Hi everyone, Yesterday I bought a 1978 Triumph Bonneville 750 (15k miles) from my neighbor. The motorcycle has been sitting in her garage since 1996 and is obviously in need of some clean up. She (the owner/original owner) said that the last time her and her partner tried running it (in 1996) everything was running smoothly, both mechanically as well as the electrical and switches and stuff, she even threw in the original tank (she has the Euro version on because it has more volume), all of the original manuals with documented services, and a bunch of other parts she had accumulated over the years that they rode. I live in San Diego, CA, and I like to tinker on vehicles but I have never undertaken a restoration, I don't believe this bike needs a full restoration, just some basic mechanical updates (replacing gaskets, brakes, tires, etc), nothing major. Of course I won't know this until I dive into it and take a look to see if there is anything else going on. I was hoping to get some advice from you other Triumph owners/enthusiasts to see if a basic clean up of this bike would be something that a novice bike mechanic could handle or if it's a better idea to find a local mechanic who specializes on Triumphs and/or vintage motorcycles. I would also like to get some recommendations on local mechanics in the San Diego area, even if I do the mechanic work myself it would be great to have this in my back pocket. Thanks in advance for any responses. Doug
Welcome Doug. Welcome indeed to someone with an obvious amount of good taste buying a low mileage T140E, especially one with an English 'bread bin' tank. Good colour too. You really need to do the rebuild yourself, they are not difficult to work on (you'll need some tools) spares are relatively cheap and widely available. Most of all you'll get that warm Triumph owner's 'dicky know it all' feeling inside - particularly when you are showing it off to others. Lots of other 'dicky know it all' experts on here to help you through the rebuild and there's a lot of available knowledge on line. Just think "sludge trap" and you'll be sorted. Crack on, get those spanners out
Thanks Iron! I fell in love with the bike as soon as I saw it, I've always been a fan of the old Triumphs so I am very happy to take on this project. Thanks for the feedback, looking at the bike it looks pretty straight forward but since I have never done this rebuild myself I wanted to get some advice as I plan out this project. plan your work, work your plan... I'm sure I will be back with questions as I get through the "sludge"... One question I do have as I start this project, does anyone have a recommendation on where to start? Engine, transmission, suspensions, wheels, electrical? I need to go through them all but would love advice if there is a specific place to start with these to make my rebuild as easy as possible.
A rebuild is a pretty easy plan. Take it all apart, then put it all back together again. These machines didn't have oil filters. The spinning crankshaft centrifuges the heavy bits in the oil into a tube that sits along the crank's centreline. This is called the sludge trap. It can be removed to clean it out. To get to it the engine will need to be completely rebuilt. You'll need a few special tools but nothing a home mechanic can't do. On the way you'll get to check every engine part. Essentially, in my opinion, you should plan to take the whole bike to pieces, down to the last nut and bolt, check, clean, correct and renew where required. I wouldn't try too hard to start it. First thing to do is sit and look at it for a while. Have a look at some videos on rebuilds, here's Todd of Lowbrow rebuilding a 650 T120 engine (it's basically exactly the same as your 750 T140) It's a guide to a complete engine rebuild over 13 parts from someone who does this for a living. Todd is available on the phone for advice and will supply any parts/tools you need. Second thing to do is to get the workshop manual and spares catalogue. They are available on line free. Look up your year https://partsbooks.britishonly.com/ Third is to drop all the fluids out of it and start taking it apart. Photo as you go and label everything into those little freezer bags. Enjoy
Truly great find - well done. The only thing I'd hasten to add is that you'll probably need a comprehensive set of Imperial spanners (wrenches) and a couple of special pullers/tools before diving into the darker depths of that wonderful machine. BTW, that's not "old", it's a modern/classic Triumph - old was anything built before the unit construction engine ..........
Doug Shebesta Welcome to the family. Nice old machine you have there. Good Luck with your build. Joe.
Great nick for a bike that's been sat idle since the late 90s,the SoCal climate and a dry garage =heaven,makes me so envious
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I'm going to start tearing down the bike this week and will post pics as I go. Is there an easy way for me to determine if the motor should/needs to be rebuilt? I've watched videos of the process and am nervous that it's too much for me to do on my own since I have no experience.