Norton Featherbed frames and custom built copies

I live about 20 miles from #rofomoto who built that bike. I have seen it at several gatherings so I know it runs and rides. I saw him tooling around town on it the other week coming home from the Oley PA antique swap meet. You can follow him on Instagram at the tag above, he's doing a Royal Enfield powered one now. I think the frames run about $890. I might do a Norely at some point in the future, I've seen his other harley powered bikes on his website.

I don't think I'm going to pull the trigger on this one. SInce I can't see it in person, and he doesn't know anything about the motor, it scares me. If I were able to see it in person and ride it, i'd probably go for it. But I've been thinking about it for days and think I'm going to pass. If I paid to ship that to St. Louis and the motor blew, I would be hard pressed to find parts...and be really pissed off.

Rofomoto seems like a great guy and a great builder. But without knowing some of the important details of the bike, I'm gonna pass I think.

I don't blame you, I did a little research on the W1 and there is little in the way of factory or aftermarket support for them. grandpaul is selling a Triton roller for about the same price on Ebay right now (some assembly required)

Johnnymac said:

I don't think I'm going to pull the trigger on this one. SInce I can't see it in person, and he doesn't know anything about the motor, it scares me. If I were able to see it in person and ride it, i'd probably go for it. But I've been thinking about it for days and think I'm going to pass. If I paid to ship that to St. Louis and the motor blew, I would be hard pressed to find parts...and be really pissed off.

Rofomoto seems like a great guy and a great builder. But without knowing some of the important details of the bike, I'm gonna pass I think.

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I checked out Rofomoto's web page, most people only make wideline replica's, fair play to him for making slimline jobs.

Gotta say though, if I were building a new framed cafe racer, I'd definitely go for a wideline. I've ridden both, and couldn't tell any difference in handling, but the wideline just has more Manx related authenticity to it in my eyes!

If you've ever sat on a wideline and a slimline, unless you are built like a cowboy the slimline was more comfortable. ?
And I own a wideline project.

At a motorcycle show somewhere, got to sit on a new Guzzi (a Grisso ?).
The first thing that struck me was how wide your knees were to clear the tank.
More than a wideline even - was danged uncomfortable.
I'll never think about owning one of them.
They sell them though, so maybe you get used to it ?

Only short poeple complain about Widelines frames, if you are over 5'6' you have no problems, I am 5'8" and the Wideline is very comfortable to ride all day.

Ashley

You don't appear to have a stock seat on your wideline,
so this may make some difference ?

My old Triton had the wideline frame, and I always felt after I had raced as though my every corner had been bumped. I rode a fairly new Z900 Kawasaki back then and it felt as small as a 350cc British bike. I think with the wideline frame the upper frame tubes used to bump the insides of my knees, as I used the Lyta tank. If I was building a Triton, I'd still use the wideline frame. It is more authentic and adds value. The Triton was built in the fifties for guys to satisfy the urge to own a manx Norton. Back then you could not buy a manx motor on it's own. No Triton is ever as good as a 500cc manx, even when the Triton is faster in a straight line. I'd like to own another Triton, I wouldn't know what to do with a manx except put it in the lounge room and polish it. A Molnar might be a bit different, however the cost is way too high. Rohan's Inter is a good option - pity they are so rare.

Howdy. What do you guys think about this Triton? It's not your typical Triton. I'm thinking about picking it up and making it street legal. It's got:

