The First Cut Is The Deepest

What’s it like building one of CRK’s custom conversions? Nutters is about to tear apart a perfectly good Triumph tourer to find out. Ouch!

- John Nutting

If you’re a fan of big Triumph tourers made at the Hinckley factory from the mid-1990s, look away now. This story is likely to upset you.

Almost two years ago I tried out a special based on the 1200 Trophy that had been built by Ian Saxcoburg, and I was smitten. The machine had been converted using a ready-to-fit kit of parts produced by Ian’s company, Café Racer Kits (CRK), and it was a gorgeous hunk. However, whilst the lusty 1180cc four-cylinder engine dominated the bike with mountains of silky-smooth throttle response, the roadster handlebar provided a relaxed riding position and nimble handling down the sinuous byways in the Isle of Wight where Ian is based.

The CRK Roadster 1200 was just the sort machine I’d been looking for – a conventionally-styled bike with an impressive presence and contemporary custom styling. Think of a British-made version of the Yamaha XJR1300 or Suzuki GSX1400 muscle bikes and you’d be in the right ballpark.

Design engineer Ian started offering his CRK kits in 2012, beginning with the unlikely Honda CX500 for which there were plenty of cheap donor machines available. Owners could strip down and rebuild the shaft-drive V-twin using a range of components including seats, instruments, exhaust systems and wheels, guided by a detailed instruction manual. Everything could be bolted on with basic spannering skills.

Three years later and noticing that early Hinckley Triumphs could be picked up for a lot less than a grand, Ian turned his attention to the T300-series triples, and built a prototype based on a Daytona 900, but the Sprint Executive tourer would have been just as suitable a starting point. I tried the results and was highly impressed, and more so by the following four-cylinder version. I wanted to build one.