Sale now on!

Here is the auction which is eBay number 160010125703

This website contains the potted history documents that relate to the sale of my Production Racing Triumph Trident. I have owned & ridden this bike for more years than I care to remember. Goodbye, ol' gal.

You'll note the URL of this website is AlanWalsh90. The 90 comes from my long time preference for this as my 'racing' number. You'll see this number in the sample pictures. Please return often (well, at least until the eBay auction is over and somebody else owns the bike). I hope it will give the new custodian as much pleasure as it has me.

The story:

I bought my bike early in the year of 1971 from Coburn and Hughes of Green Lanes, London. It was a 1969 model and I traded in the bike I had been racing before then, which was a T120R Bonneville.

I intended to use it as a 'production' racing bike straight away. I had used the Bonneville for that too, and prior to that a 500cc Velocette. The Tridents and Commandos that were getting more common in the racing by then were proving very difficult to beat with just the 650cc of the Bonneville so I was seduced by the power of the Trident.

Very shortly after purchase a 250mm Fontana front brake was fitted. I had only ever used the standard brake in my Bonneville but I felt the extra weight of the Trident would show the weakness of this part. As the 'works' were using the Fontana I just went with the flow. The exhausts were raised and tucked in as far as possible and a basic engine tune was done. This preparation proved to be quite successful and many good race results were obtained. I was seldom out of the first eight places in any race.

As I got used to the bike and it was made quicker and better handling too a quite serious problem became apparent. The timing cover would scrape along the track on right-hand corners and the bulge on the primary cover at the chain tensioner pivot spindle would so the same on left-hand corners. The problem was soon overcome when my local and supporting motorcycle dealer, A&A Cox Motorcycles of Grantham contacted the Triumph factory. The Race Shop were producing a “high” race frame and if your competition results were good and you were “known" Triumph would sell you one. These frames looked, for all intents and purposes, just like the standard road bike frame but they provided considerably increased ground clearance. In early 1972 I collected a “high” frame from the Triumph factory at Meriden. I was seen to when I collected the frame by Norman Hyde. He was working as assistant to Doug Hele in the race department at that time. On fitting the frame the ground clearance was considerably improved, although it was possible to just scrape both the right and left sides of the engine on the track.

Sometime early in 1973 I fitted a Dunstall twin disc fork set-up, as the Fontana brake drum liners had started to come loose in the hub. This was not an uncommon problem for the Fontana to have. The twin disc set-up was as good as the Fontana and at about the same time I fitted a standard ratio (early specification) gearbox. After this round of updates and improvements better race results were obtained. I always finished in the first six, but I usually won the 'Production' race of the club I raced with mostly, the British Formula Racing Club. In th3 1971-73 period I remember that the engine broke connecting rods on two occasions. After the first instance I was able to get the crankcases welded. After the second 'bang' the crankcases were too far gone to repair again, so a new set were obtained from Triumph and fitted. The engine is still fitted (2006) with this set of crankcases.

The Trident and I took part in the Isle of Man TT for three years. In the 1972 F750 race I finished 21st and received a Bronze Replica. In the TT these 'Replicas' are awarded based on finishing time. If within 105% of the winners time a silver replica is awarded and a bronze replica fir a finish within 110% of the winners time. In the 1973 Production race I finished 11th and received another Bronze Replica. 1974 saw my last visit with the Trident and in the Production Race was 6th, this time achieving a silver replica.

I sold the bike in about 1974 and purchased it back in June 1986 as a box of bits. There is an image below giving an idea of the condition of the bike as it came back to me. The bike was raced a couple of times, I believe, by THE new owner and after a gentle crash at Snetterton it was sold again. I believe it was not used again until I heard through the grapevine of its location. It was just about the be turned into a 'Chopper'! I managed to rescue it and with it I returned to racing in March 1987 after an extensive and expensive rebuild. It now was equipped with a Triumph single disc front forks and wheel, Koni type 76 rear suspension and Carrillo connecting rods. Post rebuild I have notes of the following:

1987 My records show 8 wins, 8 fastest laps, 1x2nd, 2x3rd and 1x5th.

1988 The winter rebuild saw some detail improvements to the bike and the years results were 12 wins, 12 fastest laps, 2x2nd, 2x4th, 1x5th and 1x7th. In 1988 the gearbox broke. The weakpoint of the early specification 5-speed cluster caught up with the bike and layshaft 2nd gear broke into two parts. A part of a gear tried to exit the crankcase, down by the lower rearmost long stud. I was able to get the case welded, and it has been fine ever since.

1989 6 wins, 5 fastest laps, 8x2nd, 1x3rd and 1x4th.

1990 More good results saw 8 wins, 7 fastest laps, 7x2nd, 1x5th and 1x7th

During the 1990 season I had got to know Phil Pick slightly better and at this winters rebuild he started helping my race efforts with engine and chassis parts are reduced prices. 1991 and the results continued. 5 wins, 7 fastest laps, 11x2nd, 3x3rd, 2x5th and for the first time a DNF! For the first time I won the CRMC Sports Production Championship 1992 was a very satisfactory year with the following results. 10 wins, 9 fastest laps, 8x2nd, 3x3rd and 1x5th. I went and raced at an international race in Sweden and this resulted in a 7th, a 9th and a 14th. I was very pleased with this, although it was unusual not to be at the very front. It was my first visit to the circuit of Linkoping.

