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Member Photos - 650cc Unit Twins - 1963-1970

219K views 572 replies 221 participants last post by  Blizzardrider 
#1 ·
Got to see my new bike this weekend and I love it. There are a few little issues that I need to fix, though. First, after I start it cold and let it warm for a couple of minutes, it idles at about 1,000 rpm's (or a little less) and I can shift it into 1st gear easily, but when it thoroughly warms up after 5 - 10 minutes riding, the engine's idling speed increases to about 2,000 rpm's and I have to shift into second to stop the tranny internals from spinning and then slip it into first, if I try going right into 1st gear when it's idling that high, it grinds the gears and then goes into 1st. So that's either a clutch adjustment or idling adjustment or both that it needs (this is my newbie guess at least). Second the rear brake has to be pressed down about an inch and a half before it starts to work and the wing nut on the rear brake adjuster is screwed up almost all the way on the threads, so maybe it needs new rear brake shoes or need the brakes adjusted somehow. The motor sounds and runs excellent and it goes down the road great, actually engine vibration is not bad at all. All things considered I'm thrilled with it, I just need to address these minor issues, also need to install a new steering lock as I have no key for the current one, actually have only one ignition key as well, has Union stamped on it and a code so maybe I can get a replacement of that. Cheers, all and here's a few pictures of it:





 
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#2 ·
**** fine lookin ride! Idle adjustment is pretty simple. It's the screw on the right side of the carburetor. (Of the 2, it's the one to the rear ... the other is the air / fuel mixture) Get it hot then bring the idle down. Then adjust the air / fuel to bring the idle back up. Keep this up until you get the idle where you want it and the a/f isn't idling it up any more. You'll get to where you can 'feel' the carb adjustment. Do a search on clutch adjustment. Bike looks like it was recently restored, so it would shock me if the clutch is shot ... although, it does sound like your rear brake shoes are dead. That wingnut on the brake rod IS the brake adjustment. I know on my '70 500, I can easily lock the rear brake after getting it adjusted. And the twin leading shoe front brake is a monster (as drum brakes go) ... and mine is only 7 inches. (My BRAKE DRUM!! :) )

Anyway, sounds like you're only a couple of minor tweaks away from having a real fun summer! Be prepared to be late to stuff all the time because of all the folks who want to stop you and talk about your bike ...

Here's Mine:
 
#558 ·
**** fine lookin ride! Idle adjustment is pretty simple. It's the screw on the right side of the carburetor. (Of the 2, it's the one to the rear ... the other is the air / fuel mixture) Get it hot then bring the idle down. Then adjust the air / fuel to bring the idle back up. Keep this up until you get the idle where you want it and the a/f isn't idling it up any more. You'll get to where you can 'feel' the carb adjustment. Do a search on clutch adjustment. Bike looks like it was recently restored, so it would shock me if the clutch is shot ... although, it does sound like your rear brake shoes are dead. That wingnut on the brake rod IS the brake adjustment. I know on my '70 500, I can easily lock the rear brake after getting it adjusted. And the twin leading shoe front brake is a monster (as drum brakes go) ... and mine is only 7 inches. (My BRAKE DRUM!! :) )

Anyway, sounds like you're only a couple of minor tweaks away from having a real fun summer! Be prepared to be late to stuff all the time because of all the folks who want to stop you and talk about your bike ...

Here's Mine:

My 68 TR6R and 70 TR6.
Got to see my new bike this weekend and I love it. There are a few little issues that I need to fix, though. First, after I start it cold and let it warm for a couple of minutes, it idles at about 1,000 rpm's (or a little less) and I can shift it into 1st gear easily, but when it thoroughly warms up after 5 - 10 minutes riding, the engine's idling speed increases to about 2,000 rpm's and I have to shift into second to stop the tranny internals from spinning and then slip it into first, if I try going right into 1st gear when it's idling that high, it grinds the gears and then goes into 1st. So that's either a clutch adjustment or idling adjustment or both that it needs (this is my newbie guess at least). Second the rear brake has to be pressed down about an inch and a half before it starts to work and the wing nut on the rear brake adjuster is screwed up almost all the way on the threads, so maybe it needs new rear brake shoes or need the brakes adjusted somehow. The motor sounds and runs excellent and it goes down the road great, actually engine vibration is not bad at all. All things considered I'm thrilled with it, I just need to address these minor issues, also need to install a new steering lock as I have no key for the current one, actually have only one ignition key as well, has Union stamped on it and a code so maybe I can get a replacement of that. Cheers, all and here's a few pictures of it:






