Triton 650 Pre-Unit Café Racer

Wideline Featherbed frame

Triumph 650cc 'pre-unit' twin with Amal 'Monoblocs'

Norton gearbox and dry clutch

Finished in Black with Gold coach-lines

Nicely finished Triton from a private collection

It's all about the right man for the job. Stradivarius couldn't paint for toffee and Rembrandt was all fingers and thumbs when it came to assembling violins but, the other way around, that was a different story. The same applies to the Triton. During the sixties, Norton Motorcycles designed and built the 'Featherbed' frame. It was light and stiff and resulted in their bikes being the best handling at the time. The engines were efficient and well-designed but could be a touch 'agricultural'. On the other hand Triumph engines, particularly the 650cc parallel twin with twin carburettors and twin camshafts. were leaders in their field, smooth, quick and relatively vibration free. So it made a lot of sense to mix the two and produce a motorcycle combining the best elements of each marque and whilst you were at it, pop on a 'racing' tank, a single seat, a chrome headlight, matched speedo and tacho, rear-set rests and a pair of 'clip-ons'. Hey Presto- a Café Racer. A look that is as popular today as it was in 1965.

Coming from a private collection this example is a fantastic bike. The frame is the very desirable 'wideline' as used on the competition Manx Nortons and it has been fitted with a Triumph 650 with the splayed head having twin Amal Monobloc carbs coupled to a Norton Gearbox with a dry clutch. The stance of the bike is perfect and it's clearly been well built. It does run and sounds awesome as it should, but will need the usual recommissioning prior to being used and enjoyed. The iconic Triton