Another recommissioning project for me

Flatspot

Flatspot

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Not mine, but it needs a refurb. Mostly a clean and polish. 3600 miles only, unmoved for at least the past 25 years since it was left languishing in a corridor behind my office and getting damaged by the idiots in the warehouse. Very dusty but under the dust it looks pristine. I wonder if it’s got any oil in the tank?
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Another recommissioning project for me
 
A reasonably late T160 as it has the rubber-mounted footrest assembly with 'Norton Commando' rubbers, etc.
 
L.A.B. said:
A reasonably late T160 as it has the rubber-mounted footrest assembly with 'Norton Commando' rubbers, etc.
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Well you know of course I just had to pop out and have a look at mine too. Mine is solidly mounted unlike this one. It’s number 5390 where mine is 4437.
 
Flatspot said:
Well you know of course I just had to pop out and have a look at mine too. Mine is solidly mounted unlike this one. It’s number 5390 where mine is 4437.
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My T160 is later still (NN 067xx) but has the solidly mounted footrests.
 
L.A.B. said:
My T160 is later still (NN 067xx) but has the solidly mounted footrests.
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I’ve just looked through my parts book and the rubber mounted ones aren’t listed. The book is not correct, obviously, but I wonder how yours is later but the earlier style like on mine?
 
Flatspot said:
I’ve just looked through my parts book and the rubber mounted ones aren’t listed. The book is not correct, obviously,...
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As far as I'm aware, the rubber-mounted footrests were a late modification that never made it into any copy (if indeed, there was more than one copy) of the T160 parts book.


Flatspot said:
...but I wonder how yours is later but the earlier style like on mine?
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I have no idea.
All I know is that the rubber-mounted footrests were fitted to late(ish) T160s and I think most if not all T160 Cardinals.

1976 Triumph Cardinal - Equipment - Footrests

A comprehensive resource for the BSA Rocket3 and the Triumph Trident Triples - classic British motorcycles that were built from 1968 to 1975
triplesonline.com

The assembly also seems to have been available as a kit so could possibly have been fitted later or, as Fast Eddie says (although he has deleted his post), they could have been fitting whatever footrest parts they had at Small Heath* at the time but you'd have to ask somebody with better knowledge than me about that.

Klempf's British Parts. FOOTREST, KIT, T160, RUBBER

Vintage British Motorcycle Parts
www.klempfsbritishparts.com www.klempfsbritishparts.com
Another recommissioning project for me


Edit
*(Just in case anyone was wondering, all T160s also late T150s were built at Small Heath, Birmingham, by NVT, not Meriden)
 
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I'm not boasting (so obviously I am ;)) but my T160 has them fitted and I still get some vibration through to the foot pegs.

I have to say though that it is a 930cc now, and when I bought it as a 750cc bike it was so smooth and vibration-less that on my first ride I was gobsmacked, and on that ride I took the revs up to 8500 rpm on the tacho.
 
I’ve made a bit of a start taking it to bits, with the intention of cleaning as much as possible without the need to stripping to restore. Ideally it’ll be a well preserved example and not a show pony. According to my old boss, today he told me that he purchased it 33 years ago and it’s sat unused indoors ever since.
 
Sorry, I got interrupted by the enemy declaring a state of teatime.

under mounds of dust it’s quite nice. Sadly, being housed in a working warehouse environment it hasn’t fared well. Dings here, dents there, scratches despite being under a bike cover. However all of the nuts, screws, bolts and other fasteners have come apart easily so far.

I’ve removed the bars, the master cylinder (full of dried fluid, it’s scrap) and the switchgear, along with the headlamp. Bugger! The rh side headlamp hanger is badly dented but may knock out, maybe, if not I’ll get a pair of stainless ones made up.

The caliper is next to come off, the pads are scrap and have gone powdery. But of course to get that off, the wheel needs to come out. That’ll do for today. Time to rest up.

Tomorrow perhaps a dip in the ultrasonic tank for the switchgear. And on the subject of switchgear - see the difference stock screw against the solitary self tapper in the left switch. If the thread is buggered I have a faulty T140 switch I can rob the carcass off m
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Flatspot said:
The rh side headlamp hanger is badly dented but may knock out, maybe, if not I’ll get a pair of stainless ones made up.
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You should be able to get them in stainless from Clive Scarfe:

Flatspot said:
And on the subject of switchgear - see the difference stock screw against the solitary self tapper in the left switch. If the thread is buggered I have a faulty T140 switch I can rob the carcass off m...???
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Yes ('76 - '78 T140V switch cluster).
 
I got a pair from Clive for mine, they’re brill. I was surprised how difficult it was to find out that he makes some tasty stainless parts, he doesn’t seem to advertise anywhere I frequent.
 
Flatspot said:
I got a pair from Clive for mine, they’re brill. I was surprised how difficult it was to find out that he makes some tasty stainless parts, he doesn’t seem to advertise anywhere I frequent.
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I think it's more of a retirement hobby for him so he probably likes to keep busy but perhaps not too busy if you know what I mean.
 
I had another couple of hours in the garage. I’ve stripped down the switchgear and started to clean it up. The bare rh switch I’ve given a quick buff up and then rebuilt it with new internals by using half of a Commando repair kit. The outer case of the wiring was given a ‘polish’ using Autosol which has reduced the grime nicely - not new, but now just cared for.
Another recommissioning project for me
 
I’m getting fought every step of the way. The forks were truly rusted in place and were a devil to remove. The silencers are also stuck fast. None of the bolts have ever been removed it seems and most are a pain. Then the typical T140/T160 lower fork cap problem has materialised, luckily I can get billet replacements cheaply enough.
Another recommissioning project for me
Another recommissioning project for me
Another recommissioning project for me
Another recommissioning project for me
 
Flatspot said:
I’m getting fought every step of the way. The forks were truly rusted in place and were a devil to remove. The silencers are also stuck fast. None of the bolts have ever been removed it seems and most are a pain. Then the typical T140/T160 lower fork cap problem has materialised, luckily I can get billet replacements cheaply enough. View attachment 103964View attachment 103965View attachment 103966




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I'm wondering just how tight you'd have to tighten the fork bottom clamp bolts to crack those clamps? I've seen them broken before and like you say it's pretty common?
 
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