2007 Triumph Speed Triple - The Crossover

Triumph North America is all about putting on a good show, and when it displays at various bike shows and events across the country it likes to have some eye candy to get owners excited. DuSold Designs hooked up a Speed Triple for the tour that not only got sportbikers talking, but chopper enthusiasts intrigued as well.

Mike DuSold, owner of DuSold Designs in Texas, went all out on this project. For some that means investing a heap of cash in aftermarket parts, but for Mike it meant getting his hands dirty and building from his mind's eye. He wanted to create a bike that stood out from the pack, and while its outlandish one-off gas tank and tail unit immediately distinguish the bike as something special, there's much more to the overall build.

Long hours and lots of elbow grease were the necessary ingredients for completing the build. Mike rolled the tank, tail and custom radiator from aluminum, but not before constructing the custom subframe. He then took a grinder to the entire bike to create the rough metal finish. The man of many talents next let his paint gun fly over the scored aluminum to create the ghostly transparent paint scheme. A layer of clearcoat later and it was a done deal.

We couldn't let Mike get away without asking how many off-color comments he gets about the unique tank and void between the seat, and he confirmed that there is always some general distaste, but the good and bad are spread pretty evenly: "A lot of the sportbike guys ask why the tank is 'pointy,' but it's not like I'm taking it to the track so it doesn't really matter. Also, I'm six foot five so I fit perfectly on it. Shorter riders might not have such a good time though..."

2007 Triumph Speed Triple
Front end: Carrozzeria aluminum wheel, Triumph bars, steel braided brake lines, Beringer master cylinder