The Shocking Scenes you are about to see are not suggested for the weak or immature. If you cannot take it, we advise you to now patronize the concession stand or look away from the screen during this preview of . . .
HELL’S BLOODY DEVILS
To make a long flashback short, I did see the movie and it was a typical crap motorcycle B-movie of which there were a ton of. Frankly, I didn’t expect much and didn’t care as I just loved seeing on-screen choppers. Luckily for me, this flashback was not triggered by acute toxic psychosis, but by TT Cycles’ charming over-the-top rendition of a B-movie Triumph chop.
Steve Blaufeder and Dennis Harrold are the owners of TT Cycles in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, where they specialize in “Triumph only” customs and restorations. TT’s previously been featured in Barnett’s (Issue # 61) with a cool Triumph bobber that’s as different from this bike as baseball and peanut butter. “Steve and I were talking about building a couple of new bikes for the show season and somehow we decided to design something that’s an updated version of every bad 1960s biker drive-in movie you ever saw. You know, with the apes, the really tall sissy bar, upswept pipes, and stacked headlights,” said Dennis laughing.
Starting with a down on its luck 1970 TR6 Dennis said, “It was basically a piece of rusted-up parts, a roller. Pretty much the only thing I salvaged was the frame, motor, transmission, and rear hub.” Sticking with the stock frame gets it on the road easily and ensures decent handling. “I took a bolt-on hardtail, pinned it, and welded it on. I didn’t want to mold out the entire frame, I wanted it to look a little bit rough,” he said. “We didn’t change the frame geometry. The bike for how it looks still handles really well.”
A 2”–over chromed DNA springer supplies front suspension and attitude. TT fabbed up its own mount for the nifty Edart front caliper that grabs an 11.5” rotor mounted to a B-movie obligatory skinny 21” stainless-spoked wheel. There will be no apologies to the “spool-only” crowd as road riding is in this bike’s future. Aft Dennis laced up a 16” rim to the original sprotor setup, a Triumph drum with an integral-mounted sprocket, and sports a Shinko Goodyear Super Eagle replica tire running 15lbs. of air for that smooth ‘60s rigid ride.
The tired, very tired, 650cc twin was treated to a thorough freshening. “We split the cases, pop the main bearing, crankshafts get turned, sludge traps replaced, the cylinders get re-bored and new rings, and the head got new valves, springs, and keepers,” said Dennis. “Everything from the top to the bottom gets re-done.” The original 4-speed tranny was opened up, but found in great shape. The kick-only TR6 is a snap to start with the reliable and consistent Boyer Bransden MKIII electronic ignition working in place of points and a new Amal carb providing the mixture. The TT Cycles classic octagonal stainless-steel oil tank looks like it’s been sitting there since the ‘60s with its copper-color braided oil lines adding a retro-modern touch.
You’ll know it’s running, as those outrageous B-movie pipes Dennis fabbed up from a set of dual-outlet Patriot lake pipes are loud. “The last turnout at the end of the pipes is the only one that’s real,” he said. That tall, but delicate stainless sissy bar Dennis made ain’t just for looks, but acts as a fender strut and exhaust support too. The ’39 Lincoln taillight floating gracefully in it also serves as the sissy pad, nice touch. Speaking of lights, the stacked Bates-style headlights weren’t Dennis’ first choice. “I wanted a set of Aris triangular headlights, but the ones I saw, even at $600, the chrome was shot and one of the lenses was chipped or cracked,” he said. Making stainless mounts so the round ones sat further apart and adding the blue lens covers more than made up for it.
Bringing it all together is Dennis’ wicked tasteful choice of an Alabaster paintjob with Candy Green panels. “Then I turned my pinstriper, G.W. Ross, loose and he got the look I wanted. He’s awesome,” said Dennis. “I really like this bike, it reminds me of bikes I grew up with. I think we did a pretty good job of it.”
Up Close: TT Cycles Forward Controls
Finding replacement parts for an earlier Triumph twin can sometimes be a bit taxing, hey it’s been four decades since they stopped production of them so what do you expect? Finding custom parts takes it a step further. It’s nice to know that if you’re building a custom Triumph, TT Cycles’ forward controls gives you a quick and easy, very affordable choice if stock mid-controls are not your thing, but you don’t want to reinvent the wheel so to speak.
“They bolt on right through where the engine mounting bolts are. We start with early Sportster-style controls depending on which set of exhaust pipes you’re using,” said TT’s Dennis Harrold. There’s no machining involved, strictly a bolt on. The only thing that has to be modified on your bike is the shifter itself. That has to be turned vertically and cut down with one hole drilled to accommodate the shifter linkage.”
Besides using the engine bolts, these controls also have a U-bolt that wraps around each downtube to securely anchor the mounting plates. “The U-bolts are one of the key features of it. Without them there’s more flexibility than we like,” said Dennis.
Right now these are available for 500cc, 650cc, and 750cc models. The steel and chromed controls feature bronze bushings and are strong and reliable. “Steve and I have had them on our own personal bikes for five years with no problems,” said Dennis. “You can change the pegs themselves to whatever you want. Anything you can put on a Sportster or Big Twin — pedals, shifter peg or brake peg — you can put on these.”
For a detailed look, check out TT’s web site at www.ttcycles.net or call 908-464-2288 for more info.
Builders: Steve Blaufeder and Dennis Harrold, TT Cycles
It wouldn’t surprise me if TT Cycles’ owners, Steve Blaufeder and Dennis Harrold, had the intoxicating smell of burnt Castrol bean oil piped directly into their Meriden-only Triumph shop in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. If you want your vintage Bonneville or Daytona 500 refurbished, 100-point restored, customized, or just serviced, they’re a couple of cool and knowledgeable guys to deal with. They’ve been at it for 11 years at TT Cycles and in the current tough times for most builders, they’re a couple of busy dudes. “Business is pretty good, we’re very lucky,” said Dennis. “We have a constant flow of bikes in for either service or new custom builds and we’re doing a couple of restorations right now.”
It doesn’t hurt that Triumphs are becoming more sought after as an alternative to the standard V-twin format as something that’s cool and different. “The people buying them now are guys in their ‘40s or ‘50s and they had them when they were kids, or a guy in his ‘20s who doesn’t want a Pacific Rim bike or a Harley, something different, and Triumphs are definitely different. People are realizing that riding one of these bikes is actually very cool. They always draw a crowd,” said Dennis. “If these bikes are set up right, they’re a lot of fun to ride and they’re a very desirable collectible right now.”
Like Harleys, it seems a Triumph never gets thrown away, just reincarnated, and the same goes for Brit parts. If you’ve got a pile ‘o parts in the cellar or garage that was once your pride and joy, TT isn’t afraid to tackle anything, it seems. “We see them come in as parts, rusted-out rollers or partial builds while some look like they’ve never been off the showroom floor,” said Dennis.
Check out TT’s web site at www.ttcycles.net or call 908-464-2288 and get your motor runnin’.
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