There’s that old, often used joke/question? Why did the chicken cross the road? There’s all kinds of answers aka punch lines. In the case of Jeff Rogers, it took a bit of a spin, the question going, “Why did the Peacock cross the road?” His answer would be, “Well, it didn’t.”
Seem Jeff, hailing from Santa Barbara, CA was motoring along a country road aboard his pride and joy Triton when out of nowhere there was a sudden flash of color and a rather unpleasant squawk as a peacock darted across his path and apparently tried to go airborne but failed to attain sufficient altitude to clear the bike. It smacked first into the clutch lever, ricocheted into Jeff’s arm, then planted itself beak first into the left side of the beautifully polished alloy gas tank. No doubt the last thing it saw was its own reflection before sudden impact turned off the lights.
After running afowl, Jeff decided to both mark the event and the spot by using the Internet to design and have made a custom decal. If such record keeping exists, it may be the only such peacock/motorcycle collision, but who knows.
Now Jeff’s been a member of the Southern California Norton Owner’s Club for some eight years, joining about a year after he got hold of the Triton after finding it in Texas where it had been put together by a NASA engineer, taking that as a good sign. It was originally registered as a ’72 Triumph, apparently the Lone Star state going by engine numbers rather than the frame. When asked if he had trouble registering it in California, he laughs and says, “Totally! I took it down to the DMV and they took one look and said, no way, it’s way too clean for such an old bike. They also apparently had trouble reading the numbers through the powdercoating and so they tagged it as a special construction.”
Checking through the bike’s specs, there’s a ’63 Norton Slimline frame, the engine a ’72 T120 Bonneville kitted up from the stock 650cc with a Morgo 750cc Big Bore kit plus MAP alloy rods, Megacycle .1065 cams, oversized valves, lightened springs and keepers. It’s fed by twin 32mm Mikunis and sparked by a Boyer electronic ignition and a larger alternator. Front end chores are ably handled by ’72 Triumph forks augmented by Progressive springs. The conical front and rear alloy rims hold their shape thanks to stainless spokes. It’s got popular “bacon slicer” wheel accents, drilled to look Manxish like. Jeff added his personal touches including switching to Hagon shocks, changing the entire rear end assemble and fender and while taking the engine apart also removed all the black powdercoating, plus replaced the 4-speed with a 5-speed transmission. The seat is from Clubman Racing while the gas tank is the Lyta 3.5 gallon “short circuit” model. Stock Triumph T120 instruments provide info while in motion, bolstered by a custom housing carrying two supplementary gauges, a battery status indicator and an engine temperature gauge. The Triton sings through swept-back pipes topped by Emgo heat-packed short reverse cones. Bars are Tomaselli units, levers stock Doherty type, the folding rear sets from Tarozzi in Italy.
Says Jeff, “The bike originally came with the previous owner’s left shift/brake set-up conglomeration that weighed an extra ten lbs. I like right shifting so took off all that stuff. I’m running a 21-tooth front sprocket so it does about 4500 rpm at 70mph and the crank was well balanced so vibration is low. The bike is really nimble and quick to steer as well though not twitchy. The 5-speed really helps plus I’ve got a Norman- Hyde 7-plate clutch with a MAP alloy pressure plate, and that set up has been beautiful. The bike does get a bath once a year prior to the annual Hansen Dam rally but generally I just ride it a lot.”
Jeff, who by way back in the day raced motocross, TT and short track aboard Husqvarnas, is currently working on a second Triton registered as a ’63 Norton, similar, but with TT pipes, Grimeca 4-leading shoe front brake and Roadholder forks. “It’s been sitting in the back of my garage for a couple months, but I’m still beating the kinks out of it. Every now and then I peak in on it and scowl. But at least no peacock inflicted damage…but just in case I don’t think I’ll be riding down that particular peacock populated road again.”
