new member, new triton.

t ingermanson · Oct 17, 2018

hello all,

i'm a long time lurker, and a first time poster.

here's the current project as it sits, well, when how it was when i took these pics a bit ago:

the frame is a 1953 wideline, with a 1957 t110 motor built to 1959 t120 spec (except the big bearing case), with a 9 bolt head, newby belt drive in alternator cases. many of the parts were made myself as i'm a fabricator by trade.

built from disparate parts collected from the four corners of the world, with a lot of adapting, machining, hand wringing, nightmaring, disparing, and fist pumping.

there is still a bit to do, but the bike is being ridden and bugs sorted. there is always some project that needs to be tackled it seems.

i figure this is the best place to start with introductions, and maybe a build thread with some of the pics from the process would be of interest to a couple of people. if interested, please let me know and i'll oblige as i can find time.

cheers,
todd

Jerry Doe · Oct 17, 2018

Hi Todd,

Your bike is awesum! Well done. Curious what kind of forks they are?

And welcome to the forum,

Cheers, Jerry

bill · Oct 17, 2018

looks like a true and proper triton build. like i have always stated a pre unit is the best fit. a unit turnip is to short to make a triton. it is either to far forward or to far back with each causing its own set of problems.

t ingermanson · Oct 17, 2018

thanks, fellas.

jerry, the forks, front hub, and rotors are from a '75 gl1000 (honda goldwing), while the brake calipers are brembo 34/30s from a 90s ducati. as i mentioned, it's a mixed bag... i had to make a upper triple clamp and re-machine the lower a bit to make it all play nice. i kept the offset of the gl1000, but i'm working on a new set of triples to match the offset of the roadholders.

the roads around here are terribly paved, very small and twisty with a pretty high amount of traffic on them. good brakes are a must, and the additional stiffness that the 37mm diameter fork tubes offer are quite welcome.

bill, i obviously think so as well. not the easy way to go, but it sure looks right.

Triton Thrasher · Oct 17, 2018

Doesn’t a 1957 T110 have the same bearings as a 1959 T120?

What sort of magneto is that?

t ingermanson · Oct 18, 2018

i may have misspoke on the year of the timing side case. the drive side case has a '57 number, but it's a bitsa motor, so i'm not quite sure when the timing side case was made, as i didn't note a casting date when it was open. the crank is a pre-unit alternator 1 piece, the top end is '67 (with fresh seats, new valves and guides- the po had some triple spring madness that had worked its "magic" on the valve train), the cams are unit 3134s (with the nose ground down on the exhaust for a tach nut). saying that it's a '57 may honestly be a bit misleading since it's only the drive side case that has that date.

i looked for a large bearing dynamo case while it was down to the crank, but they are few and far between over here.

the magneto is a joe hunt. it's got the usual lucas aau. it came with the motor and it works quite well and it's easy to adjust. they are normally more well known as a tumor on the timing cover of unit bikes.

ashman · Oct 18, 2018

Very nicely done I like the Wideline frames better than the Slimline frames plus the preunits look better in them, the Joe Hunts work well, but I like my JH hanging out the side in the nice cool air and I don't think its a tumor at all.

Ashley

grandpaul · Oct 18, 2018

Always nice to see a new/different bike that has some serious work done on it. Welcome.

If for nobody else, feel free to post detailed build photos in the "Projects" section, that's always my favorite.

t ingermanson · Oct 18, 2018

"the Joe Hunts work well, but I like my JH hanging out the side in the nice cool air and I don't think its a tumor at all."

Ashley[/QUOTE]

sorry if offense was taken. they've always looked a little "out there in the breeze" to me, but my real intent was to identify the hunt, not to deride. "tumor" was an attempt at humor and may have been the wrong word. thank you for overlooking my poor choice of words, and sending nice words my way! your 850 in the featherbed seems like a very nice bike and well put together. those of us that fit on the widelines are lucky.

grandpaul, i'll see what i can do about a project thread. i've got some photos from the build, but surely not as documented as some i've seen.

