My new TSS

Congratulations, very nice bike. But at first you schould get rid of these terrible ULO / BMW
Turn signals. The German Importer of that time (Wüst Brothers)changed them immediatly
when the bikes were uncrated. There were many baskets full of that blinkers around there workshop
 
That's a score. Did you airfreight it over from the US?
How someone can resist putting miles on that bike when new is beyond me.
Probably the only one like it in the world.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Handle bars are an unexpected issue it seems.

I was intending to keep the stock U.K. spec bars, I had them on my Harris Bonnie years ago and thought they were fine.

But, in order for the e start button to not foul the tank, the bars a forced into a (for me) unnatural and un-Triumph like angle.

I wasn’t intending to go the usual western bar route on this.

Any sensible suggestions ?
Click to expand...
What a Kerfuffle by the factory.
Hope you can work that out.
Very Nice score there.......
 
Fast Eddie said:
As a kid, my Father and Grandfather were responsible for making me a Brit Bike nut, and possibly because Meriden was the only factory still producing, I kinda developed into a Triumph nut.

I used to dream about leaving school, getting a job and getting a brand new Triumph. Then in ‘82, when I was still only 14, the TSS came out… THAT was what I was gonna get! But, of course, they went bust a year later, scuppering my plan! I did have one in the 90s for a while (great bike), but I’d missed my chance of ever buying a new one.

So, 44 years later my goal is finally met… a brand new (albeit 43 year old) Triumph TSS !! @speirmoor is largely to blame for putting me on to this (seriously, thanks dude).

It’s totally ex-factory, unused tool kit, unfilled battery, 1.7 miles on the clock, Meriden air in the tyres, etc. So now I gotta decide what to do regarding a 43 year late PDI / recommissioning job to get it on the road. I don’t want to over do it (I have been known to), but I still seem to have created quite a list of jobs (no surprise there then)!

Unlike my old one, I’ll treat this one more gently and keep the revs ‘down’ to 7k rpm ish I think.

View attachment 125485View attachment 125486
Click to expand...
By a close look at the photo's I remember another odd fact of meriden history.
The Lockheed Alu-Calipers which were used on the meriden bikes are a deceptive
packaging. They were special made for meriden with just the smaller pistons like
the steel-calipers, because they thought the real racing-Calipers with the bigger pistons
would be beyond the driving skill's of the normal user ! Strangely the retrofit-kit's
had always the big piston's which we are used to !
 
What an incredible find! Rather like archaeology, as you say, getting into working on it. I doubt you'll need to do anything much to the engine, other than draining whatever oil's in it and priming the crank with a pressure can from the nose, squrting a bit in the bores and down the pushrod tubes etc. The clutch might need unsticking I suppose but maybe not? New hydraulic hoses, seals for good measure, new tyres, new battery, a general lubing of everything that moves and it should be ready to go, especially if it's been stored without any petrol in the tank or carbs. Then it should just be the normal break-in routine with routine servicing as the handbook advises. I hope it turns out to be a good'un.
 
ESO-terix said:
By a close look at the photo's I remember another odd fact of meriden history.
The Lockheed Alu-Calipers which were used on the meriden bikes are a deceptive
packaging. They were special made for meriden with just the smaller pistons like
the steel-calipers, because they thought the real racing-Calipers with the bigger pistons
would be beyond the driving skill's of the normal user ! Strangely the retrofit-kit's
had always the big piston's which we are used to !
Click to expand...
I’m not entirely sure, but I know think I recall reading somewhere that the smaller pistons were specified so they didn’t need to change the master cylinder ?
 
Fast Eddie said:
I’m not entirely sure, but I know think I recall reading somewhere that the smaller pistons were specified so they didn’t need to change the master cylinder ?
Click to expand...
If it's the case, then the retrofit - kits should have delivered with another master cylinder ? About 15 years ago I had ordered 2 repair-kit's from
Norton Motors Joe Seifert. The kits arrived and didn't fit, all parts for the big pistons. Talked with him on phone, he couldn't believe it.
2 days later I got a call from him and he told the above story which he got from an retired Lockheed employee.
 
