Mid fall of 2007, I picked up a rusty old 1968 Triumph TR6C with the idea of doing a quick bob-job and selling the bike. The profits from the build were destined to help support a few Children's Charities I help out through my TBearWear T-shirts.As we all know, no good deed goes unpunished, so why should I be any different?
My buddy, Bo Gelinas, and I are just a couple of back yard Harley wrenches and between the two of us we had ZERO experience working, or even riding Trumps.
“How hard could it be,” we thought. Boy, were we in for a wild ride. We stripped the bike down to nuts and bolts and discovered the joy that is the Witworth threaded nuts and bolts. Neither of us had ever even heard the term and we spent a while trying to figure out why the new hardware we bought didn't work live and learn!
I put the word out to some buddies, and a bunch of good friends wanted to pitch in by sending us various parts. Kevin from Baas Metal Craft pitched in a custom seat pan and Duane Ballard volunteered to do the seat for the bike. David Bird hooked us up with a brand new custom frame stretched 4-inches in the rear. Discovery Biker Build-Off star Hank Young agreed to completely overhaul the stock gas tank, and Indian Larry's painter, Robert Pradke wanted to handle the paint on the tank and rear fender that came off a 1936 Chevy spare tire cover. The motor was shipped out to my good friend, Buck at Goblin Millworx, for a complete rebuild including modifying my old Joe Hunt Panhead magneto to fit. It was starting to come together, well on paper anyway.
Getting back to the old adage that no good deed goes unpunished, in February 2008, I had the misfortune to inadvertently tear the quad muscles and tendons completely away from both of my knees, (ouch) landing me in hospital for two months. After being released from the hospital, I was stuck in a wheel chair for the next year, but despite immobility, I was determined to carry on with the build. Bo thought I was crazy, and I went on to prove him right by working on the bike with his help while stuck in a wheel chair in my unheated, ill equipped garage. Talk about determination, or just stupidity�
Word got out thru the internet about our project, and people came out of the woodwork offering parts and help. We were overwhelmed with gratitude and took some folks up on their kind offers. I�d like to thank them all personally, but it would take up the rest of my life.
Over the next few months, what was supposed to be just a quick and dirty bob-job turned into a major project. Most of the parts we gathered were not manufactured for Triumph applications, and making them fit and work well became a challenge that we never expected, but we persevered. Besides, they look sharp.
Back to the basics. The 650cc motor now has a custom Goblin Grind cam and .010 over Hepolite pistons coursing in the milled stock heads that have been 2-tone powder coated. The lower end and tranny were all freshened as well. A JRC 30mm Carb flows thru a Clay Cobb 90-degree manifold and blows exhaust fumes out of a chopped stock exhaust tipped with Chica Brass caps. The air cleaner cover was fab�ed out of a VL horn cover. The Mutha-Fokker�s tranny can be shifted either by foot or by the jockey shift piston handle.
Speaking of pistons, the head light was made from a 5-inch Tractor piston while the tail light is also made from real piston, and the bracket was made up from the original rocker arm. The handlebar, reverse meat hook levers and throttle are came from a 1943 Nazi made BMW side hack rig. The kick-ass one-off foot pegs, 50 Cal. shifter, brake pedal and kicker were milled from solid brass by my buddy John Warga and engraved by Heather New of New-line engraving in Alberta, Canada, who also engraved the Mutha-Fokkers tank side panels. She's amazing.
Fabricator Kevin hand made the rear fender struts, and ChoppaHead out of Boston put together the custom kit for the forward controls for us. Dan Knoblock, of 7metalwest.com, put together the vertical mounted Bee Hive oil tank. We opted to use the stock front end after a total rebuild, but powder coated the lower legs and rims while keeping the original plated spokes. Speedy, from Dark Side Graphics, carefully pinstriped the frame.
There are a bunch of special hidden details on the bike as well, for instance: the old Triumph Beer Bottle cap covering up the dampner stem, the 1903 Triumph bicycle neck badge, and the 6-gun cylinder axle covers.
