Turnabout

Featured in Custom Bike, September 1978

Without question. Tom Summers built the trickcst Triumph we have seen this year. Besides incorporating the lowrider design into the fabrica-tion of his twin, Tom went one step farther with some eye-catching engine work. As the name implies, the head on Tom's Triumph has been reworked so the carbs now face forward and the pipes exit out the rear ports.

We have featured several custom hikes built by Tom and we were really curious when he kept telling us ahout this real/v nice Triumph that he had been working on for the last six mon ths.

The hike started out as a totally stock '71 Bonneville. Tom pulled the engine out and literally trash-canned the rest. The mill was then carried over to Paul Short. who worked the engine including turning the head around 180 degrees. A Barnett clutch was tossed in for a better bite. The twin Amal carbs aldng with literally everything that would unbolt, were sent down to Brown's Plating Service for chrome

Fuel tank is a Lundberg product. Paint was handled by Tom with art work by Eckel.

and a complementing amount of gold plating.
In case you are trying to figure out the pipes, just accept the idea that they're a one-offset of pipes created by Ross Wheel Servibe. Frame is an R&R Savior (sprung rear axle) with six inches of additional stretch and 45 degrees of rake in the neck. The extra rake was to accept the six over Smith Bros. & Fetrow Springer and 19-inch Invader wheel, while still hugging the ground. Out back. Tom opted for an Invader, using an earlier Triumph brake set-up. Tire is a fat 165 x 15 radial.

The fuel tank, made by Lundberg. gives the bike that even more racy look, complemented by the stubby rear fender welded directly to the frame.
Tom Summers, as with his other Minnesota bike, decided to apply the color himself with D.J. Eckel applying the leaf and striping. Other components such as the hand-lebars and lamps came from Drag Specialties. Tom designed the seat and had it built by Hiawatha Lake Upholstery in Minneapolis.

One thing's for sure: we knew the bike had to be pretty sharp just from what Tom had to say over the horn, but Turnabout is definitely a nice piece. So, if you are in the Minneapolis area and this sharp Triumph goes by, that's Tom, out cruising on his head turner, or is that turned header? Frame is an R&R Savior with ~ix inches of added stretch and 45 degrees of rake. Bars and accessories came from Drag. Front is a six over Smith Bros. & Fetrow springer hooked up to a 19-inch Invader wheel. Flat fender is welded right to frame.