What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

Discussion in 'Triumph General Discussion' started by MrOrange, Sep 16, 2019.

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  1. Adie P

    Adie P Crème de la Crème

    Jul 7, 2018
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    Hey @Martine ! Thanks for the response and the very reasoned explanation. I'd still very much urge you to take up HH's offer for you to ride that Commando. If you can get a decent feel for the weight and height of the bike for a few minutes before taking the plunge, ALL will be well. Honestly, I wouldn't lie to you.

    The clutch? That's a diaphragm clutch in there and, whilst a tad heavier than most modern bike clutches, it's definitely not something that you'll need the grip of a gorilla to operate. Seat height? Well, I'd be lucky to make 5' 5" on a good day and with an inseam of, reallistically, about 29", yep, I grant you, it's a challenge, but I've got a Commando, too, and a T160 and they are tall with a capital T. If I can do it, so can you. But, all of life is a challenge when you're a short@rse and this won't be the worst!
    The kickstarter? Yeah, OK, a bit of a worry for you .... but, be honest - you and I both know that HH will be happy to kick it over and start it for you; he can hold it upright while you get on and steady yourself and your nerves - then he can get on one of his other (lesser?) bikes to follow you down the street outside the house! The gear shift? Yeah, OK, again, a bit of a worry ..... first time ........ but, here's the deal - you hook it up into first (be prepared for the Britbike "CLUNK"); hold the clutch in; put your LEFT foot on the left pillion peg; release the clutch - nice and slow (if HH has hair, pretend you're stroking it lovingly! ;) Seriously - it'll take your mind away from the needless, groundless 'fear' of letting that clutch out too quickly! :)) and release the clutch lever carefully, slowly and gently until you feel yourself getting forward motion. Now, THIS is the moment that it will all make some zen-like sense. The clatter of tappets, the easy, lazy torque of a 750 twin, the glorious exhaust note waffling away behind you as you ease forward on a whiff of throttle and gain momentum. Don't worry about changing up just yet - bring it to a stop in first, clutch in and let that experience wash over you for a moment. YOU'VE DONE IT! And you can do it again, this time getting a bit more speed and another gear or, maybe two. The grin will be long lasting, the memory - perhaps forever.

    Once you've ridden it, HH will wonder whether or not to let you in on the secret of easy kickstarting - after all, if you don't know that one, then you'll only get to take it out once he's started it for you! But, I have to say that I'm definitely getting the vibe that the only REAL barrier to you getting on that bike seems more like your personal reluctance - that self imposed 'no hope'? Not that it's all that important, of course. I just think that you have the opportunity of one of life's great motorcycling experiences and, as a motorcyclist, I'm sure you're aware of that. The only limit to riding that Norton is in your mind.

    If HH says "go for it" then ........................
     
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  2. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    Good grief, this stuff makes me want to throw the computer sometimes:weary_face: Until yesterday I'd accessed the forum only on my phone so there have been a few mild challenges the last couple of days moving to the computer. And now I just spent 30 min trying to figure out how to get back into where I'd posted the videos on Youtube. When I did it the other evening it was surprisingly simple and I discovered that Youtube already knew who I was (?) without any passwords and so I just plunged ahead and uploaded. When I came back today to see exactly what couple of steps it'd taken to upload the videos (at the time it was a few obvious steps...I was lulled me into comfort:rolleyes:), it wouldn't let me in and then it said it couldn't verify my authorization...:sob:. Those comments may belong better in the Rant section.

    Happily getting back to bike stuff... Apparently I kind of understated BIL's talents and work on the bikes and overstated his height. As soon as I get some rebuild pics they'll be next post.
     
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  3. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    Thanks, @Adie P. Have to admit you are making me think...hmmm, what if...;)
     
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  4. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    @Sandi T, since you asked about my BIL and I said I'd post some about his work, here goes. While he does anything electrical, mainly lighting, for his business, he also mods for business and pleasure. He's been to LRR lots of times but he's a one-person gig.

    Since he's 5-feet 1-inch tall, he makes a lot of changes to lower the bikes. This is a Heritage Softail with a Road King front end to lower and maintain suspension. The fender racks are taken from a bike from the '40's. He made the rear fender hinged like the old bikes and installed a tank shift suicide clutch for fun. And tons of changes to the motor for more HP and retro looks.
    Kenny's 2000 Heritage made to look like '48 Panhead with Road King front end by cabin.jpg


    Here's his latest personal project.

