Triumphrat

VooDooMan

Morning every one, ( Hope I am in the right section of this forum )

Just joined up this fantastic place and thought I would post my first thread. I am coming out of Canada BC - I see several of you guys are around my area too ( lower mainland ).

I have no previous bike experience - I don't even own a bike. But I have been trying to educate my self as well as trying to locate some thing local for a wile. I thought it would be wise to join up here and chat / lurk with all you veterans!

I am actually looking for a restoration project, Nothing fancy. I have been looking for a wile in my local papers and all I find is restored bikes for big $$
My main interest would be from 1955-1970 Triumph TR6 Tiger Bonneville etc......Here is what I am thinking, Even though its customs this is what I would be aiming for.
http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk...-tiger-650.JPG
http://motorbike-search-engine.co.uk...ille-t120r.jpg

Simple sleek and rugged.
I guess I will need to start from a parts bike or rust bucket, Which would be ideal but I haven't located any.
Possibly even just a fame and some wheels and then scrounge or source the motor and gear box and such?

I would love to attend some meetings if its for general chat ( obviously I have nothing to ride around with ) and meet / chat with some of you guys for further education.
I will be honing on my skills I have attained from my tool and die / millwright experience and training to get me where I need to be.


So if any one can shed some light on my predicament I would greatly appreciate it, I will do plenty of reading and lurking in here.

Take care guys.

VooDooMan

61 views and not even a single welcome........am I that ugly
LOL

Kirk

Good morning,

I just saw your thread and had a good chuckle at your last comment!!

I like the idea of a Triumph bobber. I grew up on British bikes and have seen the British twins, from different manufacturers in all kinds of configurations.

One comment I would make is that have you thought of putting a 2001 - 2009 Bonneville motor into a bobber frame? As much as I like the older twins, I like the reliability and convenience of the Hinckley twins that much more. I have seen some Hinckley twins on ebay that were wrecked and the prices have been pretty good. The new motors really are bullet proof and that in itself adds to the enjoyment of long term ownership. I know many members that have the Hinckley twins and they all rave about the motor!

Oh well, that's my 2 cents worth! Do what you have to do and most of all, enjoy yourself and be careful out there!!

__________________
I made the decision that the 50's are going to be my best decade yet....so far, so good!!

Dorian999

I concour , the new Triumph classics are a better bet for an actual bike to ride week to week. The early Triumphs are getting onto 45 years old with the design of the engine back before WW2. For a first bike it would take you 3 to 5 years to get on the road after restoration and custom build.

Importing heavy objects from the UK on unknown quality is expensive and will probably end in tears.

If you really , really want to go classic try here.
http://www.robinsclassicmotorcycles.com/

Just my two cents and good luck , lotsa luck

__________________
04 Thruxton, Domi T pipes, Ikon front & rear, many minor visual tweaks. (crash damage), NH cafe seat. Dart screen, usual mods. FCR carbs/stacks into air box
Next on list : Cams, HiComp pistons. weight savings via battery, rear hub, discs

VooDooMan

Thanks for the replies guys!

I been looking around and educating ym self.
It seems the rear end must be cut and either bolt on and weld on hard tail.
I will most likely cut my frame and fab my own weld on hard tail....I have all the machinery and am fabulous at TIG welding so no biggie there. Just don't know to stretch it all or and what sort of incline to have it at - I will need to hit up some one local and see if they let me copy their hard tail

Thanks for your 2 cents guys, I noted both of your info's and will take them into consideration, I am in on real rush - I want to put together slowly and make it a really stand out piece.


Take care

Greaser

"Importing heavy objects from the UK on unknown quality is expensive and will probably end in tears."


Rubbish! Most of the parts for my Norton came from the UK. It was cheaper and faster to order from the Uk than to order domestically. Don't be afraid to order from across the pond. I mean, where do you think the majority of the domestic shops get their stuff from?

__________________
" If you haven't been paying attention to what's going on in the world around you perhaps you should start. It certainly beats relying on erroneous rhetoric to form one's opinions." Steven Lloyd

Jon Hardcastle

Hi there,

Welcome to the forum! I would definitely advise that if you are new to restoration, buy a bike that is a roller. Something that hopefully has respectable compression and is complete. A basket case in bits will cause you endless nightmares unless you are building a bobber. Even then there will be a lot of bits and pieces you won't know to have. I would recommend a bike from the original T100R series (Daytona) 500CC twin. These are great, smooth engines with Bonnie looks but don't command the same type of dollars. You'll get a weathered Daytona for less than a beaten, original Bonneville.

Good luck,

convict

if you are going to go old and rusty then you need to know about these guys in nova scotia

http://www.britcycle.com/

they let me tour their warehouse and damn it full of a tonne of junk you would die for.

Prairie Rat

Welcome to the forum!! You will have a hard time finding a better forum. Lots of quality people ,technical know how ,and of course a lot of top notch quality B.S. Thought this might be of some interest to you. http://www.motopartsinc.com/projectbikes2.asp?ID=41

kobywan99

I second Jon Hardcastle's opinion that your first Triumph motorcycle should be a running bike. As the warmer riding season in Canada comes to its end, you'll see more listing of inexpensive bikes in Kijiji, craiglist, ebay, etc.

By aquiring an older bike, you'll be forced to update components, do service work, and just bring it up to a better running conditions. At least with a registered/licenced bike, you'll have all/most of the OEM components already there. If you are starting from a bucket of parts, you may miss something that could be detrimental later on...

Good Luck!


BTW, can you provide more information in your profile?