Here are my 68 TR6R and 70 TR6

Tire Wheel Fuel tank Automotive fuel system Vehicle


Fuel tank Wheel Automotive fuel system Tire Automotive lighting
 
#3 · (Edited)
Re the brake adjustment. Check you have plenty of brake lining. if so remove the operating lever from the splined spindle on teh wheel from off the splines and refit it a spline different ( back) this will give you more room for your adjusting nut. NOTE. the adjustment position on your bike looks correct, being just before top dead centre, the brake should start to bind at that point ( relative to the splined operating arm) IT may have been replaced a spline or two off.

nice bike, that model/year is probably my all time favourite

hope this helps
 
#5 ·
Hey guys, thanks a lot for the compliments. Also thanks for the advice about re-positioning the brake lever on the rear hub on it's spline as a possible remedy to the adjuster wing nut being fully threaded on it's adjustment threads, one way or another (either myself doing it or at a shop I'll have to inspect the drum's lining for thickness and the shoes). I just got my owner's handbook in the mail tonight, and I was thumbing through it, and it mentioned the "air control" on the handlebar, meaning the choke, and said "close the lever to the stop to richen the mixture only when starting a cold motor". Well, the way the bike was delivered to me the choke lever was rotated fully clockwise against the stop, I assumed that was the choke closed position, but now I'm thinking maybe the choke was fully open. That might explain my problem of the idle rising to 2,000 rpm's when the bike warms up, and then my resulting difficulty in shifting into 1st gear at such a high idle, at low, cold idle of 1,000 rpm's it shifted into 1st gear fine, and if I was rolling down a gentle hill even with the 2,000 rpm warmed up idle, it would still slip into 1st fine, it was just at a stop with the high idle that I would grind going into 1st, and then realized that if I put it into 2nd it would stop the tranny internals from spinning, then I'd slip her into 1st. The picture below shows my choke lever position, fully clockwise, I just would like to confirm, is this the choke fully open or fully closed?

 
#7 ·
Sweet! Thanks, you have confirmed what I suspected. Most likely my high idling problem was caused by starting bike with choke wide open and leaving it wide open the whole time I was running it. Now that I look at the choke lever it makes sense that in that clockwise direction it's pulling on the cable, and opening the choke. Why it was delivered to me like that, who knows. Now, I just have to figure out if I can fix the brake issue myself or I'm better off bringing it to a shop. I guess if it's in the shop, I could have the whole bike thoroughly checked over, clutch adjusted, the grease fittings greased, maybe the valves adjusted, although I don't think it needs that, I'm just saying I don't really know what to look for in making certain that the bike is properly sorted and adjusted just right. I'll have to look through my service manual to see how complicated it is to check the drum lining for thickness.
 
#482 ·
Glenn -

The air control (choke) on the Amals does not increase the idle speed like more modern ones. It only enrichens the mixture.

I suspect you have an air leak between the carb and the intake manifold as the idle speed comes only when hot. Your bike may not hava an insulator between the carb and the manifold - it is about 3/16" thick and whitish. If you have only a thin gasket there, you need to get the insulator. I think 1970 models did not have the insulator.

Also suggest pulling your filters and seeing how the "choke" works - which position is open and which is closed. It controls a slide in toward the front of the carb. Fully open is the exact opposite of what a choke normally is. Cable is stretched to max to have the choke OFF, not on, handle perpendicular to handlebar. Choke ON is cable fully relaxed, flip handle parallel with handlebar.