    The bike arrived a couple of weeks ago like this, shipped from NH to WA:
    Kenny's New Bike.jpg

    Then within hours of it arriving, he started disassembling to make changes:
    4.jpg

    New sub frame to drop the seat:
    7.jpg

    And mods to drop the front 2 inches coming with progressive cartridges and chrome lower sliders:
    21.jpg

    Much lower now, with bars with 17 inch pullback, and waiting to get the new seat covered:
    27.jpg


    I enjoy seeking to understand more about the bikes builds (putting this bit together got me looking more closely and asking a lot of questions) and understanding what makes them handle differently, but this is a bit too much sausage-making for me. Though like so many things, I find the more I understand what's behind the ride, the more I appreciate it. Ride safe.
     
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  5. Sandi T

    Sandi T It's ride o'clock somewhere!
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    Dec 3, 2018
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    Thanks for sharing these awesome photos, @Martine! I would bet that I've seen your BIL's booth and perhaps even spoken with him. Small world. :)

    I love that first photo of the Heritage. The backdrop is perfect for the style of that bike. I'm sure at 5'1" tall you BIL has had to make a lot of mods over the years. But how cool that he knows how and is able to do just that! Fun progression of photos for that new project bike and it's great that you can watch it in action and ask questions and learn from it. :grinning:
     
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  6. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
    662
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    #866 Martine, Feb 5, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2021
    Weather not great so no Triumph riding. Using the time to work on the '81 Yamaha Enduro HH is putting together. Need gauges so off to the junkyard we went.

    Ahh, HH never fails to bring me to the best places... 20210204_160121.jpg

    Things were great as soon as we walked in and saw this: 20210204_140916.jpg

    Despite looking everywhere, that appeared to be the only Brit bike on the premises...and we looked... 20210204_143731.jpg

    And looked... This place is about 3 acres of bikes in various states of disassembly, disorder, and decay with the occasional car mixed in. 20210204_143613.jpg

    We'd come for gauges for the Enduro, so we started on the dusty, crammed shelves inside this dark, cramped obstacle course of more piles of bikes and bike parts. HH was able to locate a tach on one set of shelves stacked with recovered gauges while I rambled about outside trying to stay a little warmer in the meager sun while trying to identify anything possibly British, Yamaha Enduro, or anything interesting... I found it all interesting.

    I came inside to report and check on HH. He asked me to rummage on another set of shelves to try my luck in coming across a matching speedo while he went outside to look for the needle in a haystack, to see if he could find a partially intact '81 Enduro to scavenge the gauge mounting bracket.

    I didn't really know the exact item to look for but he'd said to try to match the tach's mounting bolts. Using an engine block as a stool, I started to sort through a half dozen shelves partially obscured by a pile of miscellaneous parts...

    EDIT: Scroll down for part two since I hit post earlier by accident and I just now discovered how to edit a post (not an option when using my phone)!
     
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  7. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    ...hate it when I fat-finger and hit post prematurely! That's what I get for using my phone :confused:
     
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  8. Fork Lock

    Fork Lock Elite Member

    Feb 5, 2021
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    This is my other ride...

    South Jersey weather is erratic. In the winter we can get temps in the 60s one day and a couple days later a blizzard. We had a major snow storm a couple days ago and high temps in the 20s. Today it's about 50 degrees. My driveway is like an aircraft carrier. I have a snow blower, but it's pretty labor intensive. Hooked up a snow plow to my Deere. Worked great! Minutes instead of hours to clear the snow.

    Plow.PNG
     
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  9. Fork Lock

    Fork Lock Elite Member

    Feb 5, 2021
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    That place looks like "The walking dead" of motorcycles.
     
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  10. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    #870 Martine, Feb 5, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2021
    Part two: ... So I found a few likely suspects, including a wholly intact set including the mounting bracket; wasn't sure it was the right set but looked right to me.

    I joined HH in the yard and mentioned I'd found a few likely gauges, including one that was the whole assembly with both gauges. Out of the piles of bike carcasses, he managed to identify a couple of the Enduros in various states of terribleness, unfortunately none with the bracket he was looking for still in place.

    Junkyard 5.jpg

    We finally made our way to the back field of the acres of derelict bikes and, as it had to be, in the very back of the back field by the pine trees, upside down, embedded in the dirt was an '81 Yamaha Enduro. The bracket and even the speedo were still intact!

