Triumphrat

The Euro · 09-08-2007, 10:03 PM

I'm going to look at a 72 Trident tomorrow afternoon, and I'm looking for a few tips and answers before I go.
1) It has about 15k miles on the clock. How many miles is this thing typically good for? I knowsome "vintage" bikes are good for about 10-15k miles before they're considered to be junk.
2) What is the average value on this thing? It is complete, running (a little rough), licensed, and from the pictures it looks fairly good. He's asking $3500, but I would like it for under $3000. This is one is catching my eye, because it is complete and running. It also has a few after market parts; the biggest one being a 3 into 1 exhaust.
3) Are there any common problem areas to look out for? Everything made in England leaks oil, so I'm not too afraid of that. Are there any gremlins to be aware of before I go?
Thanks,
Jacob

Mecchanica · 09-09-2007, 04:45 AM

The 72s had an early version of the five speed gearset and it is underbuilt for a Trident. Triumph offered a CP1000 conversion kit, ask if the owner knows if the bike got it.
It also has the "comical" (conical) wheel hubs. The rear is acceptable, but the front was pretty lame. Really stupid design. The next year they fitted discs to both the Trident and the 750 twins. Get one of these fork/wheel/brake assemblies, fit a Grimeca or a Brembo master cylinder of about 13mm bore and get some good pads plus a stainless hose. Better yet, a four piston caliper.
The engine was pretty good, the carb set up is a challenge to keep in tune, and the ignition should be replaced with a Trispark ignition kit. The clutch can be fiddly.
Assume that all the rubber will need to be replaced, including the tires, maybe ESPECIALLY the tires. Both front and rear are 19", if stock. Many people relace an 18" WM-3 rim to the rear.

triumphtimes · 09-09-2007, 01:19 PM

Euro,

Hit me off forum if you'd like some info. I have two 72's.

TT

The Euro · 09-09-2007, 03:12 PM

What is the CP1000 transmission conversion? Is there still a version of it out there? If the trans blows up is there an upgrade repair?
What are the conical wheel hubs? Do the bearings wear out quickly? What is the problem with them?

I also thought of another question. How can you tell if the motor in the frame is the original motor from the factory i.e. the "numbers match?" Should the last 4 digits of the serials number be the same on the motor and frame or something? Or, do I have to have the factory record books to determine this?

Mecchanica · 09-09-2007, 04:55 PM

The model and serial numbers should be the same on the frame and the engine.
The CP 1000 consisted of a layshaft, a few gears and a shift fork, plus a larger drive dog. If you get a late 73 or later gearset, you will have the same improvements. You can use a Twin gearset, except for the mainshaft, which is different on the Tridents, but your mainshaft doesn't need to be changed when you do the conversion/upgrade.
The problem with the front conical hub is that it's too weak. It distorts when you true it up, if you properly tension the spokes. To get the brake to work well, you sometimes have skin the drum after lacing and truing.
The brake cable works by having the inner pull the forward arm rearward while the cable housing pushes the rear arm forward, but the forces only balance if there is no friction in the cable. Which is impossible.

The Euro · 09-09-2007, 10:02 PM

I actually went and rode it this evening. When it ran it ran good, but it was hard to start. It's been a long time since I've kick started anything, and it was just how I remembered it being, tiring. The kick starter would act up every now and then and wouldn't let you move it. You would wiggle it, and it would start working again? I don't know what that's all about. Maybe the idler gear is getting stuck? I haven't worked with one of those in a long time, because they rarely have a problem and I haven't had a kick start bike in years. I would start off rebuilding the carbs and putting in spark plugs and other light maintenence items to see how it affects the start up and idle. It seemed to shift gears just fine, kind of akward shifting on the right side of the bike though. The brakes were weak, but that's easy to work with and could probably be adjusted some what. Appearance wise, the bike was great. I thought the paint was going to be chipped up and I was planning to paint it, but it's so good I'm changing my plan. I was able to get him down to $2500 rather easily. He must really want rid of it.

I was told by my unlce who owned a Bonnie back in the day that they were hard to start, but they couldn't have been as hard as this Trident was today. For you guys who ride yours' on a regular basis (atleast once a week) are they ever a real pain to start?
Has any one ever heard of a problem with the kick starter like that?

Iceseven · 09-10-2007, 12:27 PM

I rode my 1974 Trident every day for a year and a half when I decided to do without a car for a while, total mileage after twenty years was a little over 50,000. During the time that I rode daily it was a one to two kick bike but I had to stay on the points and carbs quite a lot of the time.

The problems that I had were holing pistons due to ignition problems so like Mecchanica mentioned replace the points with electronic.

Maybe the kickstart problem is just a weak return spring? Mine went out a couple of times.

All in all the Trident was a pretty tough bike but there is three of everything and it takes patience and maintenance to keep them going.

GrandPaulZ · 09-11-2007, 09:18 AM

Here's the trick to starting a Trident:

1. FLOOD the carbs with the ticklers, let them dribble for a second or two.

2. Crank the throttle open at least 1/2 way.

3. On the FIRST KICK, give it EVERYTHING you've got, leverage all your body weight on the kicker.

When it fires, let it rev up to the throttle setting, then only back off a little to bringthe idle down to a manageable level, about 2,000 - 2,200 RPM.

If the bike is in tune, it will start on the first kick almost every time, using this procedure.

If the kicker sticks, pull in the clutch and rotate the tranny layshaft with about 1/2 a kick stroke. Somethimes a bit of slop in the tranny and/or kickshaft bushings can be worked around by using a different set of teeth on the gear it meshes with; there is no "idler gear" in the Triumph setup.

Mecchanica · 09-12-2007, 02:22 AM

If the kicker keeps sticking....go into the outer cover and take the nut off of the end of the mainshaft and remove all of the kickstart ratchet parts. There should be a washer right up against the mainshaft ball bearing. Sometimes it gets misplaced or left out. Then the assembly slides to the left by the thickness of the washer, about a sixteenth. Then the kick quadrant interferes with the ratchet.

DAGAD · 09-12-2007, 03:45 AM

Hi Guys, thought I might drop in on this one.............. Valves and valve guides are particularly suspect. It's important to fit mushroom head adjusters. Spark plugs are also critical on these bikes and mine did not want to start with Bosch but fit NGK and , wow what a difference ( no one in England uses Champion any more). The carb bodies and slides will probably also be worn, however new ones are worn too!
Oil consumption is a problem for most Tridents, due to valve guides and rings. It can sometines be as low as 80 miles to the PINT !!!!!!!!! Watch out for it smoking when hot, especially if your mates will not ride behind you.
The bikes work well on Dunlop TT100, 19" tires which are readilly available. Is it a T150T or a T150V model? Could be either for 1972?
OK, so I love the way they look but personally............ I would not have another one in my shed, ever again. If anyone out there has my old bike, drop me a line T150T EE00999........ Spring gold / black.
Roy.