TriBSA 750: ‘The Bitch’

Steve Clark's 750cc TriBSA cafe racer
In the UK, this bike—nicknamed The Bitch—is something of a legend. Probably because it’s been around a long time and it looks good. And maybe because it also contains bits from nearly every iconic post-war British motorcycle maker. Steve ‘Swede’ Clark built his TriBSA in 1968, using a BSA frame and a hotted-up Triumph engine. Why? “I always argued that a BSA frame was better than a Norton frame, but no-one seemed to put a Triumph engine in one of those,” said Clark. “So that inspired me to make the TriBSA: a 750cc Triumph Thunderbird engine in a BSA frame instead of a Norton one. It’s a bit like a Triton but more interesting because it’s much more unusual.” The cylinder barrel is a Mk1 Morgo 750cc unit, mated to gas-flowed T140 heads and Amal GP carburetors. A lightened crank and BSA Gold Star RRT2 gearbox get the power down with minimum interference. The rear brake is (somewhat alarmingly) a stock BSA item, but the front is taken care of by a massive, rare and strong 260mm Fontana four-leading-shoe drum. The forks are Norton Roadholders and the oil tank is an equally original Gold Star item. Does the British ‘bitsa’ get any more classic than this?


2 Comments

  1. Carson said:
    Saturday 17th October, 2009 at 6:23 pm | Permalink

    It’s always great to see original style cafe racers that are more than just a UJM with clubmans. British bikes rule.

  2. Adrian said:
    Tuesday 20th October, 2009 at 8:31 am | Permalink

    I have never really understood the point of this bike, when at the same time that the T150 was around, BSA also had the Rocket Three. Was the Triumph frame at that time so much better ?

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