In our first installment of the 1963 Triumph build blog we introduced you to the bike, and its many quirks. Now, we want to introduce you to the builder taking on the project – Jimmi Davies. Long time readers of THE TON may already be familiar with the name Jimmi Davies. Afterall, his bike Slingshot was one of the first bikes we featured back in our first issue three years ago. Although since the time of our first publication Jimmi has moved on from a long career as a coppersmith, to opening his own shop Revival Motors and Coffee Co. with his partner Audrey Henley.

Jimmi Davis on his build the Beach Baby. Photo by Damian Magista

Revival is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with two wheeled vehicles that began when Davies as just five years old living in Spain. “My folks bought my big brothers a Torot minibike thing. So, I was pretty much immediately hooked on two wheeled machines,” said Davies. “I always asked for a moto at every holiday. Never got one, but it was kind of a family joke to tell me they did, but it was all taken apart and in all the wrapped gifts under the tree.”

Those earliest influences began James’ building career when he decided to build bicycles at age ten by altering the banana seat Schwinns that were popular at the time. “I used to see these local bikers up around the rural area where I grew up and they all rode these long bikes. I had no real reference as to what they were, other than cool as hell. So. I cut up a set of extra forks I had and bolted the legs to the bottom of another set, and there it was my first chopper.”

By 1990 he found his first bike, a 1967 BSA chopper in a friend’s garage. Her Dad had ridden it back in the 70s, and he had to have it. “I never really wanted a Harley, to be honest. I kinda got hooked on Brit bikes from the beginning, and I was OK with that. I figured if I was going to have an unreliable bike, it might as well be different from all the Harleys I was seeing.”

Now, with more than twenty years experience gained by building numerous bikes from Slingshot, to Moltov Coctail, the Beach Baby, and more - Davies has refined the art of building quality bikes often on tight budgets.

Jimmi Davies with his daily rider Slingshot.

Rather than telling you in my words more about Jimmi and his approach to builds, I offer to you a short interview about the beginning of the 1963 Triumph build, as well his overall approach to building motorcycles.

What were your first impressions of the bike as we started?

Well, let’s see….at first glance, it seemed pretty cliched. Skulls and silly solo seat, typical peanut gas tank, and satin paint… All that stuff can be cool, but it just didn’t seem to be in place on a vintage Triumph. Like you, I’ve always had an affinity for British twins, my first street bike being a 1967 BSA 650 Thunderbolt. So, I have some strong opinions on what that style of bike should be.

Secondarily, it seemed really small. Yes, they are small bikes to begin with, but most of your bolt on hardballs are made for ease of installation, and as such, the stretch is minimal. So, you end up with a relatively short frame. Also, it had that weird telescoping front end on it that just appeared so spindly and weak. The bike just seemed wrong in several ways.

Did you have a sense of what I was looking for after talking about the build?

I had a pretty vague sense of what you had in mind for the bike after we spoke about it. And I could see where you were going with the parts you’d already purchased. I could tell you had an idea and a collection of shapes that you wanted to incorporate into its design. You’re a bit of an anomaly because you have a lot of experience in the appreciation of chopper design. But, in general I dissuade clients from providing a lot of parts when they bring me a project.

My mantra has been “the bike will tell me what it needs as I start building it;” so let’s hold off on spending money on parts that may never make onto the final product. I sometimes must overcome my own innate style preference to get to the finish line, and this has proven no different. I enjoy a challenge, and this bike and the parts provided are just that.

What is your approach when working with someone on a new build?

There are a few things I like to know before I start a build for a client. The basics are: what is your intent with this machine? Is it to be a long miler, a show bike, an in-town cruiser? Of course, I need to know the budget, as that will inform the level of detail and customization. However, budget will never trump the safety and reliability of one of my builds.

I also like to know if the client has a particular style of bike they like. I’m very well versed in bike styles, have strong opinions on what is timeless and “works” and what is just a flavor of the year. I will always try to steer a client away from something that I feel will appear dated in a very short time. Most people will only have one custom bike in their lifetime, and I feel that they should be able to show it and ride it with pride for as long as they want to ride.

I always encourage a client to start collecting a visual file. It’s something I picked up early in my career as an artist, and I’ve found it invaluable. The more time you spend looking at, saving photos of, and studying custom motorcycles, the more you will start to formulate a solid idea of what appeals to you. I see too many bikes just thrown together with unorganized and poorly chosen bits that fall under the category of “chopper parts”, but they don’t work well together.

In my mind and in my design ethos, a bike absolutely, primarily and uncompromisingly must have “flow”. Parts need to work with and complement each other. I’m talking about visual flow. It’s difficult to describe in words, but I think if you look at any of my builds, the flow becomes evident. Far more evident as I’ve moved forward in my career and have had the opportunity to build more bikes. There’s a line in my eye that must run through the entirety of the bike, from back to front, sided to side, across the top of the bike, and that line must flow without interruption and each part contributes to that line. It maybe sounds stupid to some, but I am a classically trained artist, and escaping that imperative design/visual feature just isn’t possible for me.

What was the first order of business when approaching the build?

My first order of business for this build was establishing visual balance while still making it physically fit you. It needed the proper stance, but still needed to be big enough for you to not be cramped up on it. I needed to decide on a good set of forks, and then how much to stretch it and how to achieve that without completely tearing the bike apart and starting over. It had some basically good bones; they just needed a bit of tweaking.

Next time we will begin discussing the build in more detail from the point just as the first cuts were made…

The 1963 Triumph - Part 2. Enter Jimmi Davies