Built for for £4K: Dan Steward’s Triumph 5TA Desert Sled…
Ed Turner — Triumph’s legendary designer and director — launched the original Speed Twin 5T at the 1937 National Motorcycle Show. The 500 parallel-twin was lighter and more powerful than many singles of the era, and both the public and military took notice.
“Faster or not, the Triumph Speed Twin looked sleeker, speedier and svelter than its contemporaries. In fact, almost all of the subsequent British parallel twins borrowed at least some of its design themes and motifs.” –Motorcycle Classics
In the fall of 1940, however, a German air raid destroyed Triumph’s Coventry factory, including thousands of military-spec Speed Twins and all of the company’s records, drawings, and designs. Fortunately, the 5T reappeared in 1946, and the Speed Twin would be instrumental to the company’s post-war survival and recovery at its new Meriden location, setting the standard for parallel twins of the era.
In 1959, the 5TA was introduced, boasting a 27-hp unit-construction engine and the controversial “bathtub” fairing, which consisted of a broadly valanced front fender and skirted rear wheel enclosure. Many dealers removed the “bathtub” before putting the bikes on the showroom floor. Bodywork aside, the Speed Twin was a great little bike capable of hitting a strong 92 mph — preferable to Norton’s own Dominator Deluxe bathtubber.
“The Triumph is the one to be on around town, its low centre of gravity and buzzy engine inspiring confidence… Passes for the camera, turning in the road, paddling backwards etc — everything in that manner, was just easier and more amusing on the Triumph” –Classic Bike Hub
This ’63 5TA Speed Twin desert sled comes from our new buddy Dan Steward of (@55motoco) of Suffolk, England. A long-time vintage VW enthusiast, Dan discovered motorcycles through The Bike Shed…or more accurately, what potential they had in terms of custom builds.
He started with a Honda CL77 Scrambler — a really neat and rare bike in the UK, though parts availability turned out to be an issue.
“I wanted a bike to use off-road, and parts for the CL77 being so rare I decided to look for another bike. Basically I bought the Triumph because I didn’t want to mess up the Honda. It was never meant to be a show bike.”
Believe it or not, Dan set himself a budget of just £4000 for the build, including the donor bike itself…and he’s come in £100 under budget — now that’s rare indeed! With the desert sleds of On Any Sunday for inspiration, Dan outfitted the bike with a custom number board, hand-painted numbers, Bates front and rear lights, Webco bars, T100c pipes, overlay rear sprocket, Hagon rear shocks, Pirelli MT43 rear tire, and more. The aluminum fenders came with the bike.
The number 55 goes all the way back to Dan’s boyhood:
“For my 10th birthday my mum and dad bought me a number board with 55 on it, to go on the front of my BMX. I rode that bike till the pedals literally snapped off. So when it came to put a number on the front of the Triumph there was only one choice. That’s why it’s ‘Desert Sled 55’ — it puts a smile on my face like I’m that 10 year old kid on a BMX.”
That’s what it’s all about, Dan! He says the bike revs a bit high on the street due to the rear sprocket, but it’s a hoot off-road. A broken conrod has the bike down at the moment, but Dan will soon have the bike rebuilt better than new.
“I built this bike to go out and have fun on. To have had it on display at the Bike Shed Show and now a feature on BikeBound blows my mind. So thank you everyone.”
Thank you, Dan, for sharing your bike and story with us. We hope you have “Desert Sled 55” back in the dirt soon! Below is our full interview with Dan, along with more photos courtesy of Roberto Garagarza (@roga______/), Craig Stuart (@scrambler_ams) and Amy Shore Photography.
Speed Twin Desert Sled: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I’m Dan Steward and I live in Suffolk, England. Most of my life I’ve been driving around in old air-cooled Volkswagens, mostly California Look Beetles, but in 2013 I discovered The Bike Shed. It was just an internet forum then but it showed me what custom motorcycles could be.
It wasn’t until 2022 when I finally got round to taking my bike test and getting my first motorcycle, a Honda CL77 305 scrambler. A rare thing in the UK and parts are difficult to find, so I started looking for a second bike. At first I thought about a modern Triumph, a Bonneville or Scrambler, but I just couldn’t do it — I never bought a new Beetle so why would I buy a new Triumph?
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
Triumph 5TA 1963.
• Why was this bike built?
I wanted a bike to use off-road, and parts for the CL77 being so rare I decided to look for another bike. Basically I bought the Triumph because I didn’t want to mess up the Honda. It was never meant to be a show bike.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
I love the old desert races from the 60’s and watching On Any Sunday. Seeing Steve McQueen ripping around on those old bikes, what’s not to like? So I had to build one myself.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
I set myself a tight budget for £4k including buying the bike. The bike already had the aluminium mudguards fitted, so I made the number board and hand-painted the numbers, then bolted a Bates style headlight to it and added a rear one to match.
I then added a set of Webco bars and the pipes off a T100c. I resprayed the oil tank and side cover in satin black and then added the Champion spark plug stickers. I then added a set of knobbly tyres and an overlay rear sprocket.
The seat I made myself from scratch included the upholstery. I wanted to keep the original hinges so the seat could flip up to be able to get to the battery and oil tank. Most of the parts were sourced from eBay and Facebook Marketplace and the work was done by myself to keep the costs down. I think I’ve still got £100 left in the budget.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
For my 10th birthday my mum and dad bought me a number board with 55 on it, to go on the front of my BMX. I rode that bike till the pedals literally snapped off. So when it came to put a number on the front of the Triumph there was only one choice. That’s why it’s “Desert Sled 55” — it puts a smile on my face like I’m that 10 year old kid on a BMX.
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
Not a clue, the bike doesn’t even have a speedo. At the moment the engine is in pieces due to a lack of oil getting to the left hand side con rod resulting in it snapping in two. Luckily, the damage wasn’t too bad to the rest of the engine, so it can be rebuilt.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
On the road it’s great but revs a bit high with the overlay rear sprocket — off-road it’s a different bike. With the Hagon rear shocks and the Pirelli MT43 tyre at the back, the bike is so much fun to ride.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
Making the seat from scratch. I wanted to keep the original hinges so the seat could still flip up. So I cut out the aluminium base and bent it to match the frame. Then cut and shaped the foam. Then borrowing my mum‘s sewing machine I set about the upholstery learning as I went. It’s a bit rough and ready but I’m happy with how it turned out and how it looks on the bike.
Overall I’m very pleased with how the bike looks. I had an idea of what I wanted and it’s exactly what I got.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Thank you to anyone who has stopped and said nice things about the bike, to anyone who’s taken photos and left comments, It means a lot. I built this bike to go out and have fun on. To have had it on display at the Bike Shed Show and now a feature on BikeBound blows my mind. So thank you everyone.
Follow the Builder
Instagram: @55motoco
Photography Credits: @scrambler_ams and @amyshorephotography
Very hep bike!