Featured Daytona T595 Flat Track/cafe Project

This is a story that goes back to July 2016 when via a series of unfortunate events (misplaced enthusiasm by my sister in laws then boyfriend and the need to support the family as her daughter went through leukaemia treatment), I ended up with a T595 Daytona.

This was the original bike. Slightly scruffy and a bit baggy but not horrific.




I'd always fancied a project bike, so this then seemed the perfect opportunity to have a go without risking too much cash. A striped down naked sports bike with all the handling of the original but no fairing and a teeny tiny tail - somewhere between a flat track and a naked cafe job... a bit like the below.



I set myself the challenge of doing all the work myself bar paint, (been there, failed at that... or at least not got the results I wanted) meaning I'd need to learn to weld, deal with the electrics and all other mechanical stuff. Whilst I'd always serviced my bikes, it was a bit of a challenge that I needed.

Starting the strip down:







The first bolt that wouldn't move and broke was a hugger bolt on the swingarm, hence the mole grips. A bit of heat and penetrating oil..... didn't work so I drilled it out.

 

The clutch case had a terrible repair done on it so was replaced with a new one and gasket. Total Triumph are just up the road and they're a great source of info and parts.





The wiring harness came out completely and needed lots of cleaning stripping and attention.

 

The front mudguard got marked up and cut down to a stubby number.





And the ignition needed to move from the top yoke. I made an aluminium mounting plate so this could be mounted behind the left-hand engine mount. A little cardboard aided design and a waft of rattle can later:

 

Off with the very tired radiator (this was later replaced with another unit that wasn't knackered).



And the headers


Despite soaking the header bolts for several days in releasing oil before attempting to remove them, one broke in the engine block (top of the nearest port on the image below).



Despite numerous attempts at shifting it, the stud remained firmly in, resisting all attempts to free it or drill it out.



Thoroughly demoralised by this, I resolved to give it a couple of weeks and have another go.......

 

Fast forward three and a half years and life had got in the way a bit. Work and family commitments meant the early enthusiasm had faded and the broken header bolt problem remained. Then along came a little thing called covid and suddenly I had more time. Working from home meant the commute time disappeared and I had the opportunity to immerse myself back into the project.

I'd bought a tail early in the project, and along with the header bolt, the main hold up had been the need for a subframe.

40 quid's worth of steel tube, a pipe bender and a basic stick welder got me a first prototype subframe and getting back into the project rejuvenated my enthusiasm.

Whilst this was horribly welded, it was proof that I could bend the tube to the right shape and mock up the subframe to fit the new tail.







I managed to get the header bolt drilled out and cleaned up the headers with harpic and elbow grease before fitting with new studs.





The idea was that the subframe would follow the radius of the rear wheel



Checking the aesthetics with a human involved.

 

Having proved to myself I could make the subframe, I took the plunge and bought a MIG welder. This was a vast improvement on the stick and the with practice the welding got better.

The next iteration of the subframe raised it slightly and moved the curved section to the cross member of the frame. At this point, I also fitted captive nuts to hold the ECU which would fit under the tail section and made sure I had enough room for a lithium battery and the relays under the seat section.



I also plated the under section.



A stubbly exhaust was added, cutting and welding to the existing pipes. Here it is rolled out into the 2020 summer sun!





I made an expansion tank from my son's metal water bottle. Don't think he missed it

 

Full of enthusiasm again, I fitted a dash and took it for an MOT... only for it to fail as the wheels were out of alignment. If I was honest, I'd been squinting at the rear thinking it didn't quite look right but as it had an MOT just before I bought it, it must have been ok right?!

Something wasn't straight. The chap that did the MOT said it was the frame. This was a serious blow after all the hard work to get to this stage.

If it was the frame it was going to need some serious money and paperwork to replace the frame but I was unconvinced. Having been all over the bike, the frame didn't look to have any flaking paint or obvious kinks but the swing arm did have a fairly serious scuff on it. I might as well check that before committing to a replacement frame so off it came.



I figured that I could use a plumb line from the face of the rear wheel carrier and another through the centre point of the shock hole to see if it was straight... sure enough:



The two plumb lines were miles off. I'd (hopefully) found the issue so grabbed a swingarm off Ebay for £50. Whilst I was at it, I thought I'd better get some replacement bearings. These cost nearly as much as the swing arm but as you can see, they needed doing!

 

Given the state of the rear suspension (now with new bearings and fully regreased), I thought I'd better change the oil in the forks. Given the colour of the oil, I don't think this had been changed since the bike was new in 1996! It was pitch black and stank.







Looking down the fork tube you can see the amount of sludge in the bottom of the fork tube



After a good clean out



I also took the opportunity to change the master cylinder to a brembo from a Street Triple and rebuild the brakes with new HEL lines

 

The original plan had been to have some fairly minimalist headlights but I ended up getting a round LED unit and indicators. I also fitted a strip LED for the rear light which you'll see later





I'd made up a seat too, just to try and get the lines right and took it for another MOT with which it passed with flying colours...and yes, it was straight It was that swing arm all along

 

Now with a legal and fully working bike I committed to powder coating of the subframe and the biggest expense of the project... Paint.

I didn't want anything too brash, going for gloss black with a graphite detail of two stripes (one thick, one thin and off centre) with a detail line on the rear and the Triumph logo on the tank.

 

I put a few miles on the bike at this point but wasn't happy with the riding position. I handled brilliantly with the refreshed suspension but was just too focussed and serious with clips ons. Not uncomfortable, but not what I was after.

I managed to get a Speed Triple conversion top yoke kit, so I fitted some flat bars that I had in a cupboard. I also whacked on some bar end mirrors. These are miles better, making the bike much more fun. It transformed it from something that took itself very seriously into suddenly has the ability to laugh at itself and its way more fun like this.



It was now time to address the seat unit and side panels. Remember that I wanted to do as much as possible so I bought some alcantara material and thick stitching, borrowed a friend's sewing machine and started experimenting. First time for everything remember!





I started with a grey material but it really didn't work. Whilst the below looks purple-ish in some lights, it's actually a dark grey/black and the stitching works much better on it. The first diamond pattern was too big.



So I made it again with closer diamond pattern which I prefer.



I made the side panels from sheet aluminium, cutting and forming them by hand before brushing them. I'd had the good sense to weld tabs on the subframe for a Dzuz fastener each side and they have a bold into the original tank fitting on each side

 

So there you have it.

It's not perfect, many won't like it or would made different decisions, but it's mine and I like it. And it's a hoot to ride with sorted suspension (it's got a new rear shock now) and new tyres.

 

A local paint shop called paint money in Somerset. Awesome guys and a brilliant job, although it took nearly 6 months