1965 TRITON T-150 IN MODIFIED NORTON FEATHERBED FRAME
ENGINE ; 1000 CC BIG BORE/SROKER CRANK
TH-13 FACTORY RACE CAMS WITH 1" RADIUS LIFTERS
HYDE ALUMINUM RACE RODS WITH 5/16 CAP BOLTS
SPECIAL ALUMINUM BIG BORE/ STROKER CYLINDER BARREL
HEPOLITE PISTONS -- RINGS WITH 3PIECE OIL RINGS
PORTED RACE CYLINDER HEAD
AMAL MK II 32MM CARBS
BOYER ELECTRONIC IGNITION -- SMITHS TACHOMETER
QUAFFE CLOSE RATIO 5 SPEED
NEWBY BELT PRIMARY/ MULTI PLATE RACE CLUTCH
SUN WM 3 ALLOY RIM FRONT -- SUN WM4 ALLOY RIM REAR BOTH WITH
STAINLESS SPOKES
REAR WHEEL -- YAMAHA DRUM CUSH DRIVE HUB AND ALLOY SPROCKET
TRIUMPH DUAL DISC FRONT FORKS -- LOCKHEED RACE CALIPERS
CUSTOM ALUMINUM OIL TANK -- 1 GAL CAPACITY
LYTA ALLOY FUEL TANK WITH MONZA CAP AND BAFFLED INTERIOR
ROB NORTH LETTERBOX FAIRING AND SEAT WITH ENCLOSED OIL COOLER
CUSTOM REAR SETS
AVON RACE TIRES

looks pretty sweet!

If itll pull 160 (mph) grab it .
Should make 175 actually .

dont like the plastic & prefer widelines , but maybe thats being old fashioned .

The SHORT Roadholders are the MANX set up , the tyre just about clouts the lower triple clamp , fully compressed .
Will clout a std 70 C'do guard . Object is the LOW ride Hight is Part of the ROADHOLDING .

This in mind and ancient bodywork , who cares if its got a 80 Hp + Engine .
Im ure we could sort a few things out with a hacksaw & lathe . May pay to fit a seatbelt .

Could always trade the chassis of against a Rob North or Std t160 & build a T150 sleeper .

Doesnt seem to have any ostentatious or nancey boy parts , so chances are its sound and secure .

Otherwise a Manx Rep. frame & Combat spec commando drivetrain , Conic rear 75 Tri/Bsa wheel . $ $ $ .

Johnnymac said:

Howdy. What do you guys think about this Triton? It's not your typical Triton. I'm thinking about picking it up and making it street legal.

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NICE!!!!

You're going to find it's not an everyday rider, that's for sure.

I'd love to take it out for a couple of hot laps at Barber's...

grandpaul said:

Johnnymac said:

Howdy. What do you guys think about this Triton? It's not your typical Triton. I'm thinking about picking it up and making it street legal.

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NICE!!!!

You're going to find it's not an everyday rider, that's for sure.

I'd love to take it out for a couple of hot laps at Barber's...

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I bet you're right there. I am still negotiating with the seller so it's not a done deal but very promising. My longest rides these days are about 30 mins so I can pretty much take the abuse no matter how uncomfortable it is. I have the Harley for when I'm sore and want to cruise around on a big air suspension sofa on wheels.

That will take quite a lot of work to get 'road-able' Johnny.

And whilst I know 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' etc... IMHO its too "racer" and not enough "café racer"...

Fast Eddie said:

That will take quite a lot of work to get 'road-able' Johnny.

And whilst I know 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' etc... IMHO its too "racer" and not enough "café racer"...

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Hey Eddie. I'm not exactly in love with the fairing and would remove it...adding a Unity Equipe Triton seat. Apart from adding brake lights and a light (As that's all that required by law in my State), I think it would make a great street bike. Am I missing something. Obviously there would be many changes over time but it's been built by one of the best guys in the business so it should be solid.

For you guys in the USA, here are the requirement for a street bike. http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Rig ... -Laws.aspx

Matt Spencer said:

If itll pull 160 (mph) grab it .
Should make 175 actually .

dont like the plastic & prefer widelines , but maybe thats being old fashioned .

The SHORT Roadholders are the MANX set up , the tyre just about clouts the lower triple clamp , fully compressed .
Will clout a std 70 C'do guard . Object is the LOW ride Hight is Part of the ROADHOLDING .

This in mind and ancient bodywork , who cares if its got a 80 Hp + Engine .
Im ure we could sort a few things out with a hacksaw & lathe . May pay to fit a seatbelt .

Could always trade the chassis of against a Rob North or Std t160 & build a T150 sleeper .

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Short roadholders change the trail - thus the way the bike steers. It's the reason the modern guys lower the yokes on the fork tubes.

