So here we go.... I bought this '96 Trophy 1200 as a non-runner on eBay one night - I really shouldn't drink and browse but hey, you know how it goes. Anyway to cut a long story short, I organised a courier to pick it up from Essex and bring it home to me in Dorset. Shiply do a great job and I can definitely recommend them if anyone needs a bike transported anywhere in the country - it would have cost me more in fuel alone! The bike itself is very scruffy but I was prepared for that so I quickly tore off all the plasticky bits to have a closer look at the oily bits. It looks like it hasn't been ridden for about 10 years (there was still a tax disc) but it had been stored in a workshop for most of that time and covered in dust and general crud. A quick blast with the pressure washer revealed a surprisingly intact engine and frame so I got the spanners out. It looks like the previous owner(s) have upgraded the coils to Nology items (a common mod) and the rear shock looks fairly new. The brakes still work so the calipers have not seized but the clutch has no pressure so this will need a look later. I popped a new battery in but the bike is electrically completely dead - not good. I poked some power into the solenoid and she spins over! It sounds like there is good compression but I will do a proper compression test later (ordered an adaptor for my tester to get down to the plug holes) So thats it for now - I will update things as I progress with the build
More alcohol fuelled eBaying over the weekend - I have ordered a Speedmaster fuel tank, seat and rear fender so the Trospeed project is now becoming real (at least in my head) I am a big fan of the Bobber and Speedy - love the laid back looks and style. Lets see what evolves .....
I'm guessing that the Speedmaster tank (or the T300 frame) will need some modification as the Speedmaster is Bonneville based (I think?) which is a completely different frame. Alll things are possible, of course, so it's just a question of how rather than why!
The how ! Cut the underside/base out of a munted t300 tank, invert it , put America tank over the top. This will give some ideas , measure depth of the tunnel in each tank , will give you a go or no go with mating top with base ??
Today I managed to get the bike stripped down to bare bones (more or less) and one thing that niggled me was the flappy clutch lever - no pressure at all. Tried bleeding it but couldn't get anything out of the slave nipple. I then tried my 'last resort' trick of sticking a syringe full of fluid onto the nipple and squeezing fluid in that way - a sort of reverse bleed. Loads of air bubbles appeared in the master cylinder and voila! The clutch feels solid ..... too solid and something is seized in there. I am thinking a seized slave cylinder? Its too dark to continue today so I thought I would have a look at the manual with a cup of coffee. Any ideas guys?
It worked! (although my coffee was a very nice espresso) After consulting the magic book of words I discovered that just three bolts stood between me and the answer to my problem, so I donned my head torch and whipped off the slave cylinder - yep ..... seized solid. I pumped the piston out and discovered what looked like Marmite in there! Thick brown sludge and a muck-caked piston - Yuk! 10 minutes later after a strip down, careful clean and rebuild, a fresh flushing of the very best DOT4 and presto! I have a working clutch now That's a relief
Seriously?? That is a whole load of work which would challenge the best fabricator (of which I am not ) I'm definitely crossing my fingers on this one. The T300 top frame member is around 75mm diameter and looking at a picture of a Speedy tank it actually looks quite similar to the Trophy in many ways, even flaring out to miss the coils. Either way I will find out later in the week when the tank arrives. Selection of big hammers on standby
The America tank looks to have a much deeper channel. Cutting and welding look like a possibility not to be ignored, you if the channels are too different , you will end up with a tank that sits Too high/forward/backwards or To low and Samo samo ??
The tank arrived today - as it was from a salvage breaker I was expecting some damage but apart from a few scratches it is perfect! As expected, the coils will need to be relocated a little and the front mounting rubbers are in completely the wrong place but I think it will work with a bit of ingenuity. The tank is a bit bigger than I calculated though I reckon it looks quite at home on there .... Still got plenty of clearance on lock to lock too
Yep, or at least I will be radically remodelling it to accommodate the Speedy seat & rear fender (presently plonked over the rear wheel). The tank will need a rear fixing of some kind and I still haven't decided what to do on that bit yet
Yep, the CRK boys certainly know their stuff and I will be looking at their kits as time goes on. Well, the point of no return has been reached now - I got Mr Angry Grinder out of his box. I cut the horizontal seat rail off and mocked up how I want it to look. I aim to triangulate the frame under the new seat in line with the base, giving a hint of a hard tail (sort of) and putting some strength back into the frame. I will be dropping the rear suspension a bit to get it into proportion but you get the idea.