TT Cycles: Triumph Coffee Bike

Story by Buck Manning, Photos by Scott Venetelli

There’s an interesting phenomena taking place with the “average Harley riders” I personally know which involves getting a second bike to supplement their Road King/Ultra daily rider. As a group, they’ve all gotten up early for work the past 30 years or so before retiring and still do, habits like that are nearly impossible to break. Now, all dressed up and no place to have to go, they like to get together for breakfast daily and chat over eggs about who knows what. Apparently pulling that bagger out of the garage and riding a few miles to the local hangout is a bit of a hassle though. What was formerly called a bar hopper is now being coveted by these early retirement guys as a “go to coffee bike.” My long time friend, Okie, has been on a search for his ultimate going to coffee bike, one that’s light, agile, affordable, and special in its own way, everything his Casper the Ghost Ultra is not. Although he’s a diehard H-D guy, Okie’s always had a roving eye for British machinery since his teens and the period correct looking Triumph custom by TT Cycles of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, just might be the ticket to have parked outside his favorite Cape Cod hash house.

The recent resurgence of vintage British customs, Triumphs especially, has been growing steadily lately as riders are looking for something different. For some, it’s a bike they can build in their new spare time or have built by Triumph specialists like Dennis Harrold and Steve Blaufeder, co-owners of TT Cycles. Armed with a long history of working on British twins, their combined knowledge allows them to restore or customize a Brit twin into a rider that’s reliable, a blast to ride, and good looking to boot. “This is our niche, this is what we know how to do. For about eight years we’ve built over forty customs and never built the same bike twice,” says Dennis. “Steve and I just love these bikes. They’re some of the coolest bikes out there.”

This particular bike started out as a 1965 Triumph 650 TR6SR, a highway version of the earlier scrambler model made famous in The Great Escape and if I’ve got to explain why that bike was famous, please just turn the page to something else. Initially starting with the bike of a customer who backed out of the build due to personal issues, normally TT will not customize a matching numbers bike like this one, preferring to restore it to stock. Instead they did a sympathetic custom that can be easily returned to stock if need be. There was no cutting up involved and all the stock pieces were put aside and saved. “Whoever winds up buying this bike can pick up the original sheetmetal and the rear frame section and convert the bike to bone stock,” says Dennis.

After stripping the bike bare, building commenced with the addition of a bolt-on hardtail from British Cycle Supply in Nova Scotia instead of substituting struts for shocks as was often done back in the day. “Five bolts and it’s on, no welding, and it fits well as the company has been making them for over thirty years using the same jigs,” says Dennis. The forks were rebuilt to new and unaltered keeping the legendary good handling these Meriden twins were known for and a stance that just looks right. Rolling stock consists of drum brakes that TT laces up with Buchanan stainless spokes to chromed steel rims. The 21” front tire that probably graced more early customs than everything else combined, an Avon Speedmaster MKII, will still do its best to follow rain grooves while looking classically correct. Out back a skinny 5.10×16 Shinko replica of an antique Goodyear Speed Grip tire tries its best to look impressively fat like it once did to my 16-year old eyes. Triumph’s original version of a sprocket/brake setup showcases the wire-spoked beauty of the wheel from one side, foreshadowing today’s sprocket/brakes. Both drums are filled with Ferodo high performance brake shoes for better braking than you remember drums ever doing. “They grip a lot better and provide good wear characteristics,” says Dennis. “They don’t glaze up or fade.”

The heart of this bike is the 650cc engine which has been totally rebuilt to better than new by TT Cycles. “We build our own motors. We split the cases, pop the main bearings, and do them from the crankshaft to the top of the rocker boxes. It doesn’t make sense to only go halfway with the motor. These are motors from the 1960s!” says Dennis. “The most important modification we do is to upgrade from a Lucas to a Boyer Brandsen electronic ignition. They’re extremely reliable and an inexpensive alternative to an almost certain problem. Lucas was called the Prince of Darkness for a reason.” Performance enhancing Megacycle cams were added and Dennis says, “It’s now much more responsive in the mid-range.” I’m sure the sub-400 pound, gassed and ready, bike responds instantly. TT modified a set of Cycle Shack pipes that let the smooth sounds of a vertical twin hit the atmosphere totally unfettered.

Style-wise, mounting a Sportster tank on a Triumph was the custom thing do at one time and still is as far as TT’s concerned. “It’s a traditional bobber style,” Dennis says. The flat rear fender with TT’s correct offset struts continues the retro theme while the frame fitting, stainless oil tank does double duty, holding liquid refreshment for the engine and hiding the battery. A Harley-style chrome toolbox polishes off the look with practicality. Dennis then sprayed on a DuPont Candy Root Beer base with Antique White scallops that were edged in gold leaf by Greg Ross who also did the pinstriping. The rider sits on a way cool Aidan Originals sprung-saddle with passenger pad and reaches out to a set of 12” mini-apes. Forward controls are Triumph-specific and are one of the varied parts TT makes and sells.

So Okie, for only ten grand here’s your breakfast club bike, you can park the Crown Vic and go to coffee in style. Whaddaya say?