A tidy little example of their work is featured here with the 1967 TR6 R they customized and refurbished and generally brought back from the dead to a whole new life of 650cc vertical twin pleasure. “We worked on this bike in conjunction with a guy [Eric Anderson] who inherited a lot of bikes from his grandfather we think. His grandfather and father were both riders, but anyway he apparently got a lot of bikes, mostly in pieces, and he brought it to us and told us how he wanted to build it,” said Dennis. “Great, so we do the mockup, Steve totally rebuilds the motor, and I actually had to repaint the tank because some idiot working in my office dropped a flat blade screwdriver on it and never said anything. He just bailed out on that one.” H-m-m-m, there are only two people that work there and Dennis said it wasn’t him so I wonder who the mystery man is?

Moving on from personal problems in a state often known for infighting on reality TV, the main frame was left stock and uncut to maintain the handling Triumphs are legendary for, but Frick and Frack added a David Bird bolt-on hard tail to bob it out. The stock forks were relieved of two-inches of height to maintain a level stance while giving the bike a new, kinda-tough-but-not-too-tough street cred attitude. Meanwhile, Steve re-laced the stock 19” front wheel with a 21-incher sporting a period-correct Avon Speedmaster (ribbed tread for your driving pleasure) while the rear 18-inch lost some height, but gained some width with a 16-inch rim shod with a vintagly-blocky Shinko Speed Grip repro tire that emulates a classic Goodyear Grasshopper. The stock ’67 drum brakes were retained but upgraded with high-tech shoe linings that actually provide something called stopping, not like the stocker’s version of sorta slowing down (It really must have been a kindler, gentler time back in the day when it came to actually stopping).

The 650cc twin was up next. “According to the sainted wizard [apparently Steve if you’re keeping score], it was rebuilt to stock specs all the way through. It’s got slash-cut TT pipes and an electronic ignition as its only deviations other than the brass point covers, oil crossovers, and rocker box caps that Eric made after taking CNC machining courses,” said Dennis. Steve chimed in adding, “It makes about 50-horsepower at the rear wheel in this configuration. A lot of the hotrod ones we do will get 60-65 horsepower with a can and a 750cc big-bore kit.” And to that Dennis countered with, “It’s not a sport bike. They’re not a big top end bike. It makes its power in the low- to mid-range and it’ll turn on at 2500rpm and that’s where you want to be. You know what? I’ve gone fast in the past, but now I like to just go along smoothly. I’m happy cruising along at 65 in the right lane and this bike is great for that.”

Bodywise, the tank’s basically stock with badges removed and Dennis modified the ribbed and rolled (again, for your driving pleasure) English-made rear fender to fit and also fabbed up those really petty fender struts along with a custom license plate and brake light mount. A Chopper Shox dual-shock seat was installed and covered in leather and shockingly provides a ride that makes it hard to believe it’s a rigid. The tall Shinko sidewalls running at lower pressure also do their bit to make this a comfortable ride that a lowered Softail could only wish for. Eric (you remember him) made a set of very wide bars and it was ready for paint.

“Greg Ross did all the pin striping and graphics. His brother did the paint originally, but like I said, somebody dropped a screwdriver on it so I had to strip the rank and re-paint the whole thing in burnt sienna and black,” said Dennis. “The second time around, I added a rainbow pearl clear on it just to zing it up a bit and not get me upset after somebody dropped a screwdriver on it.”

As far as what the twice-painted bike is like to ride, Steve said, “It’s a very stout feeling, larger than it actually is type of bike because the handlebars are wide on it, there’s a good-size seat, and it’s got mid-controls. The owner is a little bit on the burly side [other than you skinny-ass Steve, who isn’t?] so the bike had to feel a little burlier than a 350-pound skinny Triumph usually feels.” Speaking of that, I asked Dennis if Eric was pleased with the results to which he said, “I’ve got another of his bikes here I’m mocking up.” Apparently Eric is happy with Frick and Frack’s work and it’s another bike I hope to showcase here in the future. With F&F’s prolific production-rate, that will definitely be sooner than later so keep your eyes on these web pages if you’re a fan of Brit twins. Maybe by then the great mystery of “Who dropped the screwdriver?” will finally be solved.