Triton Thrasher · Oct 18, 2018

Looks like a replacement rear subframe has been bronze welded on. Swing arm looks special too.

t ingermanson · Oct 18, 2018

you've good eyes, tt.

yes, the original bolt-on subframe had seen much better days. actually, the entire frame had a history of racing in new zealand, and had a number of crashes and repairs in its life. the new subframe was needed as the old one was quite twisted, and the mounting holes in the frame tabs were bent and ovalized to the point of uselessness. after a lot of thought and deliberation about "butchering" a bit of history, a new brazed-on subframe was the easiest option, considering bronze welding is what i do for a living, the frame was more or less unusable, and the matching motor was long gone. you can see where a few dents were also filled with brass, but surprisingly, the duplex cradle was all very straight. the swingarm pivot holes were ovalized, but an overbore with top hat style washers solved that.

never mind the holes drilled through the hammer handle...

i also added a trouser gusset to the head stock as the early frames didn't have one. i figured if norton quickly added them on their road going bikes, there was a good reason to do so, particularly if i was going to add better brakes. i still may add a bit more reinforcement to the front end.

the original swing arm was similarly twisted and the replacement is obviously a seeley type, built by myself, running on tapered roller bearings. with the swingarm and subframe replacement, i was able to build the rear shock tabs a bit wider to allow for more choices in suspension.

looks as though a project thread will be needed...

Triton Thrasher · Oct 18, 2018

You’re making a thorough job.

Did you need a special bearing to put a one-piece crank in the small bearing case? There was long thread about that sort of thing on BritBike.com.

t ingermanson · Oct 18, 2018

"You’re making a thorough job.

Did you need a special bearing to put a one-piece crank in the small bearing case? There was long thread about that sort of thing on BritBike.com."[/QUOTE]

ha! yea. making a reliable, workable bike out of orphaned parts requires a bit of work. also, what else am i going to do? watch tv? hardly...

i'm not sure it's a special bearing, but it's a bit narrower (1/8"-ish as i remember) than stock. i had to machine a couple spacer rings (one for the case, one for the crank) for it to sit in the case correctly. it seems to have the same number and size of balls, but just a narrow set of races. i had a 3 piece crank, but it needed to be re-ground and had been dismantled, so also new bolts. by the time all was said and done, the 1 piece was the easier option.

ashman · Oct 18, 2018

t ingermanson said:
"the Joe Hunts work well, but I like my JH hanging out the side in the nice cool air and I don't think its a tumor at all."

Ashley

sorry if offense was taken. they've always looked a little "out there in the breeze" to me, but my real intent was to identify the hunt, not to deride. "tumor" was an attempt at humor and may have been the wrong word. thank you for overlooking my poor choice of words, and sending nice words my way! your 850 in the featherbed seems like a very nice bike and well put together. those of us that fit on the widelines are lucky.

No offense at all, I just laugh at some peoples addtude to the JH hanging off the side where it runs nice and cool in the fresh air.
I built my 850 Featherbed back in the early 80s when money was tight but what I did worked perfect with the motor balancing and set up I was young and did most of the work myself except for crank balance, cam grind, but as money become better wise I improved things over the 38 years of it being first built with better front brakes, better carbies and of course the JH, it surprises a lot of modern bikes, handles like riding on rails and has lots of grunt with whats been done to the motor.
As you be aware the Featherbed frames are heavy but the metal dents easy, I was lucky when I got my frame in 1979 it was in perfect condition and got it cheap from a mate that got me into Nortons at 17 years old.
You done a great job on repairing the frame, I am not a big fan of Triumph motors in Featherbed frames (thats why I stuck with a Norton motor) but the preunits do look good in them.
I am building a cafe racer with a Slimline and 650 Domie motor, its a ex race bike with history has a balanced crank and high compression pistons, also I am going to run the same hot cam profile as the 850 in it.
Anyway look forward to seeing more pics of your build, since riding my mate's hot 750 Featherbed/Commando when I was 17 years old I was hooked and I brought my new 850 Commando 2 weeks later and the Featherbed frame a few years later.