Due to the advancing age of my engine builder the winter of 1991/92 had seen the engine with Phil Pick (who uses the business name of Triple Cycles) for the first time for its yearly attention. A the overall cost might have been a problem it was decided to keep the engine in a similar tune to the existing. The pistons were re-used (and were modified Hepolite 'Powermax' items) and although Phil said that the cylinder head was tired it was retained, although with new valves, guides and springs. Many of the 2nd places enjoyed during 1992 were to Alex George who was riding a Production T150 owned by Alan 'Spike' Cole. These were fantasic races, enjoyable for spectators and riders. This was sportsmanship of the best sort, a great camaraderie being enjoyed along with the high competitive spirit.

During the winter 1992/93 rebuild it was decided to spend some money and increase the power output from the engine. Some forged piston were fitted and compression was raised. A new cylinder head was gas flowed and fitted, and for the first time the rebuilt engine was put through a full days running in and power testing on a Schenk water brake at Mistral Engineering. The lessons learnt during that day were all applied to the engine there and then (meaning carb and ignition settings) and the dyno figures shown in the image below were obtained.

1993 gave me 20 wins, 19 fastest laps, 1x2nd, 4x3rd, 3x4th, 4x5th and 1x6th. I won every race but one. I won the Classic Motorcycle Racing Clubs 'Sports Production' Championship, and, on the same bike, was 6th in the Formula 750 Championship, 4th in the Classic Open Championship run by the Newmarket Motorcycle Club and at the Swedish international Classic races at Linkoping. I took 1x3rd and 1x4th. At the Pembrey event I was awarded a newly introduced trophy, the Triple Cycles Trophy. A fantastic year.

1994 produced yet more wonderful results. As well as competing in the CRMC events I raced with the Trident in Ulster and France. In the CRMC events the results were 23x1st, 18 fastest laps, 6x2nd, 4x3rd, and 4x4th. I see on my notes that I 'dnf' twice, due to crashes, once at Silverstone and once Snetterton. I took part in an 'Unlimited' capacity scratch race at Ty- croes in Wales and took the outright win. I again won the Sports Production Championship. The bike and I throughly enjoyed a visit to Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland for the Clady Classic Festival, I had not raced here before so was unfamiliar with the circuit. I took parts in 7 races over the weekend and if I remember the order of the races correctly my finishes were, in order, 4th, 3rd, and then a mix of 2nd and 1st with 3 of each. The last race of the day was an invited entry 'Match Race' and I was honoured by being invited to ride. I won. I was then invited to leave the country on the first available ferry (in high spirited Irish humour).

The Trident and I were featured in an article written by Jim Greening that was published in 'Classic Racer' in the March/April issue. It was titled “King of the Proddie Class”

1995 continued as 1994 had ended, after the annual engine and chassis overhaul. The jewel in the crown within continued good results was a 2nd in the classic class at the Ulster Grand Prix. I achieve a new lap record here of 103.335mph, the old record being 102.63. In 1995 I did not enter the Sports Production class at CRMC events as I felt it was time to give other Sports Production riders a break from the Tridents abilities. I used it instead in the Unlimited races, but still equipped with its 'Production' equipment. Even the Ray-Gun silencers will still fitted. The results were reasonable, with 3xwins, 4x2nd, 5x3rd, 5x4th, 7x5th, 1x6th and 1x8th

1996 saw the bike and I back in the Sports Production at CRMC events. 6Xwins, fastest laps, I went to the Ulster Grand Prix again and finished 8th. and also took part in the Dundrod 150 races and finished 3rd.

1997 and I rode the Trident in Northern Ireland again at the Tandragee 100 road races to a 3rd. At Dundrod 150 I was 4th and the Ulster Grand Prix 5th. At CRMC events I obtained 6xWins, 4x fastest laps and 1x2nd.

1998 saw the traveling wings spread a little further with 2 visits to Belgium. At the Chimay Trophee International De la Moto Classique I was 3rd in the IHRO 750cc race and in the over 500cc P2 race was 2nd. At the Historic Moto Ardennais at Jehonville I was twice 2nd and twice 3rd. CRMC events saw 15xwins, 7 fastest laps, 2x5th and 1x8th

As there were very few regular competitors in the CRMC Sports Production class anymore it was decided that the Trident and I would enter the F750 races with the bike still in its Production trim. This produced results of 1xwin, 2x fastest laps, 5x2nd, 1x3rd, 2x4th, 4x5th, 2x6th and 1x7th. At Dundrod in Northern Ireland I was 2nd. Another visit was taken to Jehonville in Belgium with good results. A win, 2x2nd and 1x3rd was achieved.

At the end of 1999 I decided to retire the Trident from regular competition. It was fully and comprehensively rebuilt in 2003 so that it was ready for any use that I decided to give it.

The newly rebuilt engine was run-in and a few miles done at the 'Beezumph' Rally and track-day at Cadwell Park in 2005. The rider that day was Phil Pick and a few of my friends took a trundle around Cadwell too!

That brings the story of the bike to date (June 2006). It is ready for ongoing use.

Happy bidding!

In the late 1990's my long time friend, supporter, sponsor and chassis & engine building expert, Philip Pick of Triple Cycles, wrote an anatomy document about my bike and used it on his website. I've made a copy and it's here.

Here are a couple of other photos of the bike and me. More will be added soon. Promise!

For a larger version of any image please 'click' on it.