Trusty Triumph

Fast Eddie · Aug 7, 2022

I dragged the T140 out of storage this week, been there a year or so.

No excess oil in the sump, oil tank level not dropped at all in fact.

Had to pump up the tyres and fit a new battery and give it a wipe over with an oily rag.

It fired first kick and started on the second.

”Always trust your trusty Triumph” as the advertising logo went in the ‘30s !

However… when I proudly informed my (Japanese) wife, her response was classic: “thats the difference between British and Japanese engineering dear… when a Triumph starts like that it’s a celebration… with a Honda it’s expected”.

Doncha just hate it when they’re right ?!?

worntorn · Aug 7, 2022

She is right.
However , sometimes that gets turned on its head-

A few years ago we were on the 47 vin heading for the Vincent Rally at the Gorge in Oregon.
We decided to take the wilderness route around the back side of Mount St. Helens, an active Volcano that last erupted in 1981.
This is a very remote area and the GPS got confused, as did I.
At some point I took a wrong turn, left the rough paved road for much rougher gravel.
After a few miles I saw a sign that indicated the road went up to an icefield 20 miles or so ahead. It was time to turn around!
We hadn't seen another vehicle in ages, however near the sign there was a small gravel parking lot with one lonely Toyota LandCruiser parked there .
As we were turning the lone occupant of the Toyota jumped out and ran over , obviously desperate. I shut the bike off. He told me that the Toyota was kaput, broken rear axle.
He asked to borrow my phone as his was not working. Mine wouldn't either as there is no cell reception thru that whole 100 mile or so stretch.
He had been stuck there for a day and a half hoping someone would come along, and we were the first. He had gone thru his emergency supply of water and food.
I gave him a bottle of water and some snacks we had on board.
He asked me to phone in his request for BCAA assistance once I reached an area with phone reception. That turned out to be 90 miles away at our motel for the night.
He gave me all the info on his vehicle plus his BCAA member # etc. Just as we were to leave I remembered to ask him the year of the Toyota for the call in.
" It's a 99" says he. " That's why it keeps breaking down"

I nod my head in agreement, give the 1947 Vin a boot, it fires up, as always, and off we go.

Glen

Matchless · Aug 7, 2022

Nigel,
You can tell your wife that my TR7 Tiger started first kick after a long rest period, unlike my mates Honda 750/4, which didn't. Eventually we had to use that strange lever thingy to get it going, as the sprag kept on slipping. HA!

acadian · Aug 9, 2022

Since the total rebuild/hot up this past winter, I've spent more time with the T140 than with the Commando so far this year. I've had the bike for 25 yeas and she's always been faithful and reliable. Just so much fun to ride, and she's running beautifully.

Fast Eddie · Aug 9, 2022

acadian said:
Since the total rebuild/hot up this past winter, I've spent more time with the T140 than with the Commando so far this year. I've had the bike for 25 yeas and she's always been faithful and reliable. Just so much fun to ride, and she's running beautifully.

Agreed, a nice T140 is just a nice ride.

A bit more go would be nice though… might have to do a spot of hotting up here too…!

Matt Spencer · Aug 9, 2022

Hurumph ,

ah well . Was looking for the ' TRUSTY ' telex addressed addresss . But theyre 750's Wot . !

Left foot shift ones can be a bit naff , but 73 mufflers etc haul ass . a good one hauls up past the ton ,
no trouble . 4 speed its in 3rd , so definately something wrong with one if it wont pull the ton in 4 th .

Matt Spencer · Aug 9, 2022

All the Kiwi ones seeed to have the short end mufflers.

If we could find where they grew them , we'd be in buisness .

Fast Eddie · Aug 10, 2022

I’ve (almost) always run Norton peashooters on late Triumph twins. They look, run and sound great IMO.

Buying ANY type of supposedly stock baffled silencer these days simply puts you at the random mercy of the pattern parts manufactures, most of which are in the Far East and most likely have NEVER seen a works drawing or spec! So you’ve got NO idea what’s inside them or how they’re gonna work.

A late, left foot 750 is a great bike IF screwed together properly… definately one of the most under rated usable classic bikes out there.

5 speed box, better oil pump, better electrics, electronic ignition, etc all as standard.

What’s next for mine is an engine strip to fit the Hyde half race cams I’ve got on the shelf and improve the crank case breather arrangement.

But first I need to get a round tuit…

Tigernut · Aug 10, 2022

I very briefly owned a CB750 once. Lardy, gutless thing. One morning I had to heat the head with a blowtorch before it would start. According to the Honda dealership's head mechanic (I took it to him to find out why it was so slow), when he took it for a test ride he found nothing wrong with it and pronounced it a good one. I sold it as soon as I could.

If my Triumphs don;t start first kick, even in mid winter, I'm surprised

acadian · Aug 10, 2022

Fast Eddie said:
I’ve (almost) always run Norton peashooters on late Triumph twins. They look, run and sound great IMO.

Buying ANY type of supposedly stock baffled silencer these days simply puts you at the random mercy of the pattern parts manufactures, most of which are in the Far East and most likely have NEVER seen a works drawing or spec! So you’ve got NO idea what’s inside them or how they’re gonna work.

A late, left foot 750 is a great bike IF screwed together properly… definately one of the most under rated usable classic bikes out there.

5 speed box, better oil pump, better electrics, electronic ignition, etc all as standard.

