The style of '60s and '70s American flat track racers continues to influence custom builders and none more successfully than this beautiful build by Richard Pollock, aka Mule, of California.

Flat-Track Triumph T140

There's no doubt that flat-track racing bikes of the 1960s and 1970s are some of the coolest race bikes ever. Stripped down to the bare minimum, they were purposeful and lean....and fast!

It's no surprise, therefore, to find increasing numbers of flat-track-inspired bikes being built and one of the best we've seen recently was showcased by www.bikeexif.com.

This particular bike, however, was originally a race bike of the 1970s and came to Mule Motorcycles in a sorry and forlorn state.

Renowned builder Richard Pollock, aka Mule, from California took on the project which went from a simple job involving upgrades to the running gear to a full-on restoration and recreation. The engine is a 750cc Triumph parallel twin engine from a Bonneville T140, housed in a vintage Panther frame from the 1970s.

In its original guise, the T140 engine pushed out 54bhp. Now, thanks to the engine building skills of Charles Barnes of Branch-O-Keefe, it produces significantly more. It runs on 34mm Mikunis and breathes out the other side through a custom exhaust by Mark McDade. Electronic ignition removes the pain of a points set-up and the gear change lever has been swapped from left (the T140 was the first Triumph with a left-foot gear change) to the right.

Showa forks up front and Hagon shocks at the rear support Sun rims, laced to a Yamaha XS650 hub at the front and Barnes hub at the back, while brake calipers come from a 2007 Triumph at the front and Brembo at the back. A pair of Goldentyre rubber hoops complete the picture.

The attention to detail is fantastic and, quite apart from the quality of the engineering, it's the looks that really set this build apart. It's as lean and lithe as an original race bike and, with a tuned Bonneville 750 engine - an engine that already had a good spread of torque compared to the older 650cc motor - it promises to go as well as it looks.

You can keep up to date with all Mule Motorcycles and Richard Pollock's work on Instagram and at their website here

BikeEXIF covers the whole custom, bobber and cafe racer scene with great style. Thanks to them for bringing this amazing bike to the world's attention.