Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and have just picked up my first Triumph. Long story short I was offered a one owner 1960 T6 chopper at a price I could not pass up. While I don't know as much about these bikes as I do on Harleys and Japanese platforms, I do look forward to sharing this find as things develop with the bike. I will post pictures as I chronicle some of the steps of waking this beautiful and unmolested sleeping beauty from the 70's. 0
Welcome to the forum.I would guess you are going to keep it basically as it is.I see that it is bleeding well,or,maybe marking its territory.That engine looks very smart.
Thank you both, and yes, Rambo, my intent is to keep this as original as possible. I love the 70's chopper look. The trans seems to be leaking a bit, but that puddle has been building up over three years, plus I ran a tire through it so it looks worse than it was. My only concern is stability and/or control with extra long forks, but we shall see in due time.
Brought the bike home last night. I have some cleaning up to do in the garage to make more room, three bikes and a scooter in there already. One more bike and the wife may lose her mind. I hope to try starting the Triumph this weekend, will update then.
Do your general maintenance, clean carb, flush & change oil, new plugs, flush gas & oil tanks, adjust valves, then try to fire it up. IF (and ONLY if) it doesn't fire, CAREFULLY adjust points and CHECK timing. If, after minor points adjustment (to compensate for wear), it still doesn't fire, THEN you need to set up a degree wheel and set the timing.
Thank you GrandPaulZ, I will follow your suggestions.
Ran into my first hurdle today, the dreaded California DMV (insert dramatic music). It has been out of the system for a LONG time, so they require a VIN verification. I'm not even sure there is one on the frame, but I'll find a way to sandblast the neck while crossing my fingers for luck. The neck of this chopper has had a lot of rework done to it, however this may give me a decent peek at how well the rake was (or wasn't) done...
Risking stating the obvious, bear in mind the VIN might not be in that position on the frame - Triumph put the VIN there but e.g. BSA put it on the front engine mounting. This is obviously a custom frame; I'm guessing you don't know the maker to ask(?) but, before you scrape/blast off lots of frame paint, can you ask the p.o., or is he/she ... uh ... inaccessible ...?
StuartMac, I would be the PO's best friend, dinner, beer, game tickets would be raining from the sky if he could help me with this process, however the bike was only available due to his death. Despite this being a huge part of his life; buying it new in 1960 and later doing the custom work, his remaining family knows nothing of the build or it's specs. I still had to jump on it when offered to me at a bargain, because it had been "in the way" since his passing.
When I went to see the bike It was a fairly quick look over and since it had not been run in a few years, decided not to crank the motor over at all. A few days ago I pulled the spark plugs and dropped a little bit of 'Marvel Mystery Oil' into the cylinders and today I am glad to report that the motor turns nicely. Not frozen, good news. Still need to address the Lack of frame VIN with the Ca. DMV and/or CHP offices.
Well, sorry for the delay, but I had to wrap up an engine rebuild on another bike before really diving into the triumph. Tomorrow I plan to change the fluids, replace the petcocks (reason it sat), and put in a new battery. The tank and carbs were drained and cleaned when it went into storage, so I am hopeful that they don't need too much love beyond a cleaning. I'll post the results if I make it through GrandPaulZ's suggestions and attempt a start.
I love it! Not my style of bike or even my style of custom, but I love how unapologetically "I am a 1970s chopper" it is. Best of luck with the restoration and registration.
If 6 volt batteries are hard to come by you can convert to 12 volts easily still using a 6 volt dynamo (generator).
All you need are 12 volt globes, battery & an electronic voltage regulator.
If the original 6 volt dynamo is working it can still be used. At normal running speeds the 6 volt dynamo will keep your lights bright & 12 volt battery charged. I converted my T110 this way
One little thing dynamo's or generators need to run if left idle for years is manual field "flashing".A simple process well within the capability of the home mechanic.
Well, had my second appointment with the evil entity that is the California Department of Motor Vehicles. I got lucky and found the original VIN on the frame, set up a 3:00 appointment, and proudly brought in the bike to have the numbers verified against the title. Besides waiting over an hour for my turn, i was blown away that they refused to complete my form due to the lack of an odometer. No exceptions. I could attempt to get a waiver from the State Highway Patrol, but no verification for me unless I mount an odometer (or speedo w/ one) and take another half day off work for a third visit...
Needless to say, no title transfer or registration today.
Today I set up an appointment for the VIN verification through the CHP, more bad news. From what the officer tells me, California is pretty strict on frame modifications and it will likely be labelled as a 2016 Special Construction once I finally get this bike through the DMV process. The CHP office that handles this is also backed up till late August.
Just getting the title transferred and registration settled has become a ridiculous parade of red tape.
Cal30M1 & Coloradobob, there are laws for residents and vehicles that would prohibit out of state registration here. If or when I was forced to register it in Ca, yet another VIN verification would be required and I'd be right back where I started. I like the idea, believe me, but I do my best to keep my nose clean and stay out of trouble.
I am still at a bit of a loss as far as what to do. I have been checking eBay and craigslist daily for a 59/60 frame (w/ title) in hopes of maintaining the title status and avoiding the Special Construction label. No luck yet, but still looking. I have another month before the CHP appointment or just shelve the project until I'm in a better position to restore it to it's original configuration. By the looks of it, I'd pretty much need a roller. The California landscape and climate is fantastic, but the politics that drive this state is, well...
... a bear. Hmm, no wonder it's on the state flag.
Sorry mate, all I was saying was to stick with it and continue hounding the vehicle registration mob (wear the bastards down) until you have a win.
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