Triumphrat

John Young

Hello "Tommy"

I have converted a 1969 T150 into a serious long distance bike and whilst I realise that you have a different bike, there are many similarities between the two models . The list of modifications that I did to the bike are probably too many to put down here, but the real key to comfort is nothing to do with the seat (I rode a T160 Slippery Sam Replica a few years ago to Russia - padding on seat about half inch !!). It is much more to do with the relationship between the position of your hands, bum and feet !!

Check out this link

http://tr3oc.co.uk/wp-content/upload...ry-Part-1a.pdf

There's actually 6 parts to the full story of the build and of the ride, but this first part deals with what I've mentioned above

Regards

John

JohnA

Any chance you could give links to the other parts of the story?

KADUTZ

Try google john young iron butt.

tommytiger

Listen to an learn from john young if you want to know how to do it right.

John

WELCOME TO THE FORUM!

If you should happen to see our mutual friend Roy S who used to have the TR6P electric start please give him our greetings. Also our friend Fran whom you talked to on the cell at the Iron Butt starting line stlll talks about that.

K

__________________
TRIUMPH
"THE WORLDS PRE-EMINENT MOTORCYCLE"

John Young

Hello there

If you want to read the entire story, click on

http://tr3oc.co.uk/

then click on features (in the menu across the top)

Scroll down about 80% of the page (the bit about the JOG-LE moped run) and you will see a cartoon of me on my IBR bike.

Then just click on each of the six parts that are listed

Regards

John

John Young

Thank you K.

Yes I will pass on your words to Roy and I do also remember speaking to Fran as well just right before the start on the mobile phone.

However, you give me too much credit. If ever there was a team effort involved in an Iron Butt finish, it was last year. Yes, I assembled and rode the bike, but without the help of so many people both here and in the USA, the project would have been impossible.

There are too many names to list but they're all given credit in my IBR story.

I'm back again next year in the 2013 IBR - but this time I'll be using my new Explorer. It was a great experience using the T150, but it was just so hard and I had the gods smiling on me each time I needed that bit of luck .....

Regards

John

tommytiger

Blimey your that John!

Sorry not logged on for a day or two. I remember reading a thing or two about your trip. I once road from Southern Brittany to Derby on my Trident 900 and that was hard work, god only knows how you did it!!!

I started reading your account of the trip and then kept altering the PDF number so read it all, not only was I amazed how you mangaed I was also impressed by the bike. I'm a bit weird as unlike a lot of people I really like the styling of the earlier triples, if I had the choice I'd have a 69 model as it's the year I was born, did they do one with a five speed box?

I don't intend doing the distances you covered but you've definatly given me a few ideas, I reckon bringing the pegs back and fitting rear sets might allow me to spread my weight between the seat, pegs and bars better and allow a more aerodynamic shape.

Are you going to write a book?

good luck with the next IBR.

Tom.

John Young

Tom

As it happens, I live only around 30 miles from you on Cannock Chase. Drop me a pm to john@adamsyoung.fsnet.co.uk and I'll give you my address and telephone number. You are then welcome to come and see the bike "in the flesh". You'll get a much better feel for what you need to do then.

Regards

John

Rathlindri

Hi Tom, just picked up on your thread today and see you're after a rack,....I might have what you;re looking for, see pics below...





Drop me an email...

Richard

JohnA

Thanks John - I've just spent the last 3 hours reading the entire story. Its very well written and extremely interesting. "Never make it out of Seattle" my arse!

It would be good if you were to write a book about your experiences. Maybe you should do the 2013 IBR on a Tiger Cub? A firend once rode from Norwich to Athens and back on one, with only a pucture (though I guess that's about equivalent in mileage to one side of Texas to another!)

Just to get it really clear, if you don't mind, what precise brand and type of oil did you use? I've got a Kirby Rowbotham feed-side oil filter on my TR7 and I'm still trying to figure out whether having this means I'd be better off using a synthetic/semi-synthetic or non-synthetic but high-detergent 20/50 or 15/40 or whatever oil.... (as opposed to the typical non-detergent mineral 20/50)

John Young

I used Castrol GTX 15-40 semi synthetic.

As I said in the posting asking about whether you can use this type of oil in an old triple, I don't know all of the theory and the other fancy stuff that people were quoting. All I can go on is real life practical experience.

You've now read the story and seen just what the T150 did and went through in doing so. By my reckoning (and ignoring the length of time the bike more or less continually ran and ignoring the extremes of altitude it dealt with and ignoring the near freezing temperatures at one stage I rode in), if an oil can withstand 120 degrees F (I think that's just under 50 degrees C) for near on 48 hours continual running, then by my reckoning, there's something to be said for it !!

But I don't know the theory remember, so perhaps I'm just naive in my approach.

By the way, I've got lots of stories about adventures on (proper) triples. I'll dig some out and send them out to you. The trip to Russia on the Slippery Sam Replica was a good tale as was my competing in the Brit Butt Rally (the UK equivalent of the IBR - but only 36 hours this time), when I rode my 1975 T160 and came 3rd out of some 50 or so entrants. My T160 was the oldest bike by nearly 28 years I think !!

Regards

John