    Junkyard 2.jpg

    HH calls out to me, "Well, I guess I need a 10mm socket." :p I couldn't help but laugh given all the jokes I'd seen on the forum about the much vaunted, often elusive, 10mm sockets! Don't ask me why we didn't bring one to begin with...maybe that's a look into how likely he thought it was we'd find the needle in the haystack?

    So while I continue to look around (found a great scrambler style that I showed him when he came back), HH traipses back to the shop to get a 10mm. Returning 10 minutes later, he was laughing that the gauge set I'd mentioned I'd unearthed inside was, in fact, the exact set for our bike.:grinning::joy::) So no need for the 10mm to unstall the part that'd been enjoying a weathered experience outside given that whole set had been sitting on the shelf inside for years.

    Junkyard gauges.jpg

    Well, we'd had a good time picking our way through the junkyard and had talked a lot about what different bikes were. Had he looked earlier at the gauges I'd dug out, we may not have shared the time looking at everything in the yard. He does know how to show his wife a good time!:heart_eyes:
     
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  11. andyc1

    andyc1 Lunarville 7, Airlock 3

    Feb 4, 2017
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    That junkyard looks amazing! :heart_eyes:
     
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  12. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    It looks amazing only to a certain kind of person...I'll leave it up to other forum members to come up with the applicable adjectives! Whatever those adjectives are, I'm included!

    One of our social activities (I guess we might call it a date?) in the early days long before we were married was a visit to a car junkyard. HH and I spent hours walking through and looking at the vintage cars. Those were the days when you could still do that; don't know if there are still car junkyards that let you ramble and pull your own parts. The visit yesterday to the MC junkyard was a whole new level of grand.:cool:
     
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  13. andyc1

    andyc1 Lunarville 7, Airlock 3

    Feb 4, 2017
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    We don't have anything like that here in Ireland. I could easily spend a day dandering around there. It's the gorgeous backdrop of those trees too. Bet it looks stunning in the fog :)
     
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  14. Cyborgbot

    Cyborgbot Guest

    Martine, I’m asking on behalf of a friend, so please excuse this potentially impertinent question...

    Do you have a sister, and does she like bikes, engineering and hanging out at breaker yards too?

    Thank you.
     
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  15. Hippo-Drones

    Hippo-Drones Noble Member

    Mar 4, 2018
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    I commuted into work today for the first time in bloomin ages (I mean even way before covid ages) on my V85, was great to do although was over 5' both ways, won't be so nice in the snow/ice that is supposedly on it's way, but with no car anymore, needs must :)
     
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  16. andyc1

    andyc1 Lunarville 7, Airlock 3

    Feb 4, 2017
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    My commute is over 5 feet as well :grinning:
    But right enough, I ditched the car for 1 full year and tried bike only. Was actually pretty good during the winter but there was a few days I didn't show up... my local roads dont get salted. I set off on foot a couple of times and the boss came and lifted me :joy:
     
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  17. Hippo-Drones

    Hippo-Drones Noble Member

    Mar 4, 2018
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    Soz, don't know where to find the degrees button :D... but my commute is pitifully close to 5' lol, I live 5 miles from work, which is why I hardly ever used to commute as it took longer to kit up and get the bike out than it did to just jump in my car and drive in! :D
     
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  18. Martine

    Martine Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2020
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    I have four older sisters but HH says none of them are like me...hmmm, I don't think that's coming across right...(shakes head to dispel those thoughts). Anyway, three of us do have engineering degrees but nobody else rides...they are missing out!
     
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  19. OsteKuste

    OsteKuste Intergalactic Warlord
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    Oct 22, 2017
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    There is an old VW graveyard near me that is similar, and the owner will let me go through looking for parts. There are old VW vans, SuperBeetles, Ghias, notchbacks, the works. He even let me do a photo shoot one day. I think I posted some of these pics a good while back, but hope they are worth another look.
    34549847-8ACF-4CAB-989B-9FC75A05C392.jpeg 4C9610DD-58D2-46C3-815B-EA73FAD715CF.jpeg
     
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  20. Dartplayer

    Dartplayer Crème de la Crème

    Aug 8, 2018
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    And a great warped sense of humour too, what a catch :heart_eyes:, I nearly spat my coffee at that description :joy:. We are very lucky to have you in the forum family Martine :cool:
     
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