Getting ready to race our Triton at the Barry Sheene festival of speed 2010 Sydney Australia.
As the name of the event suggests 'Speed', we decided this 1957 6T 810cube, 12:1 methanol Triumph engine should do well in this 1957 Wideline Featherbed outfit.
We only have a few weeks to go and i'm doing overtime tuning and modifying the machine for maximum performance.
I managed to snap up this project a few years ago from an elderly gent
who started the build but got sick and the story goes...
The machine was good, but sort of put together in a rush.
I did have intentions to race the bike but never dedicated the time
and effort to strip down and start over.
Well, here we are doing just that. Enjoy!
...But setting up suspension for handling is time consuming.
Headers modified and fit with Conti racing Megaphones.
Looking good but still plenty of work ahead.
Ride height OK so we'll work from here to fine tune handling options.
Front wheel is almost perfect, the rear was good but nothing will be left to chance. We stripped the inners, cleaned all components and getting ready for machining and bearing replacements.
Front end now ready for inspection.
Stripped down front end for inspection and fine tuning. Got the travel were i want it and the dampner now works properly!
More pics on the way but i'm calling it a day (midnight here in Australia) early start tomorrow!
Very close now with only 7 days to go.
Front end done, rear end also done, brakes and bearings done, wheels rebuilt, aligned, trued, balanced etc.
Hand made large capacity alloy tank fitted and looking good.
I just have to finish a new tacho bracket, front and side number plates and those bloody rear sets!
This has taken a lot out of me because of the stringent requirements and the short time alocated to do this kind of work. It's been a good challenge and the results are satifactory so far.
Sorry for the shit picture quality, i will upload some good ones when i get it out in some natural light.
Day 1.
It was a long night trying to finalise things and tune the machine as best we could.
We got up early Good Friday morning, packed our gear and headed West to The Barry Sheene Festival of Speed Race meet.
Arriving at the track we unloaded and met up with our rider Rick.
This is the first time we have taken the machine out for riding.
Rick will also be riding two other bikes in different classes for this race meet.
The first day was for test riding and scruteneering. I wanted Rick to get a feel for the machine so we can make adjustments before the races.
After two laps we struck trouble when the primary leaked oil all over the left header and created so much white smoke that everyone thought we had elected in a new pope! It got us black flagged and straight back to the pits for repairs.
I removed the headers and drained the primary. We decided to run a dry clutch system and lube the chain.
We also removed the heat wrap from the headers and painted them black.
We got some feedback from Rick about suspension, travel and brakes so we started to fine tune the bike to suit the rider.
So far the engine is doing well but i t still needs to be revved properly so i can diagnose how it reacts to this track.
The action gets hotter on Day 2, stay tuned for more mayhem and madness as we attempt to go all out on this Methanol Monster!
Day 2.
Up early and ready for another day's work at the track.
Because of day one's oil spills and thrills, the Triton has to undergo scruteneering again. This means they're gonna go over it with a fine comb and magnifying glass.
All traces of oil leaks must be removed or repaired and everything double checked.
We also dropped back the clubman bars and re-adjusted the rear brake lever to suit Rick's riding position.
Our first official race and we're hyped up and anxious to go. Our competition will include a 998cc Vincent and Matchless G50 amongst others!
Short lived excitement quickly turned into disappointment as Rick pulled into the pits after the third lap. The Triton was stuck in 3rd gear.
Rick's feedback was positive and other than the gearshift problem, the machine was doing well.
We removed the outer gearbox cover to find out what happened and found that the selector ratchet had colapsed. The pin was nowhere to be seen!
On further inspection we found that the split pin that holds the selector shaft in place had sheared and let the shaft go. I found all the remenants of the split pin and removed the inner cover.
Our day was over as far as racing was concerned so we hung around, watched a few races then headed back to the workshop to fix the selector problem.
Will this pleasure ever end!?
Day 3 - Last day.
Back at the track for the last day in what has turned out to be an awesome event with plenty of action and more importantly, a golden opportunity to develop the Trojan Triton for up and coming races.
We repaired the selector, got a new shaft, assembled and fitted the outer and inner gearbox covers.
Our race was first of the day but we just couldn't make it in time so we decided to re-adjust and fine tune the Triton.
The next race for our class was a few hours away so we really took our time checking and making sure everything was OK.
Getting close to our final race and it turns out our rider Rick is racing his SR500 before the Triton. As Rick prepares to head out, we also get the Triton ready and warmed up because as soon as Rick gets back he has to go out almost instantly. It's going to be a quick change over, back to back racing!
Now ready and tuned to the max. The Bike sounds better than it ever has. The announcement over th PA tells us there are two laps to go. I warm up and prepare to hand the Triton over to Rick, and we are told Rick's SR500 has broken down and he's being towed.
How's that for bad luck?
I look back and see the truck with Rick and his SR500.
Rick, still wearing his helmet and all his gear, jumps off the truck, runs to the pits and i hand the Triton over.
Unfortunately time was against us and he was not allowed to start at the grid. He had to wait in pit lane for the race to begin and everyone to pass. But once they did, hang on!
Screaming like a maniac, he managed to catch up and pass seven bikes on the second lap. By the end we got the first fastest lap time in our class, 1.55. That's the result i was looking for!
All in all a great (not to mention exhausting) day and we are allready planning ahead for improvement.
Big thanks to Rick for riding our bike and giving it hell! Also the club members of the PCRA of NSW Australia for their support and encouragement in the pits.
Thanks for reading this Blog,
Hemitech01
