A Triumph 6T Thunderbird desert sled from Japan!
On one of his trips to oversee Triumph operations in the States, Edward Turner — the legendary designer and director of Triumph Motorcycles — had the idea to enlarge his Speed Twin for the US market, boring the 500cc twin to 650cc for horsepower-hungry American riders. The result was the 6T Thunderbird, a 34-hp machine that made quite the debut at the famed Montlhéry circuit outside Paris in 1949:
“For its public launch, three production bikes were ridden from the Meriden plant to a circuit near Paris where they were then ridden over 500 miles at an average of 92 miles per hour. The bikes were then ridden back to Meriden.” –Iconic Motorbikes
“You cannot deny that the general impression will be left with those who see the film that a motorcycle is a drunken, irresponsible individual, just not nice to know!” –Triumph Motorcycles in America
In the end, The Wild One would help make Triumph a household name in the States, and secure the Thunderbird’s place as one of the most iconic bikes of the era.
Recently, we got in touch with garage builder Nobuyasu (@no_bys67) from Fukuoka, Japan, who bought the 1956 Triumph Thunderbird you see here when he was just 20 years old.
“At first it was an original style, but I like customs, so I built it up little by little.”
The bike obviously has a desert sled style, but Nobuyasu is also a fan of choppers — in fact, his other bike is a 1967 Triumph TR6C chopper — so he incorporated parts from both styles.
Most everything on the bike is custom — tank, fenders, seats, lights, etc. — and yet the bike has a very complete look, as if it were destined to take its current shape.
That’s the upshot of a lot of effort and thought on Nobuyasu’s part, and the long process of tweaking and modifying the bike:
“I was obsessed with a beautiful silhouette.”
You nailed it, man! Below, we talk to Nobuyasu for more details on his T-Bird sled.
Triumph 6T Desert Sled: Builder Interview
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
1956 Triumph Thunderbird.
• Why was this bike built?
My name is Nobuyasu. I am a garage builder. I own two Triumphs. I got this one when I was 20. At 30, I got a Triumph chopper. I couldn’t run it off-road because it was a chopper, so I built up this one.
At first it was an original style, but I like customs, so I built it up little by little.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The concept is a desert sled. However, I also like choppers, so I also used a lot of old chopper parts.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
Tank, fenders, seats, lights, etc.
• How would you classify this bike?
I dare say, desert sled.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I was obsessed with a beautiful silhouette.
Those Triumphs remind me of my high school years (1958-62) when I had a 1956 TR6. I’m almost 80 years old now and still ride. I’ve ridden motorcycles since I was 12 years old. I started on a 1950 125 CZ.
Good on you John, keep riding mate.
What a dreadful waste of a nice bike.
Why
Sweet machine!!!!
I am going to build one!
Sharp bike, although don’t agree with the seat style and the huge gap from seat to tank, looks like it was something just lying around and happened to just bolt up ?
Wouldn’t call it a Thunderbird, as no longer any resemblance to one. I would say, used to be a Brit bike ?
Still, looks like worth giving it good beating in the dirt after closing up the openings on the front brake drum !!! Imagine the dirt and sand in there between the shoes and drum !!!