Triumphrat

tinhead · 05-09-2006

hello all! totally new to the world of the british bike,but starting off good. just obtained a 1971 bonneville(?) in very good condition,all original except seat, 6500 miles, was running when stored 8 years ago by family member. i know very little about this bike, and would be most grateful for any wisdom you have to share. (thought bike was 1970 till i read post on date coding). in the mean time, ill be off in the corner reading old posts, trying to gather up an education!

quagmire · 05-09-2006

Welcome. I was in your shoes a year ago. You'll find a wealth of knowledge in this forum. I have always been amazed at willingness of people in this forum to answer your questions and make sure you get the 'ole bike running strong.

GrandPaulZ · 05-09-2006

I've been working in the 105 degree sun since early this morning, so I'm just too pooped to find a reply to a post from yesterday on exactly the same topic, except I think it was a '76 Bonnie (look in the thread list).

Typical stuff you'll need to do no matter what - battery, oil change, spark plugs, tires & tubes, brake overhaul, flush gas tank & carb overhaul.

Welcome to the wonderful world of vintage bikes!

If you happen to be anywhere near East Texas the weekend of May 19-21, you need to get over to New Ulm for the Brit & Euro Rallye.

tinhead · 05-12-2006

well,ordered up my self some gaskets and goodies from walridge today! gonna go through carbs for a second time just to be sure. saw they had viton tip float needles in there,are these necessary/better? mine havesolid(?) plastic needles. have not put gas to her yet, so dont know if they are good or not, but have never seen plastic ones before. anyone have opinions on epoxy tank liners? my tank seems to be in good shape, with just the slightest traces of surface rust,but i would like to prevent any future damage. will be lucky to have her fired over by weekend of 19th, much less ready for a road trip, but thanks for the invite

!

[ This message was edited by: tinhead on 2006-05-12 14:31 ]

KuzzinKenny · 05-12-2006

Hi and welcome to the forum, what a great bike to start with. one thing you should get on order is a pair of tyres and tubes, if the bikes been lying for 8 years then the tyres are at least that age and will be well past it even if they look allright.

just my thoughts !!

KK

kawtoy · 05-12-2006

I was and still in your same situation. I got a 73 Bonnie that sat for 20 years. The owner took excellent care of it while it sat so it only took about 2 hours to get it running. Stay away from the tank coatings. They will just mess up your carbs. You can wash the tank out with water and phosforic (spelling?) acid. About 5 to 1 mix. Let it sit a while is different position so that all the tank gets touched. It will eat away the rust and make the tank like new inside. If the paint is really nice you might want to find a different method since the acid can eat paint. I have heard only bad things about the Kreem tank coating brand and I would guess they are all the same. Let us know what kind of shape the bike is in. Does it kick over with good compression? Lights working? A new battery and some plugs and she should fire up. Make sure everything is kosher before you fire it up. It would be horrible if the past owner took something apart without telling you. Then you try to fire it up and hear some awefull grinding or clanking. Better sfae than sorry. Good luck!

tinhead · 05-26-2006

thanks to all for warm welcomes! lots of good reading here. trying hard to catch up, but much to learn! bike is in great shape( except for tyres-DRY ROT!) every thing else seems to be right, went through carbs,removed all varnish, has good compression, letting oil soak down into rings right now(prelube) only thing i know about that needs work is clutch- was "backed off for storage" (???) will start another thread on that...

TRI-AL · 05-27-2006

"clutch backed-off" could relate to simply screwing in the cable adjusters so no tension is on cable (upper lever &/or bottom of cable where it enters the trans. housing) to backing-off the adjuster on the clutch rod, or as suggested, backing-off the 3 spring tensioners inside the chain case (but why would you do that?). Get a "parts manual" for all the appropriate part numbers that you may need to correctly order any parts . I used the Kreem product in my tank with success, but I let it "cure" over the winter. Waldridge is a good supplier. Go to Vintage Days in Mansfield in July for the swap meet! Have fun! :hammer: