YOUR LETTERS
The June issue, featuring bikes with non-standard frames/chassis, was a thoroughly excellent read. Here’s my my special-framed race bike, which I built back in the ’70s. I built Triumph T150 engine entirely from spares – a man from Birmingham who worked at a well-known bike factory sold me a set of crankcases, a crankshaft, cylinder barrels, gearbox castings and rocker boxes, all brand new and very cheap.
I managed to pick up a secondhand 650 Rickman Mettisse chassis and set about fitting the Trident engine. A fairly good season was had, with one win at Brands Hatch in the wet. However, to me it seemed very heavy and only had one disc up front, I could never brake as late as similar bikes using a Rob North frame set-up with twin discs.
So I decided a Rob North was the way to go – but soon realised the cost was way out of my league. Same with a Seeley frame – I was only earning £18.50 a week!
Then I saw a write-up in MCN about a pair of young brothers in Hertfordshire working in an old barn on a mushroom farm, who had started a business converting early twinshock TZ Yamaha frames to monoshock. I went up and spent some time chatting to Steve and Lester Harris; we discussed the idea of a monoshock chassis and swingarm with a fully adjustable gas De Carbon rear unit, together with a set of twin-disc Cerriani 35mm racing forks, complete with wheel spindles and swingarm pin, all in for the sum of £476.
Three weeks later, I collected a beautifully-made T45 chassis/swingarm, forks and bits. The engine fitted OK, but there wasn’t enough room for my very long induction tracts. I contacted Steve the next day; he apologised for the issue (I’d mentioned it at the outset) and built another, slightly modified frame. It was perfect, and by working overtime and doing extra jobs, I managed to fund the build.
Steve Harris told me years later that the only other frame like mine, using a Triumph triple engine, was built for another racer, Jim Wells, who used it for endurance racing but it was written off after a big accident. Therefore my Harris Triumph triple is unique – and it handles superbly, with excellent braking.
After another season’s racing, I went to the great Norman Hyde; I told him I was struggling to keep up with these new Japanese Kawasakis and needed more power. Norman turned it into a 900cc engine – he stroked my crankshaft by 12m, and supplied an ex-works ported racing cylinder head, with TH6 cams and many other special parts. This made for a bike with excellent torque that handles very well and has superb brakes.
I sold the bike in 1978, but bought it back in 2000. It had been sat in a barn since 1982 with an old carpet thrown over it. Rain had rusted a hole right through the swingarm (Steve Harris repaired it for
