When you buy a new dirt bike, you expect the factory to offer you a stripped-down, light-as-can-be machine, ready to ride away. But in the early days of off-roading, this wasn?t the case.
Most dirt bikes were essentially road bikes that customers stripped down and lightened themselves, with no dedicated off-road steering or frame geometry. This 1956 Triumph TR6 ?Desert Sled? is a typical example?and that?s how Seth Neefus of Portland, Oregon likes it.

?I always dream about what a dirt bike or dual sport bike would look like if it rolled out of a factory back in the 1950s,? says Seth. ?Just something simple and fun, with a little bit of style?to catch the eye of people when the motorcycle came roaring through the streets and off into the desert.? As if building up a pre-unit Triumph from the 50s isn?t hard enough, Seth also started his desert sled project with nothing but a box of mismatched parts.

Luckily, the engine had already been rebuilt and the frame had a clean title so it could be registered for road use. Unluckily, Seth still had a lot of missing parts to find.
Seth rebuilt the forks with heavier springs and gave the wheels the same treatment, before wrapping them in trials-style tires. Like the ?hare scramble? bikes of yore, there is no front fender, speedometer or anything else that could break or weigh down the bike. However, there is a headlight?an old 6-volt Lucas that still has its original cover.

The frame, fork lowers and swingarm were powder-coated...