[Guest]

Hi Folks,

Could someone recommend a good book that deals with the history of Triumphs? I am specifically interested in bikes from the 60's and 70's. I would like to get an old Triumph in the near future, but do not currently know much about them (other than I like 'em).

Also, might someone inform me as to what "oil-in-frame" means?

many thanks,
Chris

 

[Ophthos]

When I was doing my research before I id my resto I got three books:

Triumph Motorcycle Restoration Guide: Bonneville and TR6 1956-1983 by David Gaylin. (this maybe out of print) All black and white pics lots of technical stuff.

Original Triumph Bonneville: The Restorers Guide to all models 1956-1983 by Gerard Kane. Lots of color pics of certain models but not complete for each model. Good list of major changes for each year and good list of color schemes for each year US and UK.

Triumph Motorcycles: A century of Passion and Power by Lindsay Brooke. Tons of history of Triumph but not a restoration guide. Walks thru Triumph from the earliest days to the modern company.

As for oil in frame, Triumph changed their frames in 1971. They took the oil tank off the right side and enlarged the down tube and filled it with oil. Part of the frame was now the oil tank.

 

[red59]

Triumph (BSA) took the oil tank out. They ran the oil inside the frame in 1971. It was not an idea that was recieved well.
TWO BOOKS: Triumph Motorcycles A Century Of Passion And Power by Lindsay Brooke. I highly reccomend this book. I have a hard back copy from MBI Publishing Classic Motorbooks.
Triumph Bonneville And TR6 is another good book by Timothy Remus.
For a free catalog of Classic Motorbooks 1-800-826-6600
visit www.motorbooks.com

 

[Grumbler]

Triumph Motorcycles In America by Lindsay Brooks/David Gavin with foreword by Gary Nixon. (1993)

However, I just checked, and it's OOP with used/collectible ones going for $100 or slightly more. It originally sold for $24.95 when I got mine as a gift.

Have contacted the original publisher, Motorbooks Int'l, to see whether they have any plans to repubish it.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

One of my buddies, Howard "Shotgun" Winchester, is mentioned in "Triumph, a century of Passion & Power" in the section on the "Slickshift" feature.

He is one of the nicest old guys you would ever want to meet and still hauls a few of his bikes around to low-key bike shows and swap meets to chew the fat and enjoy the old bikes.

I've got a picture of him in his yard with one of his old Triumphs, surrounded by HUNDREDS of trophies, and that was EARLY in his racing career.

One of the good guys.

Oh yeah, good book by the way.

 

[KADUTZ]

All above books are excellent.
If you are interested in the Bonneville mite I add the book
BONNIE, THE DEVLOPMENT HISTORY OF THE TRIUMPH BONNIEVILLE;by J R NELSON.
there have been many excellent books written on the subject. but as they are out of print they may be hard to get a hold of or overly expensive.
IT'S A TRIUMPH by Ivor Davies was a good book but has been out of print about 25 years.
Look on Ebay for some of the older books.
My opinion if you see anything by John Tipler walk on by and save your money. He is the WORST writer out there(sorry DAG)

 

[Guest]

Thank you all for the recomendations. That'll get me started.

 

[graceallan41]

More book recommendations please.

 

[Mick Barratt]

More book recommendations please.

Well, there's Triumph Twin Restoration by Roy Bacon, still in print from Andover Norton AFAIK, not perfect, and only up to 1972-ish, but I still use it a lot of the time.

 

[graceallan41]

Well, there's Triumph Twin Restoration by Roy Bacon, still in print from Andover Norton AFAIK, not perfect, and only up to 1972-ish, but I still use it a lot of the time.
I know a couple of good books that you might like. But I will advise you one of them is The Cycling Anthology. volume three. I've read it a bunch of times. I would like to find something similar, but I am now studying and I need to pass a lot of different materials to college. For example, I was recently asked to write a raisin in the sun essay, I then used https://studydriver.com/a-raisin-in-the-sun-essay/ for that. I think I will continue to do so, in the same rhythm. I realized that this way I had more free time, which I can spend on reading books, for example.