After almost two years of slow agonizing work, the bike roared to life a few weeks back. Bo and I took her over to the Thunder in the Catskills event and entered her in the bike show, just for fun. We ended up walking away with a Best In Class trophy, and a trophy for Best Hand Crafted parts presented by the legendary Ron Finch. We also got an invitation to show the bike at the Rats Hole show in Daytona next March. Man, we never expected to go this far with the project when we first started it but it sure was worth the time and effort.
With winter fast approaching here in the Great White North, the plan is to take her to Daytona in March for the Rats Hole and a few other shows to boost her potential sale price for the charities. In the mean while, she IS for sale right now if someone comes up with the right number.
Feel free to email me with any SERIOUS offers or inquiries:TBear@mhcable.com
THE RED BARON VON ZIPPERS “MUTHA-FOKKER”
General
Owner:TBEAR
City/State:NEW YORK
Fab. By:TBEAR & BO
Year:1968 thru 2009
Model:MUTHA-FOKKER
Value:BOCOUPS
Time:2 YEARS
Engine
Year:1968
Model:WORKED TR6C
Builder:GOBLIN MILLWORX
Ignition:JOE HUNT PANHEAD MAGNETO
Displacement:650CC
Pistons:.010 OVER HEPOLITE
Heads:MILLED STOCK
Carb:30MM JRC
Manifold:CLAY COBB 90-DEGREE SIDE DRAFT
Cam:CUSTOM GOBLIN GRIND
Air Cleaner:FROM A VL HORN COVER
Exhaust:CHOPPED STOCK W/ CHICA BRASS CAPS
Primary:STOCK
Transmission
Year:1968
Make:TRIUMPH
Shifting:FOOT/JOCKEY
Frame
Year:2007
Make:DAVID BIRD HARDTAIL
Rake:STOCK
Stretch:4-INCHES IN REAR
Forks
Type:STOCK 1968
Builder:TBEAR & BO
ExtensionSTOCK
Triple Trees:MODIFIED STOCK
Wheels,Tires,Brakes
Front Wheel:POWDER COATED STOCK
Size:19-INCH
Front Tire:3.35 x19 DUNLOP
Front Brake:DUAL LEADING SHOE
Rear Wheel:POWDERCOATED STOCK
Size:18-INCH
Rear Tire:4.00×18 DUNLOP
Rear Brake:POWDER COATED STOCK DRUM
Painting
Painter:ROBERT PRADKE
Color:RED & BLACK STYLIZED IRON CROSS
Type:HOUSE OF COLOR
Powder Coat:BREW DUDE & MY BUDDY GARY
Pin striping:DARKSIDE GRAPHIX
Chroming:CHROME DON’T GETCHA HOME
Accessories
Bars:1943 NAZI BMW
Hand Controls:1943 NAZI BMW REVERSE MEAT HOOKS
Risers:STOCK
Fuel Tanks:MODIFIED BY HANK YOUNG
Front Fender:N/A
Rear Fender:CUT FROM 1936 CHEVY SPARE TIRE COVER
Rear Struts:FABRICATOR KEVIN
Seat:DUANE BALLARD
Seat Hinge:FAB KEVIN INVISABLE HINGE
Foot Controls:FORWARDS BY CHOPPAHEAD
Foot Pegs:BRASS MACHINE GUN BARRELS by JOHN WARGA
Shifter & Brake Pegs: SOLID BRASS .50 cal. by JOHN WARGA
Mirrors:GOBLIN MILLWORX
Oil Tank:CUSTOM VERTICAL BEEHIVE by 7 METALWEST
Headlight:CUSTOM FARM COMBINE PISTON
Taillight:H-D PISTON
Speedo:MODIFIED STOCK
Knee Pads:HAND FABRICATED AIRCRAFT ALLUMINIUM
Engraving: HEATHER NEW
