Hinckley Howler: Trident 955 from Chris Forward…
In 1991, the Triumph brand reemerged into the global motorcycle market, offering a stable of new machines developed in their new Hinckley factory. The Trident 900 would be the foundation of the new lineup, a three-cylinder roadster that used the same 885cc DOHC liquid-cooled triple as the other Triumph 900s — a grunty, overengineered sweetheart of an engine.
“This bike has impressive running gear — 43mm forks and a big aluminum swingarm — and a solid chassis to boot. The motor is a sweet sounding triple with enough power to ride two up and not feel overworked. ” –Motorcycle.com
One long-time lover of the Triumph triple is our friend Christian Forward (@Forwardstein), a veteran motorcycle mechanic who now works for an engineering company that builds gearboxes for high-performance cars. Over the last 20 years, Chris has worked two main dealerships and one of the UK’s top tuning shops.
“I’ve had the opportunity to ride all the latest Japanese bikes over the last few years, and they are all top notch. But there’s just something about that early Hinckley triple that keeps drawing me back.”
Recently, we featured Chris’s highly popular “Thundersprint” 955 street tracker. Today, we’re excited to showcase his previous build, the Triumph Trident café racer you see here — a bike built with a singular goal in mind:
“For me personally it’s all about the corners. When I find a set of bends, flicking the bike from one side to the other, well, it’s almost like flying without leaving the ground.”
Chris decided to build a Trident-based café racer inspired by the Tritons of the 1950s-60s, with an emphasis on performance. The Trident 900 frame is now running an Adventurer rear subframe with a twin shock conversion (Öhlins fully adjustables) and custom-made aluminum swingarm two inches shorter than stock.
Up front are a set of Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 forks with Yamaha R1 yokes and an R6 Matris steering damper. The bike is now rolling on 17-inch Morad alloy rims (3.5″ front / 5.5″ rear) laced up to Tiger 900 hubs, matched with Brembo brakes and stainless braided lines.
Then there’s the handmade aluminum bodywork, which recalls those Tritons of old. These pieces include the seat unit, fuel tank, front fender, side panels, chainguard, and air box. A Daytona 955i seat was narrowed three inches to fit the tail section.
Meanwhile, the 885cc Trident triple was fitted with 955 Daytona cams, liners, and pistons, with a port flowed and skimmed cylinder head, adjustable ignition, spin-on oil filter conversion, and Yamaha FZ1000 carbs. The result is a 117 bhp and 69 ft-lbs of torque at the rear wheel — a 22 hp increase — and that howling triple is enough to send shivers up your spine.
Unfortunately, Chris was forced to sell the bike at the outbreak of the pandemic, so it’s now being enjoyed by another owner…but on the bright side, he’s since built his Triumph 955 street tracker to replace it!
Triumph 955 Café Racer: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
Name: Christian Forward
Birthday: 30/09/1960
Location: UK
Education / Background: Secondary School / Over 20 years working as a motorcycle mechanic.
Day job: I work for an engineering company that manufactures high performance gearboxes for motorsports and supercars.
• Why was this bike built?
For me personally it’s all about the corners, when I find a set of bends. Flicking the bike from one side to the other, well it’s almost like flying without leaving the ground. Over the last 20 years I’ve worked in the bike trade as a mechanic, at two main dealerships and one of the country’s top tuning shops. I’ve had the opportunity to ride all the latest Japanese bikes over the last few years, and they are all top notch. But there’s just something about that early Hinckley triple that keeps drawing me back.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
I based it on the classic Triton design. Big alloy fuel tank, spoked wheels, sort of 50s / 60s Café Racer.
• What modifications were made?
About the build: Trident 900 with Adventurer rear subframe welded on and twin shock conversion. Öhlins fully adjustable rear shocks on custom-made aluminium swingarm two inches shorter than standard.
Tiger 900 hubs laced to 17-inch Morad alloy rims, 3.5 front and 5.5 rear. GSX-R1000 K5 forks. Yamaha R1 top and bottom yokes with Trident steering stem. R6 top-mounted Matris fully adjustable steering damper.
Brembo radial monobloc front calipers on 320mm floating discs. Brembo radial front brake and clutch master cylinders. Brembo rear brake caliper and master cylinder. Stainless steel braided brake, clutch lines and fittings.
Daytona 955i seat narrowed by 3 inches. Seat unit, side panels, front mudguard, chainguard, bell-mouth air box and fuel tank handmade in aluminium. Bandit 1200 headlight. Daytona 900 clocks in Thunderbird cases.
Custom made stainless steel silencers with Daytona polished downpipes. Lots of titanium bolts, discs, calipers.
Engine details:
- 885 Trident engine fitted with 955 Daytona cams, liners & pistons
- Port flowed & skimmed cylinder head
- Homemade head gasket
- Adjustable ignition advancer and spin-on oil filter conversion.
- Yamaha FZ1000 carbs with one removed and re-spaced to fit, and homemade stainless steel silencers.
• Any idea of horsepower and / or weight numbers?
117bhp 69ft-lbs torque
(95bhp 58ft-lbs torque) = old 885 engine @ rear wheel
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride?
Just watch the video.
Follow the Builder
Facebook: Christian Forward
Instagram: @Forwardstein
