1982 Triumph Bonneville T140ES

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Aug 21, 2015
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I an dickering to buy the above referenced motorcycle. The trouble is we really don't know what it is. When the seller .bought it he was told that it was a Royal. As near as I can determine I think it is a Electro. Any ideas how to figure this out. The title and the MSO just identifies it as a T140ES. Help!
 
CPTCONDO said:
I an dickering to buy the above referenced motorcycle. The trouble is we really don't know what it is. When the seller .bought it he was told that it was a Royal. As near as I can determine I think it is a Electro. Any ideas how to figure this out. The title and the MSO just identifies it as a T140ES. Help!

'Electro' was just a label stuck on (some) electric start models. Which yours should be as it is an 'ES'. Interestingly, due to the fragility of the ES system (and the fact that an ES failure lead to further damage in a few cases) some UK dealers removed the ES parts before selling new bikes. A friend bought a brand new 750 ES, complete with 'Electro' stickers... But no electric start!

There is no Royal model, it was he 'Royal Wedding' model. Whether or not it is one of these will be clear from its appearance, if you post pictures, that will quickly be resolved.

I am not sure whether or not Royal Wedding models came with certificates of authenticity like the earlier Silver Jubilee models.
 
There was also some sort of "Exectutive" model with fairing and bags, if I recall correctly...
 
Fast Eddie said:
CPTCONDO said:
I an dickering to buy the above referenced motorcycle. The trouble is we really don't know what it is. When the seller .bought it he was told that it was a Royal. As near as I can determine I think it is a Electro. Any ideas how to figure this out. The title and the MSO just identifies it as a T140ES. Help!

'Electro' was just a label stuck on (some) electric start models. Which yours should be as it is an 'ES'. Interestingly, due to the fragility of the ES system (and the fact that an ES failure lead to further damage in a few cases) some UK dealers removed the ES parts before selling new bikes. A friend bought a brand new 750 ES, complete with 'Electro' stickers... But no electric start!

There is no Royal model, it was the 'Royal Wedding' model. Whether or not it is one of these will be clear from its appearance, if you post pictures, that will quickly be resolved.

I am not sure whether or not Royal Wedding models came with certificates of authenticity like the earlier Silver Jubilee models.

According to Wikipedia, I was wrong about the appearance as:
"There were also Royal Bonnevilles exported to the USA to the specification of Triumph Motorcycles America. These were like UK Royals but with black frames and gold-lined, black tanks. The stylised Prince Of Wales's feathers on their side panel badges were retained next to the word 'Royal' but the '1981' date was deleted. Their engines were finished in black like the UK version but with polished covers like the US version"

So yours could well be geniune. It should have a certificate though. If missing, the TOMC will be able to clarify from the Frame number.
 
Thank you very much. This bike does not have the feathers. It also has black fenders with gold stripes. What is the TOMC? Hope this helps. Did you get the pictures I sent you? Thanks for your help!
 
CPTCONDO said:
Thank you very much. This bike does not have the feathers. It also has black fenders with gold stripes. What is the TOMC? Hope this helps. Did you get the pictures I sent you? Thanks for your help!

Yes, I got your (very poor quality) pics and immediately thought it was NOT a Royal Wedding edition because I thought they only came in very unique and quite striking colour combinations.

However, a quick google check soon corrected me on that and yours could well be a US spec Royal Wedding.

It could also 'just' be a stock T140 with some Royal wedding side panel badges!

The only ways to tell are a) does it have a certificate and b) check with the Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club (TOMC) and they will tell you for sure from the frame number.
 
Well no luck with the club. They didn't have anything more then we already knew. According to the Manufactures Statement of Origin I believe they misidentified it at the factory. I have a copy of the MSO and it just identifies it simple as a T140ES and nothing else. What is the certificate you are talking about? Thanks
 
CPTCONDO said:
Well no luck with the club. They didn't have anything more then we already knew. According to the Manufactures Statement of Origin I believe they misidentified it at the factory. I have a copy of the MSO and it just identifies it simple as a T140ES and nothing else. What is the certificate you are talking about? Thanks

Check this out for some overview info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Bonneville_T140

Regarding the certificate, wiki says: "The T140LE stood for 'Limited Edition' and each came with an owner's certificate signed by the dealer and chairman of Triumph".

So, if the factory records Show your bike as a T140ES, and if you do not have a certificate showing it as a T140 LE, then unfortunately my assumption would be that you in fact have a T140ES which someone has fitted "Royal Wedding" side panel badges to...
 
Yes I think your assumption is correct. Even if it was a Royal Wedding the deciding factor is the Manufactures Statement of Origin which say is a ES. My question is what model because their are several models with electric start. Also because of the changes in ownership and other problems with Triumph I doubt if any factory records are available to see if there is any evidence what it really is. Thanks a ton for all your help.
 
CPTCONDO said:
Yes I think your assumption is correct. Even if it was a Royal Wedding the deciding factor is the Manufactures Statement of Origin which say is a ES. My question is what model because their are several models with electric start. Also because of the changes in ownership and other problems with Triumph I doubt if any factory records are available to see if there is any evidence what it really is. Thanks a ton for all your help.

It is a T140ES. That's probably all the factory records will show. So, its a twin carb 4 valve 750 with electric start. Other models at the time inc the T140E (ie no elec start), Thunderbird, Tiger, Tiger Trail, Executive, TSX and TSS.

The only difference between a T140ES and a T140ES is the electric starter and associated wiring and switches and badges.

All T140 derivients came in a host of colour options. Choice of peanut tank or bigger one. US bars and UK bars.

As far as I am aware, all late T140s came with unpainted stainless steel mudguards.

So in terms of spec and colour scheme, yours looks pretty factory-ish to me. The only question mark being the painted mudguards.

So, enjoy your T140ES for what it is, a nice T140ES !
 
One last observation: Here is a website I found I thought you might find of interest if you haven't seen it before. One thing I think it points out is the erratic way Triumph identified their machines. As an example the Electro looks a great deal like the model we have yet it would seems that it was an existing model with the addition of the electric start. So as near as I can determine is that there is The royal Wedding, the Electro and the one we have which does not have a model designation. What we set out to do is find out what specific model it really is so we could determined a value on it for selling purposes.
 
CPTCONDO said:
One last observation: Here is a website I found I thought you might find of interest if you haven't seen it before. One thing I think it points out is the erratic way Triumph identified their machines. As an example the Electro looks a great deal like the model we have yet it would seems that it was an existing model with the addition of the electric start. So as near as I can determine is that there is The royal Wedding, the Electro and the one we have which does not have a model designation. What we set out to do is find out what specific model it really is so we could determined a value on it for selling purposes.

The name "electro" was just a sticker to 'brand' the fact the bikes had electric start.

If it was a 'standard' model T140 with an electric start, it was a T140ES.

It is pretty much beyond doubt now that you have a T140ES.
 
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