Russ' Bike Part Tioux - Triumph Transformation

We'll the decision was made to basically start fresh from the handle bars back as regards to the frame. So a trip or two to the steel yard and a purchase of a tubing bender, the rear portion of the frame.

After using a piece of aluminum tubing as the template, the top tubes of the frame came together. The top tubes really does a good job of having the feeling of the frame the engine came from.


One of the biggest challenges that was faced in this project was the rear pivot and engine connection to the frame. After some pretty amazing freestyle fabrication this was overcome pretty well we think.

You can't redo a frame without doing a lot of welding.  Well, there is a lot of welding going on in this project too.

Well this project is under way. J pulled the quad out degrease it, and power washed everything. The engine and rear shock have been pulled off of the quad which we call Fuzzy. The tank, seat and fenders as well.  So right now Fuzzy is just a rolling chassis, waiting for it's new powerplant.

The engine has been pulled from the Triumph and is looking good. We are thinking we are going to have to stretch the frame about 6 inches. Underneath the engine a subframe connector that will help tie the front and back of the bike together. It will also serve as a skid plate for the entire bottom of the bike.
As you can see from the photos, this is a 3 cylinder engine which gives it a very distinctive sound, and a great bark when you blip the throttle. There will be quite a bit of fabrication to get an engine cradle for this engine and the quad chassis, but it's going to be fun to build.

Well for the last three years the Triumph has ran great. However it's not getting ridden much. So we need to breath some new life into this project. Well to look forward we should look backwards.

A project we did in the past was to take a YZ490 with a pretty strong motor and using the stock frame to create a quad. On the front end of the bike we build a front sub-frame to accept the A-arms, hubs, shocks, and disc brakes from a Honda 250R Fourtrax. We used the stock rear shock and modified the rear swing arm to use the rear hub and axle from a Suzuki 250 Quadracer.

While that 490cc 2 stroke engine is strong, its a pain in the neck to kickstart. We've torn many a riding boot trying to get that monster to kick over. So why not put the very strong and electric start engine from the Triumph into the Quad?

Well as with any project like these it starts with a lot of research. We are deep in the research stage.  We've dug up two sites that will definitely help. With any project of this nature, you'll need some custom machining done. While we can do a lot of fabrication ourselves, there are just some things that require machines most people don't have access to. That's where www.emachineshop.com comes in. You download their CAD software, design your part our of the material of your choice and they ship it to you. They do work in Aluminum, Carbon Fiber, Steel, Stainless Steel, and Titanium. Just the right mix of materials for a bike...quad...thing.

Seeing that the Triumph's engine is fuel injected and computer controlled, we'll need a way to re-map the fuel injection and ignition mappings. Well TuneBoy has done all the heavy lifting. With a USB option and software for the mapping.  We'll be able to re-map the engine management in the middle of the desert with a laptop.

Well, as we have photos and updates, we'll post'em

Finished Part 5 

Finished Part 4 

Finished Part 3 

Finished Part 2 

Finished Part 1

Well, yesterday was Dad's RDO (Regular Day Off), so what did he do with his monday off? What any of us would do, work on the bike so that he could take it for a little spin.
Fortunately Sis got some footage of the monumental first ride.

Well Saturday afternoon was time well spent. After hooking up the ignition and the instrument cluster, we tried starting the bike. It was eager to try but something just wasn't right. We used a little starting fluid and it would spring right to life but wouldn't stay running. Well, it's got to be a fuel problem, because it has spark and timing. After a little investigation we found that there was some water in the bottom of the tank. After about twenty minutes and a use of a screwdriver we got the water out of the bottom of the tank. We tried again and va-voom. The beautiful sounds of three cylinders firing on their own is what we were rewarded with. While it is not yet ridable, there are still brakes to be hooked up, and instrument brackets to find and install, it is running.