ESO-terix said:
If it's the case, then the retrofit - kits should have delivered with another master cylinder ? About 15 years ago I had ordered 2 repair-kit's from
Norton Motors Joe Seifert. The kits arrived and didn't fit, all parts for the big pistons. Talked with him on phone, he couldn't believe it.
2 days later I got a call from him and he told the above story which he got from an retired Lockheed employee.
Click to expand...
Interesting stuff, according to Google:

“Stock single-disc models use a 5/8 (15.875 mm) bore, while later twin-disc models use a 0.700" (17.78 mm) bore”.

Based on my experience with twin AP calipers on other bikes I reckon the ‘single disc’ 5/8 master cyl might be better with the twin discs, especially the smaller pistons versions.
 
Last edited:
I’ve long thought that bore ratios of motorcycle disc brakes, particularly earlier designs, tended to have master cylinder bores that were overly large- and that this was likely due to a desire to make brake feel and feedback similar to the drum brakes they were replacing.

Vintage Brake offers the following:


I’ve replaced the master cylinders on three early 1970’s machines with surprising results, the greatest improvement being to my RD400 racer which was originally set up with a Lockheed caliper and the factory Yamaha 5/8” master. This setup was reasonably powerful but felt wooden and required a good squeeze. I swapped to Vintage Brakes recommended ratio with a cheap aftermarket master cylinder….. Now the brake is more powerful for a given lever pressure and the feedback and modulation control is fantastic.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Fast Eddie said:
Interesting stuff, according to Google:

“Stock single-disc models use a \(5 \diagup 8"\) (15.875 mm) bore, while later twin-disc models use a 0.700" (17.78 mm) bore”.

Based on my experience with twin AP calipers on other bikes I reckon the ‘single disc’ 5/8 master cyl might be better with the twin discs, especially the smaller pistons versions.
Click to expand...

May be it's a google fail-information, a 17,78 mm master makes absolutely no sense, also I have never seen nor heard of one. I think you are right
Click to expand...
with your experience since I never rode the bike with the small pistons, I've just redone the calipers for a friend

 
Elfix said:
I’ve long thought that bore ratios of motorcycle disc brakes, particularly earlier designs, tended to have master cylinder bores that were overly large- and that this was likely due to a desire to make brake feel and feedback similar to the drum brakes they were replacing.

Vintage Brake offers the following:


I’ve replaced the master cylinders on three early 1970’s machines with surprising results, the greatest improvement being to my RD400 racer which was originally set up with a Lockheed caliper and the factory Yamaha 5/8” master. This setup was reasonably powerful but felt wooden and required a good squeeze. I swapped to Vintage Brakes recommended ratio with a cheap aftermarket master cylinder….. Now the brake is more powerful for a given lever pressure and the feedback and modulation control is fantastic.
Click to expand...
According to that chart if Triumph had used the small single disc master cyl along with the big pistons (41mm) in the twin callipers, they’d have been almost cock on !
 
I modified a single output BMW master cylinder (14mm piston) to a double output and installed it in place of the factory 17mm unit on my 76 R90s. By VB’s chart this was a much better match for the ATE brakes.

It’s indeed better- but even with new SS brake lines the system feels a bit mushy. Part of this is likely due to BMW’s ludicrous cable operated under-tank master cylinder arrangement which adds plenty of flex into things, in addition to the ATE “swinging” calipers. Initial attack is soft as everything aligns itself, followed by very good power and feedback. It’s improved a little as the pads have bedded in, and I’ll be sticking with the smaller master. I can almost force the lever back to the grip in the shop but in practice even under super hard braking that much pressure isn’t needed.

Curiously, BMW went from a 16mm master to the larger 17mm one in ‘76, which put the ratio further from the “sweet spot”. Perhaps BMW was concerned riders might not be able to cope with the power of the twin discs.
 

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