triumph group in 1973) and production of the Trident ended in early 1976.
But what if it hadn’t? What if Triumph engineers had been given the go-ahead to improve the Trident further? Make it bigger, faster and, well, just better? Those are questions diehard triple fan Brian Eastham asked himself for years. And his 1975 T160 special is the answer.
“I’m a total triple nut,” Brian explains. “I have been since I was 16. I bought one as soon as I passed my test and rebuilt it as a Slippery Sam replica. I always regret selling it – I have seen it at a Beezumph Rally once, but I didn’t get to speak to the owner. If RRN 813P is still around, I’d love to know. I’ve also owned a 1974 T150 and a stock 1975 T160 that I sold, but I still own three – this special, a standard 1975 T160 and my Rob North-framed racer. But this one is my vision of what Triumph could have made the Trident into.”
Creating that vision has been a lengthy labour of love for Brian. “I bought it in 2012, from a guy in Liverpool,” he says. “It was in a pretty sorry state and it took almost 10 years to get it to this stage. I still have a bit of fine tuning to do, but I’m pleased with how it’s turned out. My idea was to keep the look fairly original, while getting the
benefit of modern improvements. I think it’s turned out OK.”
I think it’s turned out better than OK. The bike looks a treat and Brian fills me in on the 10-year build as I take in the detail and finish. “As soon as I got the bike home, I stripped it down,” he starts. “The engine went off to Neil Beadling with detailed instructions on what I wanted. I was after as much power as possible, without compromising practicality for the road. I think Neil has delivered on that.”
To do so, a lot of work – and years of experience in building fast and reliable triple engines – has gone into the package. At its heart is a brand new stroker crank. The 120° 77mm crank is combined with forged 71.626mm Omega 9.5:1 pistons to give a capacity of 930cc. The barrels are new castings to accommodate the bigger bores and Neil has fitted lightened and balanced Carillo rods, racing main and big-end bearings and Megacycle 51B cams. A big-bore oil pump keeps the plot well lubricated, the valve springs and pushrods are from Norman Hyde, and a Triples Rule alloy clutch basket completes the engine spec.
Brian has opted for modern carburettors, too, opting for a trio of 31mm Keihin CRS from Allens Performance. They still need a bit of fine tuning, as Brian admits the engine feels a little woolly at low revs. Neil suspects either the slide cutaway or the needle profile might be to blame. It certainly won’t be the ignition causing the problem, as Neil has fitted a Boyer MKIV analogue electronic system with three Trispark 4V coils for a more powerful spark than the stock points ignition.
While Neil was cracking on with the engine build and its ancillaries, Brian could get on with the rolling chassis. “I decided to bring the suspension up to date and took the chassis to Maxton,” he reveals. “They fitted their cartridge internals into the Triumph stanchions and sliders and supplied a pair of top-spec custom rear shocks, with preload, compression and rebound damping adjustment. The entire suspension package is tailored for the weight of the bike and me and they provided a detailed print-out of the specification for me to refer to in future.”
Braking is another area to receive a little upgrading. “I’ve gone for Norman Hyde floating discs all round – two at the front and one at the rear,” Brian explains. With the extra power from the engine, I wanted to be able to stop as well as go. The discs are gripped by AP Racing
calipers supplied by LP Williams and the bike stops pretty well now.”
Brian’s been right through the electrical system, too – often an area that can cause a little grief on machinery of a certain age. “I started with a new loom from LP Williams,” he says. “But I talked to Classic Car LEDS in Cheltenham about bringing the electrics up to 21st-century standards and ended up replacing all the bulbs with LEDS. I’ve also fitted a Podtronics electronic regulator/rectifier, though I’ve kept the original unit in place to maintain the standard look.”
The bike’s cosmetics haven’t been overlooked. “The wheels have been rebuilt with new rims and spokes and the hubs refurbished,” Brian confirms. “I’ve had the frame and swingarm powder-coated and the paintwork was undertaken by Frank Halsall at Plox Motors in Tarleton. I’ve used him for years. He took a spectrograph of the original paintwork on the tank to get the colours bang on. I bought new, pattern mudguards from LP Williams and I’ve fitted one of their Legends exhaust systems. It’s not quite like the original, but it’s not far off. I’ve got LP Williams rearsets, too, for a better riding position and more cornering clearance.”
Finally, the bike was back together and it was time to fire it up for the first time. “It started on the first touch of the button,” Brian smiles. “It’s not quite set up perfectly yet and I plan to run it on a dyno to sort it properly. I might replace the silencers with the original ‘black cap’ type, or Norton Commando type. But it’s not far off in the meantime.”
That’s for the future, though. What about the present? And what about the question I asked earlier? Could Brian’s special be the bike Triumph should have built? I’m following Brian and his modern BMW out of his home town of Southport to see if I can find any answers.
Through town, the carb issues are obvious, though certainly not overwhelmingly so. I just need to get the revs up above 3500rpm to clean up the power delivery. And, once we clear the edge of town, that’s no hardship and I can start to appreciate what the Beadling bore-andstroke job has done for the T160 engine.
‘Quite a lot’ is my immediate impression. A standard T160 makes around 58bhp. Neil reckons the combination of the extra capacity, bigger carbs and slightly fruitier cams on Brian’s bike should raise that to around 85bhp. That’s a serious boost. And, where a stock Trident
needs revs to really rumble, the Beadling 930 has a whole heap more urge in the midrange – and it really comes alive once I get it spinning over about 4500rpm. From here, there’s real urgency to the power delivery and I can leapfrog two or three cars at a time without fuss when I hit the roads heading inland towards the Lancashire moors.
With relatively few miles on the newly-rebuilt engine, I’m not going to explore the upper limits of its performance today, but the way the bike rockets up to the legal limit on a stretch of dual carriageway convinces me that it is significantly faster than a stock 750. That’s as it should be with an extra 180cc – but it’s the way that power is delivered that’s different. This feels a lot more relaxing to ride than the sometimes slightly frantic feel of a standard T160.
T160s handle pretty well and the 930 is no exception. Maxton have recommended sliding the fork tubes up through the yokes to quicken the steering up a little and, while the suspension feels slightly soft for me, I suspect it’s nigh on perfect for Brian’s enviably svelte physique. The rebound damping copes well, recovering the bike’s composure after a series of undulations, where the road surface has subsided into the soft peat beneath, nearly fire me out of the seat.
Overall, Brian’s Trident is a really balanced package – and one that’s a pleasure to ride. And it surpasses the standard T160 in all departments. It’s faster – appreciably faster – and boasts a broader power delivery to complement its top-end speed. The suspension is a cut above the factory offering, too – as you’d expect with an extra 45 years of technology for Maxton to call on. And it stops better than any standard Trident, thanks to the triple full-floating discs.
Is it the bike that Triumph should have built? Maybe. But the truth is that NVT were in no position to spend more money on developing the Trident even as the T160 was launched. We’ll never know if a better developed Trident could have taken on Honda’s CB750, Kawasaki’s Z1 and, later in the decade, Suzuki’s GS1000. But, thanks to Brian Eastham’s passion for his beloved triples, I’ve at least had the chance to experience what might have been.