Ashley

ashman · Oct 18, 2018

I forgot to say I like your steel work bench and the lathe in the background, I just made a steel welding bench but its in a smaller version than yours and my lathe is a toy compared to yours lol.

Ashley

t ingermanson · Oct 19, 2018

"I forgot to say I like your steel work bench and the lathe in the background, I just made a steel welding bench but its in a smaller version than yours and my lathe is a toy compared to yours lol.

Ashley[/QUOTE]

thanks. both are key to my making a living. i make custom bicycles as a career, so there is some need for good metal working tools. the bicycle tubing is quite light, but the ability to make my own tools for their manufacture is very nice.

the lathe is a bit overkill for most of what i do length-wise, but the throat and swing are ideal. currently it needs a bit of work as the seal for the varispeed slave cylinder is a bit leaky, so it won't hold its speed for very long. always work to do...

the table is great. at some point it was precision ground, and i had it drilled and tapped for 3/8"-16 at 4" centers. it weighs about 1000 pounds, so you can bolt up just about whatever you'd like and it's not going anywhere. very handy for building stuff.

directly behind me, as i take photos of things on the table, is a bridgeport 2j2 vertical milling machine. that's a handy tool as well.

there's cabinets, toolboxes, and shelves full of tooling, tubing, and parts scattered throughout.

my shop is about 450 square feet, so it's not a lot of room to keep all the tools, bicycles, and motorbikes, but it forces me to be tidy, and i need all the help i can get. i've got plans to build a shed to keep some of the bicycles and all the motorbikes out of harm's way, but the property is rather steep, so it's all easier said than done.

Fast Eddie · Oct 19, 2018

t ingermanson said:
you've good eyes, tt.

yes, the original bolt-on subframe had seen much better days. actually, the entire frame had a history of racing in new zealand, and had a number of crashes and repairs in its life. the new subframe was needed as the old one was quite twisted, and the mounting holes in the frame tabs were bent and ovalized to the point of uselessness. after a lot of thought and deliberation about "butchering" a bit of history, a new brazed-on subframe was the easiest option, considering bronze welding is what i do for a living, the frame was more or less unusable, and the matching motor was long gone. you can see where a few dents were also filled with brass, but surprisingly, the duplex cradle was all very straight. the swingarm pivot holes were ovalized, but an overbore with top hat style washers solved that.

View attachment 7100

never mind the holes drilled through the hammer handle...

i also added a trouser gusset to the head stock as the early frames didn't have one. i figured if norton quickly added them on their road going bikes, there was a good reason to do so, particularly if i was going to add better brakes. i still may add a bit more reinforcement to the front end.

the original swing arm was similarly twisted and the replacement is obviously a seeley type, built by myself, running on tapered roller bearings. with the swingarm and subframe replacement, i was able to build the rear shock tabs a bit wider to allow for more choices in suspension.

View attachment 7101

looks as though a project thread will be needed...

Absolutely need the build thread on this sir!
Great job BTW.

t ingermanson · Oct 19, 2018

"Absolutely need the build thread on this sir!
Great job BTW."[/QUOTE]

thank you. it's been fun and frustrating in equal measures.

i'll try and get to a build thread soon, but i've got to dig up the photos. they are pretty scattered.

eskasteve · Oct 21, 2018

Great skill set being able to accomplish this build. I'm in awe as I have trouble just getting the water to oatmeal ratio close enough to correct. Sometimes my breakfast is soup, other times it's a big lump of paste. Well done and thanks for sharing.

grandpaul · Oct 21, 2018

Very interesting, and right smart build/equipment