Johnnymac said:

Fast Eddie said:

That will take quite a lot of work to get 'road-able' Johnny.

And whilst I know 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' etc... IMHO its too "racer" and not enough "café racer"...

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Hey Eddie. I'm not exactly in love with the fairing and would remove it...adding a Unity Equipe Triton seat. Apart from adding brake lights and a light (As that's all that required by law in my State), I think it would make a great street bike. Am I missing something. Obviously there would be many changes over time but it's been built by one of the best guys in the business so it should be solid.

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It will at least need a full wiring job, do you even know if it has an alternator, it may run 'total loss'?

One job that I can see is the lack of a kick starter, and with the current set up, you'll have to re-engineer the gearchange linkage as well.

And when you remove that fairing and seat, how pretty, or not, will it be...? And what will you have to change, re-site, fabricate, etc?

On top of all of that Johnny, it is a racer, so the most obvious concern would be the condition of the internals etc.

None of this makes it a bad bike of course. And please do not think me impertinent, but I am very empathetic to your situation with a new child (congratulations by the way) and I know only too well how little, as in bloody close to zero, spare time you will have for a little while !!

Fast Eddie said:

Johnnymac said:

Fast Eddie said:

That will take quite a lot of work to get 'road-able' Johnny.

And whilst I know 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' etc... IMHO its too "racer" and not enough "café racer"...

Click to expand...

Hey Eddie. I'm not exactly in love with the fairing and would remove it...adding a Unity Equipe Triton seat. Apart from adding brake lights and a light (As that's all that required by law in my State), I think it would make a great street bike. Am I missing something. Obviously there would be many changes over time but it's been built by one of the best guys in the business so it should be solid.

Click to expand...

It will at least need a full wiring job, do you even know if it has an alternator, it may run 'total loss'?

One job that I can see is the lack of a kick starter, and with the current set up, you'll have to re-engineer the gearchange linkage as well.

And when you remove that fairing and seat, how pretty, or not, will it be...? And what will you have to change, re-site, fabricate, etc?

On top of all of that Johnny, it is a racer, so the most obvious concern would be the condition of the internals etc.

None of this makes it a bad bike of course. And please do not think me impertinent, but I am very empathetic to your situation with a new child (congratulations by the way) and I know only too well how little, as in bloody close to zero, spare time you will have for a little while !!

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Thanks Eddie!

The bike does have an alternator. The bike is located in Florida and I am working with a middleman who really doesn't know much about the bike. It's really quite frustrating. I would much rather work directly with the seller but such is life. I haven't made an offer on it but told the seller I would buy it if it all checked out OK ...I am still waiting on videos of it running and lots of close up pics. I need to make damn sure the motor looks nice under that fairing too.

From what I've been told (and I'm still waiting on confirmation) that this bike has only 100 miles on it from when it was built . ( I don't know if those were 100 miles of hard core racing or what. ) The builder of the bike has been building bikes for 40+ years and as part of the sale is going to completely go through the bike before it leaves his shop.

As with any online vehicle sale, or even a local sale, you never know what you're getting into until you get it home and figure it out for yourself I guess. I will tell you this, for the price I'd pay for this, I wouldn't even be able to buy half the components on this bike much less a complete runner.

I certainly appreciate your input and opinions.. that's why i posted it here. If anyone is in the Daytona Area and wants to check it out for me and take it for a spin, I'll gladly pay you for your time or buy you a round of pints. Since I'm in St. Louis and a new dad again, I can't get away. But I have checked out this builder and he is one of the best. Even one of the Senior member of this forum called me on my phone and personally vouched for this guys work...but didn't know anything about this particular bike.

I'm not a racer and really only put a few hundred miles a year on my bikes. But I enjoy every minute of it.

Should have plenty of time , you wont get any sleep !

1965 TRITON T-150 IN MODIFIED NORTON FEATHERBED FRAME

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The three-cylinder design was developed in 1962 by Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele. Test engineers developed the chassis' handling characteristics by affixing lead weights on a standard 650 Bonneville. The first prototype (P1) was running by 1965,



this IS a TRIPLE , not a T-120 . :?