As promised, Wednesday is upon us and it is time to reveal my new bike (drum roll please)............. This is Betsy, my 1966 T120 Triumph Bonneville Been tucked up in the corner of this garage for close on 40 years, until dragged out last week. So the old boy decided to move house and needs to clear out. If I was some hipster twat, I would call it a barn find , but I'm not and we don't really keep bikes in barns, so it's my garage find. I have the original green card 'V5' and the reciept for the pricely sum of £130 paid for it. He rode it into the garage in late '78 and never took it out again. Just parked up, pushed into a corner, bars taken off to be pushed some more and plastic sheetin and blanket chucked over and forgotten about. So my current plan is to get it running and riding. Just going to leave the original patina and make it work. Brakes work (badly), suspension works (badly), tires hold air !!!!, the only downside is the seized engine and the rats nest of electrical connections.I might do a full restoration in time, or flog it on when bored, really not made my mind up yet. Plus, as admin on the forum, I really should have a Triumph I will start a restoration thread, I know how you boys like photo's. Thanks to @Dozers Dad , @stevethegoolie and @darkman for the input and technical advice. This is a bloody great forum.
Well Mr O that beats the hell out of the Dilli 'guess what I've bought, oh shit it's a portaloo' 10 page thread!
Great looking bike Cleaned up and sorted you have one of the best front brakes, only made for 69/70 year the TLS front brake will lock the the front wheel at any speed
She does, unfortunately not quite as attractive. In there was a 1978 Honda CB750. I can hook you (or any one else) up with her??? , but he's only looking for £1200 for it. I bought that for £20 years ago, ex AA recover trailer, unbolts and fits in the back of the freelander for easy run to fetch bikes, without having an empty trailer hopping and skipping around. Great piece of kit as long as the rear tyre is not too big. Can't get Tuono on it, bloody tyre too wide. Use it all the time for the pit bike, or if I ever take the KTM any distance (50 miles and yer arse is like a catholic chior boys ) Edit:Just looked at picture, it does look like shit. It's fully galvanised, but previous owner was a dick and painted it black (Dilli?), but from ever other angle it is just galvanised, and looks OK'ish. , not sure why, but we can sniff a bargain out at 90 miles away
I was offered a 78 CB750 last week, I actually went to see it and bought Suzuki GS750 instead. as soon as I saw the GS I lost interest in the CB? A real find, and enough there to keep you busy, and engaged. Congratulations.
Nice to get a better look at the wee beastie! A few observations:- Front brake is the tls upgrade from later models - excellent! Rear wheel is also non standard for the year - conical hub was from the oil in frame era to the best of my knowledge. Exhaust headers, with the balance pipe, are from later models - 1968 onwards I think. Chain guard may well be non standard - certainly different (somewhat cut down) to anything mine ever had. Tappet covers are an after market accessory which were a common addition in those days. Ask me how I know!! Silencers are non standard, but I guess that you already knew that. Whilst it is largely irrelevant, the mileage is low for the year - about 1000 miles per year on the road! Just sayin' really! I would say that when it was running it was being well looked after, with the addition of sensible mods and upgrades. If it will go into gear then try to free up the engine by putting it in gear and rocking it gently backwards and forwards (put it on the centre stand and try to turn the rear wheel back and forth by hand, preferably) to try to encourage it to move. Hope the above is helpful. My jealousy knows no bounds - I am as green as the Jolly Green Giant at the peak of his powers. But uglier! Incidentally .... if you have one green ball in one hand, and one green ball in the other hand, what do you have?? Total control of the Jolly Green Giant! Coat .... hat .... door!
I Restored a few classic cars in my time, so have all the imperial stuff kicking about. Even a set of ratchet spanners in imperial from the states. You can complete rebuild a series land rover with 3 spanners!!!!
I would be totally ependant on the metric sizes that equivalent to imperial on spanners. Might have some buried in the dark recesses of a tool box somewhere. Halfords do give you some imperial sockets in there tool kits but oddly enough not spanners.
