Now offered for sale on Bring a Trailer, this meticulously crafted Triton café racer represents the pinnacle of classic British motorcycle engineering. Originally built in Wales around 1990, the machine combines a Triumph powerplant with Norton’s legendary Featherbed chassis—a pairing that has long been regarded as one of the most desirable combinations in the café racer world.
The motorcycle later underwent a comprehensive recommissioning by renowned builder Cid Vance of Massillon, Ohio, during 2012 and 2013 before being acquired by the current owner in 2022 from the estate of the individual who originally commissioned the project.
Since changing hands, the bike has benefited from additional mechanical attention, including a thorough tune-up and the installation of a custom dual-gauge instrument mount. Other recent maintenance included replacing the handlebars, fork seals, voltage regulator, pushrods, piston rings, and top-end engine seals, ensuring the motorcycle remains in excellent operating condition.
The build is centered around a reinforced black-finished Slimline Featherbed frame sourced from a 1960 Norton Dominator 88. Complementing the iconic chassis is a handcrafted Sprint-style aluminum fuel tank finished in silver with striking red and black graphics, secured by a period-style toggle-latch retaining strap.
A black café racer bump seat with contrasting red piping sits above a fabricated four-liter polished aluminum oil tank, while numerous bespoke components—including the engine and transmission mounting plates, tubular fender supports, rear-set controls, brake linkage, and side stand—highlight the exceptional craftsmanship invested in the build.
Rolling on polished alloy wheels, the Triton features a 190mm Gold Star front hub equipped with an Eddie Dow twin-leading-shoe drum brake, paired with a ventilated Manx-inspired conical rear drum hub. Avon Speedmaster MKII and Dunlop Gold Seal K70 tires provide a period-correct appearance, while a Norton Roadholder front fork and twin Hagon rear shocks deliver the classic handling characteristics that made Featherbed-framed motorcycles famous.
Power comes from a carefully assembled 649cc Triumph parallel-twin built around 1961 Thunderbird crankcases. The engine incorporates a later nine-bolt cylinder barrel, a ported and polished Bonneville cylinder head, lightweight valve train components, and 9.8:1 compression pistons.
Fuel delivery is handled by dual Amal 389 Monobloc carburetors with polished velocity stacks, while Johnson Cams camshafts and a Lucas K2FC competition magneto further enhance performance. Exhaust gases exit through a chrome dual exhaust system terminating in upswept reverse-cone megaphone mufflers.
The engine is paired with a pre-unit four-speed transmission that sends power to the rear wheel via chain drive. Retaining the traditional right-side shift configuration with a one-up, three-down gear pattern, this exceptional Triton remains an authentic tribute to Britain’s golden era of café racer performance, combining handcrafted engineering with timeless styling and mechanical purity.
Triton Cafe Racer For Sale – Image Gallery
Source: Bring a Trailer
