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Surprisingly, it’s not all about old farts (me included) making believe they’re skinny again with a full head of hair. The simple and timeless over-40-years-old design appeals to just about anyone suffering from motorcycle lust. “Triumph was basically done in 1983 and somebody born in the ‘70s and now approaching 40 probably wouldn’t have had any exposure to a Triumph because they were too young,” said Dennis. “We’re getting a lot of younger customers who are saying, ‘I don’t want a Sportster, I don’t want a Glide, and I certainly don’t want a Gold Wing. I want something that’s individual and very cool and I want a bike that I can ride.’”

Meeting all those requirements is not hard for the TT boys since Triumphs are very light and decent handling, simple to work on with lots of modern updates to 40-year old problems, and strangely, probably better parts availability than when they were showroom fresh. The Triumph 650cc engine has a built-in aesthetic that takes it out of the “But it’s not a Harley” class and creates one of its own. The vertical twin architecture has a true metal/casting appeal not unlike Milwaukee’s revered air-cooled twins and styling that stands out as purposely practical and beautiful at the same time. Just like a Harley, the engine emanates a sound that’s distinctive and immediately recognizable. “Noise is everything and these bikes have a great sound,” said Dennis.

If you take a look at the specs of this bike, it’s an interesting read as this ride isn’t as radical as it looks, although it does look radical. The Triumph frame remains uncut with stock geometry although the bolt-on hardtail gives the appearance of a rad ride. Handling is still Brit nimble and the super light weight compared to a big V-twin makes this a joy to turn around on itself ― no empty parking lot required. “I remember when we did the mockup on this bike and then got distracted by real work so it sat for a few months before we got back to it,” said Steve. “When I pushed it outside as a roller, it just sat so cool. It was my favorite, it’s still one of my favorites. It sat perfect.” The springer front end adds a touch of all-out ‘60s custom as most bikes at the time sported extended Forking by Frank fork tubes to achieve a custom look. “We just wanted to do a springer. We hadn’t done one in a while and we wanted to do something a little flashier, something a little more out there,” said Dennis.

Adding to the “a little flashier” look is the striking Candy Irish Green paint shot in-house with pinstriping by G.W. Ross complementing the shiny bits and the way cool white Aidan Originals sprung seat. “I did the paint on that, Candy Irish Green over gold and covered with six coats of clear. I gave it to our pinstriper, Greg Ross, and after he does all the pinstriping on it, I shot another six coats of clear on it,” said Dennis. Tossing on a set of mini-apes and a chromed Bates headlight finished it off correctly for a brand new barn find look.

What makes this bike so appealing isn’t just the paint, or the springer, or the hardtail, or the engine, or whatever aspect of the build that may appeal to you. Frankly, it’s shockingly cool and all that jazz, but it’s really, really affordable for an average guy to have something really, really different. “This bike was built to be a reasonably-priced bike and it sold on eBay for “$9,250,” said Steve. “We didn’t have a front brake on it, but gave the option to the winner of the auction that we’d put a whole front disc brake on it for the cost of parts only.”  No matter how you look at it, this bike is quite a one-off looker with real world riding capabilities and still shy of five figures. “What we try to do is put bikes up on eBay for the $7,500 to $9,500 range. It seems to be a much more affordable range for somebody who’s looking for a bike with this kind of performance and a little bit of history,” said Dennis. “I would build another bike like this green bike tomorrow and put it up on eBay and wouldn’t have any reservations about it selling.”

If you’re interested in something cool and different at a price you just might be able to swing without breaking the bank, check out TT’s website (www.ttcycles.net) and see all the styles of bikes they create. In case you’re not quite sold yet, check out the other articles below we’ve written for more information what goes into a TT Cycles build.

http://127.0.0.1:8888/barnett_joomla//index.php/featurebikes/item/1654-tt-cycles-triumph-coffee-bike

http://127.0.0.1:8888/barnett_joomla//index.php/online-feature-bikes/item/2887-tt-cycles-1976-triumph-tr120r