Triumphrat

MickMaguire · 03-09-2005, 12:09 PM

So I've been pulling my TBird around again... No big surprise there (I think it keeps me sane through the winter).

Usually I try to use pretty much all Triumph stuff where I can. However, the mods this year are a departure from the norm.

I wanted to upgrade the front brakes but also wanted to go to 17" wheels. The obvious route was to use TBS parts but these are rarer than rocking horse poop. The one set of forks etc. that I did find on ebay (after looking for 3 years) I was outbid/outsniped on by a long margin.

So I started looking for other sources of parts. I hit upon the idea of using Kawasaki ZRX1200R parts largely because the fork diameter is the same as that of the TBird.

Current status is that I have a ZRX front end mounted up - the rear wheel is working out, although I do need to do some shimming / make spacers (anybody have a lathe and could turn down a spacer for me?).

Rear brake will come from a pre-1996 Trophy as the ZRX rotor is almost the same size as the Trophy item at 250mm (Trophy is 255) as opposed to the TBird's 285mm item. the Trophy parts look like they will just bolt right up. The back wheel goes from a 150/80-16 tire to a 180/55-17 the front goes down to a 120/70-17. The front brakes are the Tokico 6 pots from the ZRX.

Currently I am liking the look of the darker front end - I painted the headlamp brakets in satin black to match the forks. Let me know what you think?

You can see progress so far Here

P.S. You may also notice the swap back from last years clip-ons to the 2003 bars. In the end I just preferred the way it felt to ride it with the bars.

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2005-03-09 10:41 ]

Slinky · 03-09-2005, 12:23 PM

How did the steering stem and bearings work out- is it a straight swap?

ps I guess I should have looked at the pictures more closely- you seem to have used the stock yokes. That said, how did the spindle work out?

[ This message was edited by: Slinky on 2005-03-09 10:24 ]

MickMaguire · 03-09-2005, 12:32 PM

Yes, I used the stock yokes. The front end was remarkably easy with the forks being the same distance apart and same diameter. Even the speedo drive seems to be the same ratio as the TBird!

At the rear the axle is the same diameter so the wheel has just slipped on. I just need to work on the spacers as one is about 2mm too wide (if I can find somebody to trim that for me I'll be set). I'm having to measure and re-measure and re-measure again but so far it seems alignment of wheels and sprockets shoudln't present too many problems.

I lay with my head underneath it whilst working on it yesterday and happened to glance back - it was the first time that I really noticed just how much wider that rear tire looks!

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2005-03-09 10:43 ]

TBSstunta · 03-09-2005, 12:35 PM

I was just about to ask what setup you used. How long are the forks fully extended?

[ This message was edited by: TBSstunta on 2005-03-09 10:36 ]

MickMaguire · 03-09-2005, 12:39 PM

They are a tad shorter than the TBird; about an inch. So it will quicken the steering a bit - but then I had the TBird forks pulled through by 1/2" anyhow.

Overall the bike is also lowered because the rolling diameter of the wheels is smaller.

TBSstunta · 03-09-2005, 12:42 PM

When you get a chance will you measure them for me?

MickMaguire · 03-09-2005, 12:43 PM

Quote:

On 2005-03-09 10:42, TBSstunta wrote:
When you get a chance will you measure them for me?

Sure!

Just for info the front axle is the same diameter as the TBird (and other Triumphs too) so there may be a possibility that you could use them with Daytona wheels - the speedo drive is a different setup adn quite a bit wider though.

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2005-03-09 10:45 ]

Delta88 · 03-09-2005, 01:13 PM

It's interesting just how many Kawasaki parts will work on a Triumph.
I had interest in doing this same front end swap on my Concours, (also nearly a bolt-on), but have since turned my attention to my T-Bird and Sprint RS projects. Which brings up a question, if I can hijack your thread for a bit. I find myself with 2 damaged Sprint RS's with enough parts to make one good bike and a boatload of spares. I have been toying with putting the extra RS front end/rear wheel & tire on my '95 T-Bird. Any idea if this will work as easy as the ZReX pieces? Also, did I read correctly that chain alignment was NOT a problem? TIA

MickMaguire · 03-09-2005, 01:18 PM

I should be able to make the chain alignment work with a small amount of shimming.

the Spring front end will most likely not work. I looked at this route as I got my hands on some Sprint ST forks. what stopped me in my tracks was the fact that they were significantly shorter than the TBird items IIRC several inches. Measure yours to check - if I am wrong then the front end should bolt up very nicely. Rear wheel should work quite well too, but you will have to change the rear brake to use the RS parts (ideally). The result would look very much like TBSstunta's bike.

the key to all this is taking measuremnts over and over again, You need to get the chain alignment right and also the front and rear wheels must also end up aligned on the center point of the tread.

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2005-03-09 11:21 ]

fbird · 03-09-2005, 02:36 PM

The black forks look great! Got me thinking that would look real nice on a TBS with a black motor. Where did you get that rear fender set up? Been thinkin about somethin like that myself.