Tricky Triton

The bike consisted of a Wideline Norton Featherbed frame with an old pre-unit 650 Triumph engine mated with a Norton gearbox. There was a lot of intricate metalwork around the engine mounts and it looked like a well engineered special. Except that the GRP petrol and oil tanks were weeping fluids, messing up the whole machine.

The owner was a graduate in gunge and declared that the bike had been like that for a long time, that he hadn't really noticed that it was in a bad way. As he wanted two and a half grand I had a lot of trouble stopping myself bursting into laughter but kept a straight face. The test ride had revealed the motor had a surprising amount of punch, that the valves floated at nine grand and that the handling was nicely tight - very accurate steering with not much effort needed on the clip-ons.

I definitely wanted the bike but my idea of a fair price was 750 notes. This went down like a Hell's Angel at a born-again biker's meeting. The scowl would've won praise from a third world politician deprived of a bribe. He came down to two grand and I went up to half that. I left my phone number and the warning that there were plenty of other British tackle out. In reality, anything under two grand was in a right old state of neglect that added up to loads of dosh to put to rights.

He phoned back three weeks later with the news that his rock bottom price was 1500 quid. On this he would not shift. Another test ride. A look over by an expert in British antiques, who reckoned that all was well mechanically and he could get me used alloy tanks for less than a hundred notes. I went for it, Mr Gunge's scowl replaced with a huge smile of relief that seemed to say one born every day!

On the ride home I was worried that some prick in a cage was going to toss out a fag on to the weeping petrol tank. Old Gunge had smelt like a walking gas station and with the petrol vapour flying back into my groin and stomach I soon found out why. If I'd been pulled by Mr Plod I'd have been booked. No two ways about it! I made it back to base without bursting into flames, quite amused to find the old tug would rattle and roll up to an indicated 120mph on the chrono speedo. You have to be used to the level of vibes put out by old British twins, though. A bolt tightening sessions was needed after that fast 60 mile ride; one of the springs between the rocker covers - used to stop them rotating off - had even broken!

The alloy petrol and oil tanks didn't fit straight on. These things never do. A bit of artwork on the brackets with a hammer and buying the rubber strap that ran the length of the tank (to replace the bungee cord) soon sorted that. Needed a bit of alloy and paint polishing to get the sheen back into the bike, but after that was done I was looking at a three grand machine, minimum, and was like a kid with a sackful of toys at Christmas.

Such infatuation was short-lived. Surprise, surprise. Nothing too major, just complete electrical failure (except for the ignition circuit). The wiring was held together with ancient strips of Sellotape. A lot of it fell apart when I started investigating. Some spice was added by different coloured bits of wire being connected to each other - once it fell apart it was difficult to put back together. It was still charging, so I put some new wiring in and everything went back to working. The bike had a 12V conversion but neither the lights nor horn were much cop.

The machine was running open mega's and twin Amal Concentrics with bellmouths. Made a glorious noise and revved so freely that if you ignored the vibes its valves could quite happily be bounced! The owner had proudly informed me that the valve seats and valves had been upgraded so that the bike could be run on unleaded fuel. I found no problems with the latter and was often amazed at how economical the bike could be - 70mpg if ridden sanely (up to 80mph) and it was hard work to get worse than 60mpg. This compares with about 50mpg from a GS450E ridden at similar velocities. In fact, as well as being more economical, the Triumph had much more amusing acceleration and a much more gutsy nature.

Yes, the Suzuki was much smaller but it should also have benefited from 35 years worth of motorcycle engineering. Apart from the major fact that the engine gave every impression of resisting total neglect, I could find no area in which it was superior to the Triton, which would whip the smaller bike into submission on any road with some corners in it, as well as having the legs on it in top speed and acceleration. Of course, after a ride on the pile-driver Triton, the Suzuki appeared turbine smooth. Triumph engines never that well matched to Norton frames with regards to the latter's ability to absorb vibration, amplifying an already vibratory motor to new levels of self-destruction!

My engine was relatively mildly tuned - basically the later Bonneville spec - thus not life threatening in the amount of vibes put out. It all depended on what you're used to - as well as the GS450 my garage contained a well abused Tiger Cub and a Royal Enfield 500cc single. Enough said. This added up to a full service every 500 miles - valves, ignition timing, points, carbs and primary chain, as well as daily bolt tightening sessions - though I soon found out which ones were likely to come undone and which ones could mostly be ignored - no more than ten minutes a day needed.

Between 5000 and 8000 revs the motor was at its most violent - both in the amount of power put out and the level of vibration. The acceleration took my mind off the latter but trying to maintain a ton-plus cruising speed was an entirely different game. The handling was confidence inspiring at any speed the motor was capable of propelling the steed. Better than most middleweight Japs despite the great age difference. Not just down to the inherent rigidity of the tubular trellis, but also good geometry and weight distribution - both gained on the race track by Norton. You have to be careful not to ruin the latter when fitting the Triumph engine.

The brakes and suspension were off late Sixties Nortons. The TLS front drum was adequate by modern standards but about as good as it got in the sixties. The drum brakes were better than most discs in the wet or at low speeds, giving really excellent control. In the wet, I felt safer on the Norton than I did on the Suzuki. The Roadholder forks were but rarely deflected from the desired course although the whole bike would rattle over ruined roads; more the fault of neglectful local councils than the Triton. The butt-in-the-air riding position didn't aid comfort over rough going; the bike a pain in the spine on most roads if the speedo was under the ton.

Those of a nasty disposition would thus conclude that the bike was impossible to enjoy - too vibratory at high speeds and too uncomfortable at moderate velocities. In a robotic world this would be all too true but there was something about the way that the disparate elements of the Triton meshed together that overcame the all too obvious limitations imposed by its ancient design. After about two months I decided I'd had enough of the clip-ons; fortunately, retained were the castings on the yoke that allowed fitment of flat bars - my spine and posture were greatly relieved. Curse the fashion conscious!

My favourite routes were along downgraded A-roads - three laners that had been converted back to two laners. An intoxicating mixture of bends and straights with more than enough room to get past the cages. Most councils refuse to signpost them, preferring to send the traffic on to the new dual-carriageways and motorways. You either have to know the roads, be able to read a map carefully or just want to explore a bit. Judging by past disasters - overcrowding by bikers or massive plod presence - the last thing to do is to advertise them in these pages! Sorry, but I like my kicks too much to share them with you!

In terms of sheer speed, the Triton's easily up to the motorway cruise - I know, your hyperbike will do 180mph, but not for long if the cops have anything to do with it. There's actually a sweet spot between 90 and 100mph, when the vibes fall back to a minimal level (if you work as a pile-driver operator - no, only joking) and the motor saunters along at less than half throttle, with plenty of hustle in reserve to put some Henry in his proper place. At that kind of velocity, the handling's amazingly stable and accurate. The only thing to watch out for, the motor can consume more than a pint of oil in less than a 100 miles!

One of the oddest things about this particular Triton is the general oil tightness of the engine, always the sign of a well put together mill. The odd drop escapes from the oil breather after a long run but I can roll up to my rich friends' houses without the fear of despoiling their pristine driveway - some of their wives in need of severe psychiatric help, so obsessive about cleanliness they! Having done 6400 miles, the motor has managed to retain that state of relative bliss. Neither has it developed any untoward rattles nor exhaust smoke. Overall, a bargain buy. If you're not into standard British cycles there are still some bargains out there.

Alfred L.