We get quite a few Tritons sent in to Bike EXIF—maybe one every couple of weeks. I’m a big fan of the genre and always enjoying looking at them. But I sometimes think once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
Then this modern take on the classic Triton dropped into my inbox, and my jaw hit the floor. Has there ever been a more beautiful marriage of the Triumph T150 engine and a Norton Wideline featherbed frame?
This Triton comes from a small company called Made In Metal, run out of a shed behind a pub in Staffordshire, England. But it’s no amateur operation. The bikes built by Neil Adams and Paul Stead are masterpieces of craftsmanship, full of beautifully-fabricated parts and assembled with a sympathetic eye for design.
Made In Metal’s client wanted the absolute best in fabrication, so the bike took several months to build. (Don’t ask what it cost …) The engine has been boosted to 850cc and runs Megacycle cams, Omega pistons and Carillo rods. A substantial helping of magnesium alloy has dropped the weight by 10 kg over a stock T150 motor.
The gearshift is on the right-hand side and operates a Quaife five-speed ‘box. The frame is built from T45 tubing—a carbon-manganese steel popular in the aircraft industry—and is brazed rather than welded. And the exhaust is coated with Zircotec, a high temperature heat barrier used by several F1 race teams.
There’s a great tale behind this build, which started with a bet over a pint of beer at last year’s Isle of Man TT. Head over to The Rider’s Digest for the story.