Thanks for the quick response, I'll take a look at the review about it.

 

[rambo]

There are books like, Bonnie, from J.R.Nelson. He did write books for the 500s as well.

 

[htown16]

Building Budget Brits by Mike Brown. Down to earth advice on buying and restoring vintage Triumphs and BSA's. I still refer to it twenty years on.

Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series): Brown, Mike: 9781884313622: Amazon.com: Books

Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series) [Brown, Mike] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Building Budget Brits: A Practical Guide for Refurbishing BSA and Triumph Unit Twins (Tech Series)

www.amazon.com

 

[BMF]

 

[GrandPaulZ]

All the history books are wonderful and nice, but the Bonnie Development History book is focused on every technical detail about the bike itself, and WHY the year-to-year changes were made (what problems in previous models were resolved).

 

[Freakmaster]

All the history books are wonderful and nice, but the Bonnie Development History book is focused on every technical detail about the bike itself, and WHY the year-to-year changes were made (what problems in previous models were resolved).

Got to agree here. Much of the text n pictures in these books are what amounts to padding out. Triumph Experimental was a disappointment, wonderful story, but lacks any detail to explain the conclusions. Of course these books are written from a single editors perspective, problem with most is little cross reference. Not surprising conflicts of opinion occur.

Bonnie Development History by Nelson is perhaps the most researched I've read, outstanding detail and his works are quite accurate, though some data is blind, but no one will ever know everything and you can only reference whats available from other sources, that's both controversial and challengeable, ultimately becoming a diminishing return as time passes. Nelsons works have my full respect, and as a close running second, Hughie Hancox's.

Triumph themselves had a role to play, built on a history of 'playing it by ear' many developments failed to be recorded accurately, it was frequently left to third party publishers to paint the fuller, sometimes inaccurate picture. Even then, they really didn't get their illustrative act together until 1960, a little to late as they began repeating mistakes, that, had they had, accurate recorded historical reference to, would not. Not surprising really, they were in the business of manufacture not distributing commercially sensitive information. This seems one facet Bloor recognised and with the help of technology has eliminated? Bloors story would be worth a dabble, here's wishing.

 

[thefledgling]

GrandPaul seems a bit modest on his recommendations 🙂

There's this!

"Old Bikes" book

www.bornagainbikes.net

 

[rambo]

Triumph Bonneville year by year. Paul Hazeldine is a very good large hardback. There are many books on these bikes but often not being published now. I have read many of them and sometimes re-sell so someone else gets a chance to read them. I suppose i have about 10 books i keep now.

 

[Beemie]

I love mine. Great pictures.
Present from my mrs.

 

[thefledgling]

This is my only Triumph book.

It might be too much of a beginners book for many. It was a great introduction for me.

I still refer to it. Once a fledgling, always a Fledgling.

It sometimes clears things up. Clear pictures. Youtube videos can be far from clear, and the Haynes manual, well... seems to printed on recycled toilet paper.

 

[GrandPaulZ]

While the Haynes shop manual is NOT the best book to learn about the Bonnie itself, it's development history, or all many of the known issues that can arise, it is one of two shop manuals that I use regularly and in my opinion is just fine.

I have owned 44 Bonnevilles, not to mention at least 27 client bikes (Triumph big twins) that I've custom built, restored or overhauled, and I typically use the Haynes. Only when there may be some question do I pull out an old Triumph 650 factory manual (bound in the plastic-covered 3-ring binder), to compare notes on the subject at hand (not very often).

Really not sure why so many people disparage the Haynes book. In all of the above bikes, I only ever had one "soft" seizure of one rod bearing, due to MY FAULT not pushing the sludge tube far enough into the crank sludge trap to clear the oil gallery. NOTHING to do with bad info from the Haynes book.