Triton Ranger.

The bike in the top two pictures is the Norton Atlas as it was when I rolled it out of the garage after dad died, he bought the bike new in 1968 - rode it for 10 years and put over 30,000 miles on the engine.

The bike in the bottom is my Triton - using Dad's Norton chassis as a platform for my 750cc Triumph engine made in 1973 with 15,000 miles on the clocks. 

This is my new proposed "Winter Rig".

Recognizing that the KZ1000 doesn't have the handling, is too heavy, and has far far too much horse power for a winter machine. The Triton however weighs 150 pounds less than the KZ, makes 50HP and you can get knobby tires for it. 

It will need some amount of work to be roadworthy, a proper front axle, the front brake rebuilt, maybe get the wheel relaced and trued. 

I am going to have to ditch the high pipes which I hate doing, but I want to mount a magneto (which I have) on the engine which will make the engine completely independent of a need of the alternator and the battery. You kick it over and the engine will fire and run on gas alone. 

This means that the Boyer Powerbox that I have you can see it on the lower back engine mounting plate will only need to run the lights. You can use this powerbox to replace a battery on a kickstart bike, but at idle the headlight and tail lights dim, and you have to keep the revs up to keep the engine alive. The Magneto will eliminate the need to keep revs up at idle, and should provide all the alternator's power to the lights which should make them brighter and more powerful. 

Between the Mag and the Powerbox I will not need to run a battery at all, which means that the bike's running in both hot and cold weather will not at all effect it's ability to run. You also have the added pleasure of knowing that the vibrations will do no harm to the battery - because there isn't one. 

I still might mount a small gel battery some place, 1/2 the size of a bike battery - which in turn is 1/2 the size of a car battery. With that as the setup I would not have to worry at all about the lights dimming at stop lights and stop signs - which would be excellent for the winter time. If this is the case I may mount a second brake light below the license plate which would add to visibility at night.

The oil tank is home made. The carbs are modern and I will fit pod air filters to them for the daily running. I will have to make extensions for the front mud guard to raise it away from the knobby tire, I will make my own mounts out of either aluminum or steel.

I also have to extend the side stand about 2" which I believe Paul will be able to do as he knows how to weld.

All in all the bike will be absolutely perfect, cheap to run, cheap to maintain, and excellent for what I need it for.

Also getting the Triton road worthy has an added benefit as when my friend Jon returns from Korea in 16 months he will be riding the KZ1000 during the warm months, and this will give me a cheap well built machine to ride while he's home.

Dad's Triumph T100 is a most awesome machine, but insuring it for the time being is cost prohibitive, and my love for the classic bikes is too strong. In a few years I will be able to ride the T100 without a care in the world, and it will make an excellent touring machine.