Written by Tim Huber.
Produced from 1998 to 2001, Triumph?s Legend TT is basically a more affordable, less flashy version of the Thunderbird 900. The running gear and amenities are pretty unremarkable, but it features the Hinckley firm?s famous three-banger and a decent enough frame. So with a few performance parts and a cosmetic redesign, Nicola Martini of Italy?s Mr. Martini fame, reasoned it?d make for a solid base for his next project bike. So a 2001 Legend TT donor was sourced, and the build ? dubbed “Bob” ? got underway.

The bike wasn?t commissioned by a customer and was instead built as a personal passion project of Nicola?s to compete in the upcoming sprint races at Wildays later this month. Held at the Riccardo Paletti racetrack in picturesque Varano de? Melegari, Italy, Wildays is a three-day festival and celebration of racing, vintage bikes, customs, and motorcycle culture, with food, art, and music tossed in for good measure. The event packs road racing, drag duals, flat track, and various off-road races into a single weekend of camping, competition, and camaraderie.
But, with a dry weight of around 475lbs and a somewhat underwhelming 70hp (and 53.1ft-lbs of torque) on tap, it was clear that the Legend?s engine would need some massaging if it was to be competitive come race day. So, in order to squeeze a bit more oomph from the liquid-cooled, 885cc, DOHC, triple, Nicola installed a throng of lightened engine internals and an electronic gearbox (...