What’s next for mine is an engine strip to fit the Hyde half race cams I’ve got on the shelf and improve the crank case breather arrangement.

But first I need to get a round tuit…

Machining a breather vent at the front of the cases worked well for me, I have the vent plumbed to a MikesXS reed tucked up between the headstock gussets. No wadding material in the cavity, but my breather vents to the oil tank just above the filler. I can confirm oil does get pumped through that vent, which makes me feel less anxious about having plugged the tappet oil feed.

Matt Spencer · Aug 10, 2022

Im abit agin drilling holes in rare and un replaceable ?? components . !!

EVEN think that likely the unbreathered ( Bar the litle cam outlet pipe )
may be revier , due to the C case compression cushioning the pistons , and RODS of as severe a shock loading .
Not to mention the crank .

Think the 1 1/8 ' T T 120 ' ports are a GO , as are 1 3/4 pipes ( 1956 odd fit well if the top is cut back a little )
cut to Boyers / Sheltons LENGTH . For 2 litre Cortinas this equates to exactly a Beer Jug Full , to match lengths .

Theres info around on the T T head PART NUMBER ( all TT heads are casting No Blah . ! ) so if its for the open road
you can usually get out of town without hitting something . Not as shirty as a SS Combat Cam .

A lot of the action is in the LIFTERS , various radiuses . Even FLAT . But youve GOT TO WATCH that the heel & cam face
are where the contact is , if it goes over to the corner of the lifter ( heel to short ) itll dig in and SNAP .

The W&S Valve Spring Kit is excellent too , first used ? in the 1955 T 100 R dirt tracker . Then theres chrome moly pushrods
if your cams are savage . OEM Quality Rod Bolts would be the Big Worry ? ? . and no hi dome pistons . the 650 9.5 : 1 s could be quicker .
Measured 9.75 with O S valves out on clean valve seat - so not recessed .

motorcyclist illustrated ran a series by Ray Knight on a T 140 Thruxton , around 1973 , he was building .

Onder · Aug 11, 2022

73-74 twins my fav. I like the drum in the after section. But the Commando far better in the vibration department. The OIF handles well but is a bit too tall for my liking.

baz · Aug 11, 2022

Onder said:
73-74 twins my fav. I like the drum in the after section. But the Commando far better in the vibration department. The OIF handles well but is a bit too tall for my liking.

Too tall?
Do you mean the early high frame oif triumphs and BSAs?

acadian · Aug 11, 2022

baz said:
Too tall?
Do you mean the early high frame oif triumphs and BSAs?

That was for 72? I think they lowered the sub frame for 73

Onder · Aug 11, 2022

I had a 71 BSA 650 and a 73 750 Bonnie. If the frame was lowered, which I think it was, cannot say it was dramatic.
All later BSATri frames seem too tall to me. Only frame I like is the 70 Rickman which allows me to plant both feet flat on
the ground.

Matt Spencer · Aug 12, 2022

Top is the later / T 140 , disc T 120 . Lowered seat rail version . They ran shorter shocks & lower fork sperings , too .

Belows the original ? 650 BSA / Triumph drum brake 13 in ? shock 31 in seat version . Lotta modern tripes a lot higher . !

Bit obvious , if you look at the oil return fitting under the oil filler cap .

BSA version . If you cut the tubes / cradle out , and put a 1 5/8 ( min ) longer run under , the Pre Unit fits nicely . As the fuel tanks match the badges are the problem .
Cuting the bottom tubes & fitting 1 1/4 slugs is a bit tight - and yr get a kink at under the top gusset pushing the downtubes forward . Making a clean breast of it -

Reworking / refitting the fr / lower ' L ' would get a cleaner more professional and workmanlike result . Top gussets need a little attention down fwd. to match . Best done
first before new cradle installed , as cleaning up the welds has full access before fitting cradle ! For someone who wants a affordable race P. U. 650 chassis . ! ?

Courtesy Mr Madigan . : " The A65 will not fit without moving the lower and front engine mounts and adding the rear engine mounts. It appears you got an A65 motor with a Triumph frame. The T120 rear engine mounts are at the swingarm plates, whereas the A65 rear mounts are on the centre stand cross brace and backbone. "

No shortage of BSa frames ! .

wavey_davey · Aug 14, 2022

Yes a significant difference in seat height between my brother's 71 Trophy (high pipe Tiger ) and my 75 T140 , probably in the region of 2 inches . They frigged around with seat padding etc as I recall before they altered the seat rail position ? Anyhow , the seat height on his Trophy is perfectly manageable and hardly any higher than my Mk2 Rocket 3 , and nobody ever seemed to complain about those ?
I've said it before and I'll say it again , my dynamically balanced T140 is easily as smooth as my nicely sorted commando up to 75 mph and it really doesn't get rough above that , just I can't hang on !

L.A.B. · Aug 14, 2022

baz said:
Too tall?
Do you mean the early high frame oif triumphs and BSAs?

acadian said:
That was for 72? I think they lowered the sub frame for 73

Lowered during the 1972 production year on Triumph 650s from CG 50414 (March '72). BSAs didn't get the lowered seat frame.

Matt Spencer said:
They ran shorter shocks & lower fork sperings , too .

Shocks, yes, but although over 80 parts (including the cylinder head) were changed/deleted/added, the fork springs (or fork damper assemblies) are not on the list because it was the seat rail position on the frame that was lowered, not the complete frame.

Trusty Triumph

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