Triumphrat

FunkyJunk

Hi folks. I'm new here and don't yet even own a Triumph. I've been riding modern bikes for a long time now and am starting to think about a classic bike purchase. A coworker of mine has a '69 T100C project bike that he might be willing to sell me. From what I gather, the bike is complete, but needs help cosmetically. The bike is in running condition I believe. I haven't seen it yet.

My question is this: does this particular bike require any special knowledge or skills that are beyond the capability of the average home mechanic? Anything that needs to be chromed, polished, painted or powdercoated would be sent to an appropriate place and not done by me.

Thanks for any advice you guys/gals can give me. I realize that without specific knowledge of the bike in question and my skill level it's hard to give specific advice. I do appreciate any general cautionary advice or encouragement, however.

edit: see pictures further down.

[ This message was edited by: FunkyJunk on 2006-07-03 12:04 ]

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My T100C Restoration Project</center>

peintremondain

send us pictures of the bike(and your curriculum vitae )
ben

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when i ride i\'m always 17

quagmire

I was in a similiar boat as you (except my bike was in 16 boxes and I have never ridden a bike before, nor built anything before). I found my 70 TR6 very easy to work on with just the basic skills and tools. The issue is finding people you trust to turn to and asking a lot of questions here.

One reguirement: We like pictures so we can go "OOOhhh and AAAHHH" :-D

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Hey, What's this oil on the floor?

FunkyJunk

Thanks - I should have photos in about a week.

My bike CV includes: '92 Yamaha Seca II, '82 Kawasaki 454 LTD, '98 Honda VTR1000F, '88 Yamaha YSR50 (race), '01 Suzuki SV650, '04 Yamaha R1, '01 Yamaha YZF600R. Been riding and doing my own maintenance on bikes for the last eight years (which is not "long" by this board's standards I'm sure).

I have a two-car garage with a well-stocked workbench. :hammer:

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My T100C Restoration Project</center>

okiecityflash

If you can work on a jap bike, this should be a piece of cake. Nice year project too. Plenty of suppliers, prices fairly good. Lots of tech help at this forum.

peintremondain

thanks for the cv!think you're ok for the job!
i'll see ,old triumph are a lot easier and funnier to work on!(cheaper too!!!)
it's not just a case of replacing old wrecked parts by new ones...you'll have to think too,sometimes like sherlock holmes or perry mason but this is just the fun..and they're right:there is alot of great helpfull guys on this forum.
BIENVENUE
BEN

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when i ride i\'m always 17

johnnypence

you'll love it, and they need a little bit of british iron outside of payne's biker bar!

i'm an idiot, and my tiger is making me a reasonably confident (if not capable) wrench.

man, i love leesburg. triumphs handle really well, and it'll make you happy up on the skyline drive! say hi to col. mosby for me.

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Sic semper tyrannis

GrandPaulZ

Funky:

You will do fine.

Just get a parts book for your exact year model (2 books if engine & frame are different year models).

Shop manuals usually cover a range of years.

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GrandPaulZ
Author of "Old Bikes"
Born Again Bikes
My Photo album

OldTimeBiker

Everyone else pretty much covered your initial questions, but I want to tell you one thing about a vintage British bike that no one has mentioned yet. Unlike your list of oriental rides, (all fine machines to be sure), that T100C has a soul and a personality. If and when you begin to feel them, you will derive so much more from the experience of owning, wrenching and riding it, than all of your other bikes gave you combined! Welcome to the world of Vintage Brit Iron!

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"Flattrackers go in deeper and come out harder!"...Or... "Racing is life, everything else is just waiting."...or... (With apologies to Gen. McArthur) "Old motorcycle racers never die...they just slip off the groove and fade into the dust."

FunkyJunk

Thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it.

OldTimeBiker, that's one of the reasons I'm looking for a classic Brit bike to work on - it'll be a bonding experience. I also want a nice project to work on. I have my fast bike (the R1) and now I want a slower, friendlier, more "emotional" bike to ride now and then.

Johnnypence - sounds like you're familiar with the area! I'll definitely head up to Skyline Drive, Payne's and all the areas in between once I get a nice classic bike and get it running. For once, Skyline's speed limit won't be so painful to endure, I think!

Thanks also to GPZ, peintremondain, quagmire, and okiecityflash. I'll post more when I know more about the bike.

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<center>----------
My T100C Restoration Project</center>