GN
 
#8 ·
My old 59 shifts like that. with the idle low, it will go into first real easy. I usualy shift to second, then first anyway, as I got in the habit while riding other Brirbikes. I usr ATF in the primary on the 59, I don't know if it is possible on yours. One suggestion is ,no matter how long the valve tappet clearance is set; re check then after a couple hundre miles. The head tends to 'bed down' using up the clearance. If it hasnt' already bed downed, you will ahve to recheck the torque on the head. After a while those things settle down.
 
#9 ·
Sorry folks.I'm a little confused.I thought that the lever position(in the picture)on the choke is set to 'off'.
I searched old posts under 'choke lever' and came up with the same info. Do I have it backwards?
Thanks for any other opinions.
The bike is a beauty by the way.
 
#10 ·
ok , my oldie doesn't have a choke , but was just answering by looking at the picture and using logic . looks at the pic and how the cable enters the control , reads poster say "The picture below shows my choke lever position, fully clockwise,...." .

unless the choke is turned off by tensioning the cable .....?
 
#12 ·
OK, thanks, that's good information. With my Lambretta, the choke is on when the cable is pulled, but that's a Dell Orto carb. I thought I had discovered that my choke was on with the Tiger, explaining my idle mysteriously rising from 1,000 cold to 2,000 warm, instead it must be my carb adjustment/air fuel ratio need fiddling with to get a constant 1,000 rpm idle whether it's cold or warm. The owners handbook does say "Close the lever to the stop to richen the mixture only when starting a cold motor", but there's probably another stop in the counterclockwise direction.
 
#14 ·
Here is the the intake side of the choke. The yellow line is pointing to the choke slide. When the lever and cable are slack, the slide is in the down position. Because the cable comes in from the top, pulling on the choke lever pulls the choke slide up out of the way.



While were on the subject of carbs....If you adjust it yourself, and by all means mess around with it, it's not that hard. These are the screws you want to play with. "A" is the air mixture screw and "B" is the throttle stop screw. There are plenty of threads on how to do this and you workshop manual also explains what to do. I'd tell you how I did mine but my carb is messed up so I'm not sure I'm doing anything right at this moment!

 
#20 ·
I'm having the bike brought into the city tomorrow, going to have the bike fully sorted by a shop that specializes in these old British bikes. Then I have to decide if I'll keep it here in the city (this was my original plan) or out in the suburbs in my mom's garage, I'm leaning towards keeping it in the city. My mom is definately a good sport because right now she's letting me keep 3 motorcycles crammed in her single car garage. I have to get used to the shifter on the other side from my Scrambler, I had a little bit of a brain freeze when I was doing some braking at an intersection on this TR6R trying to get the locations of the front brake, clutch lever, rear brake and shifter locations straight in my mind. When you guys start your bikes, do you ever pull in the clutch lever and operate the clutch lever several times to free the clutch? The owner's handbook recommends doing this. Here's another couple shots of this little beauty:



 
#22 ·
I used to pull in the clutch, then kick the kickstarter a couple time, which broke the clutch plates free, then let out the clutch and kicked for real to get the motor going. That way, when you put it into 1st, there's less of a bang/grind because there's hardly any drag through the clutch.
 
#25 ·
Well, brought the bike into the shop. Going to have the idle and clutch adjustments fine tuned. Possibly carb cleaned if necessary or tappets adjusted, if necessary. The shop owner explained to me that the reason the adjuster on the brake adjustment is screwed almost all the way in is because it appears the chain is new, and as the chain stretches over time/usage then the wheel is adjusted in it's slot on the swingarm, and then the adjuster screw on the brake adjustment needs to be backed off to compensate. He really liked the bike and said that every nut and bolt on the bike is absolutely original and that even the paint is a dead on match to original, although re-painted, new high quality rims with stainless spokes etc. I'm really happy, because I kind of bought this bike blind, didn't test ride it or anything, just had a hunch it was a good one, and I paid a good dollar for it, so I'm just happy that what I got is the real deal. I definately would like to have this bike in the city to just chill out with and take it out for a spin after work, but I'm definately not used to the shifter on the other side and the apparently normal rear brake activation where you have to press the lever down a good inch or so before it starts to work well. I'll just have to take it out on some quiet, uptown cross streets to practice, they're pretty mellow, not much traffic. It's bizarre, I think about this bike all the time, and seriously my wife is really jealous of it. Got a new pair of old school Red Wing boots last night, sweet!!!
 
#27 ·
just had a hunch it was a good one
It's definitely a looker. It certainly looks like whoever did the work on it did a great job! You'll get the minor bugs worked out in no time and will be out lovin' it!!

but I'm definately not used to the shifter on the other side and the apparently normal rear brake activation where you have to press the lever down a good inch or so before it starts to work well.
You'll pick up the shifter thing pretty quickly. It works to your favor, really ... your friends with 'normal' :rolleyes: bikes will still offer to let you ride them, but will shy away from riding yours INSTANTLY!! That rear brake works well, it's just not a modern CBR disk brake or anything ... once you get the feel for it, you'll be fine!

It's bizarre, I think about this bike all the time, and seriously my wife is really jealous of it.
Watch out ... the Triumphs are pretty jealous, too. My bike ALWAYS starts in 1 or 2 (at most) kicks. The other day, the girlfriend came over and wanted to hear it. It took 5 or 6 kicks to get it ticking with her standing there. An hour later, I went for a spin ... walked out and it fired in one kick. Go figure! My friend has a fairly new 'New Bonneville' (it's kinda like 'New Beetle' ... similar, just NOT AS GOOD [or cool!] !) The only time it runs badly is if he puts his wife on the back of it.

Got a new pair of old school Red Wing boots last night, sweet!!!
I'm getting ready to order up a pair of the 12" 'Rally' motorcycle boots from Chippewa. Nothing beats quality items made right here in the good ol' USA! (except, of course, for quality ... albeit oil-leaking ... machines made in the UK)

Anyway ... Nice grab, man! Treat her well and I'm sure she will do the same. Just don't be too nice to her ... they're kinda like most of the women I've dated in that they like you to ride 'em like ya mean it ... just be nice afterwards. ;) (there's a fine line between 'aggressive' and 'abusive')
 
#29 ·
looks great there gleamin....that is just the paint scheme i was thinkin bout ...then i saw yours, and decided that it!!...only with a maroon color (stay tuned)...sounds like your not going to let that bike become a "garage ornament" (huge wast in my mind)..put em on the road and ride em..just dont look at it !!........looks fantastic enjoy.....Tom
 
#30 · (Edited)
Thanks, guys, for the compliments, I stumbled on this bike in a BMW dealership about 50 miles from NYC, when I went in to buy a bungee cord, then a little light bulb went off in my head about a month later and I thought to myself, hey that bike would be nice to have in the city, I wonder if it's still for sale ... the rest was my destiny. I actually left work early today to take her out for a spin, she was runnin' fine. Starting to get a little better at riding and starting her, too, but not really riding aggressively, I'm still getting the hang of it. She sure has a nice rumble. Should be getting my dual mirrors, and brighter quartz pilot light in the mail soon. I was looking through my parts manual that shows an exploded view of the headlight assembly trying to figure out how I install the pilot light. So, I just remove the screw at the top of the headlamp housing, remove the rim, then the whole light unit comes out and the light bulbs plug into it from the rear, seems easy enough, hah, famous last words. I have Castrol 4 stroke 20w-50 in it now, but my mechanic said that in the heat of summer, he uses straight 50 weight motor oil, he has the same bike funny enough but with a 750 kit, for better high temperature viscosity, guess I'll go with that when the time comes. She hasn't got any external oil filter on her, so the more oil changes the better, she's 100% bone stock. I figure I'll ride in the day light with the quartz pilot light, only about 20 watts, same tail light as full lights, should be good to go and not deplete the battery, maybe I'll leave work early tomorrow and ride her, too, this could get to be a new habit [8^)#)>]-K
 
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