Project: FT-140

After racing flat track for several years, I was always looking for the next bike to build. With several Yamaha 2-strokes, the logical choice would have been the Yamaha XS650. However, being the president of the local British motorcycle club and knowing the history of Triumph and flat track racing, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when a friend mentioned he was thinking about letting go of a Triumph 750 motor.

My first call before I even laid eyes on the motor was to Triumph expert, Tom Sharp. With several of his bikes and riders bringing home countless national championships, Tom was the only one I wanted to build a Triumph with, and he can build a mean Triumph to say the least. With riders like Tim Joyce and Tony Read on-board his bikes, very seldom did a Sharp Mechanic Triumph not end up on the top of the podium. Coming off four national championships in dirt track myself, the hope was we could build a Triumph and put it on top of the box come the end of the year.

After telling Tom about my idea and asking if he would be interesting in working together to build a dirt track bike, he was not too excited. Dirt is not Tom’s thing but Triumphs are and my hope was that I could persuade him out of retirement for one more race bike. It took a little convincing over a few weeks, but he didn’t completely say no. So I called up my friend and we worked out a deal on the motor. I went to pick it up and discovered it was in three separate boxes. From there, Tom and myself sat down and discussed what we needed, what the goal was, and where to begin. To say I was excited to be learning from one of the best Triumph engine builders in the USA would be an understatement. Not only that but I would get a chance to be able to compete in flat track on one of the bikes that helped shape the sport.

With a frame that Tom had hanging in the far reaches of his multi-level Triumph sanctuary, we got started.

First, a few modifications to the frame and swingarm and then on to the motor. Now I can’t tell you everything done to the motor because I was sworn to secrecy, but I can tell you we didn’t skimp on the details. At the direction of Tom, we started gathering the key components. Mega Cycle cams, reinforced crank (thanks to Pat Hanson), ported head with Kibble White valves and springs (thanks to Rob Hall), a new set of pistons and rings, some special Sharp Mechanical carb intakes, a brand new set of Amal MKII carbs, and a 4-speed gear box to take the place of the stock 5-speed.

While Tom helped with the engine, most of the rest of the chassis was left to me. A new set of Warp9 wheels with heavy duty spokes, a new seat and tank from Goon Glass, a set of Yamaha TX750 forks donated by Jeff Hargis, a new set of fat bars and adaptors from ODI, and a derake kit from Pat Brown that Tom designed many years ago, and I was off and going. The frame received some bracing and some black paint while the tank and seat got a charcoal metallic paint job with a couple metallic black racing stripes. The forks were shortened to level out the bike and a set of Ikon shocks raised the back end to just the right stance.

By the time it was finished, the season was already underway, but sidelined with a broken wrist, I had some time to get it just right. After missing the first eight rounds of the season, the bike and I were ready and itching to get back at it. We had a lot of ground to make up. I loaded up the bike and headed across the country from Tennessee to Perris Raceway in California for the next round on the schedule. It takes a lot of trust to drive 3,000 miles for a first race and honestly the first real ride on a new bike. But with Tom’s expertise, I wasn’t worried. We were in constant contact when I arrived and after a shake down during practice, I noticed a slight issue with the carb tuning. A quick call to Tom and swapping out the pilot jets and I was back in business. That weekend, I picked up two wins and a second-place finish on the brand new bike and could not have been more ecstatic! I sent a few photos of the bike and the trophies to Tom, and by time I got back to Tennessee, he had already had one printed and framed on his wall.

After a little maintenance and a few adjustments on the bike, I went on to win four more races until a highside on my other bike put me back on the sidelines. After missing three more races over the next month and a half, I went right back to it, racking off nine wins in a row for a total of 17 podiums, 13 wins, and three second places, clinching not only the Sturgis Championship, but the overall AHRMA National Championship.

The bike took eight months to build and was more than worth it. All of this would not have been possible without the knowledge and guidance of Tom Sharp. I am very thankful for all his help and very proud to be able to put another Sharp Mechanical Triumph back on top of the box and bring home another national championship to add to his collection. I also have to thank so many others for all their help in this build and during the season. Special thanks to Frank Kays, Eric England, Rob Hall, Jeff Hargis, Tony Read, Pat Brown, Pat Hanson, Andrew Duthie, Gary Swan, ODI Grips, Goon Glass and Rubber, Dunlop Tires, SunStar Sprockets, Nashville Motorcycle Repair, ProPlates, Leatt, Niche Cycle, Copper Gaskets Unlimited, Bike and Bits Columbia, and 4SR leathers.