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Buy it. Tell him to not warm up the bike before you get there so you know exactly how hard it is to start.
First and always first is the easy kick with the clutch lever pulled in to free the plates....If it's above 50F just flood the carbs with the tickler,one easy kick with the ignition off to draw fuel into the intake, turn on ignition and one "smart" kick...
make your own experience , buy it and then if/when you get tired , sell it and get a beemer.easy.
Exactly... I have had friends question my love for Triumphs for years, talking trash about how hard they are to start justr as if they knew what they were talking about, having never owned any, the usual experts that have never even kicked one over until they see me start them in just this manner.In proper tune, they always go right off.Best,Rob
First and always first is the easy kick with the clutch lever pulled in to free the plates....If it's above 50F just flood the carbs with the tickler,one easy kick with the ignition off to draw fuel into the intake, turn on ignition and one "smart" kick...If it doesn't start it's broken or you're kicking like girl...
I have a Norton, so I'm familiar with the dance but I still don't want a warmed up bike when I come to look at a possible purchase.
Someone jog my memory here . Weren't the U.S. spec 1978 Triumphs equipped with MK 2 Amals replacing the older MK 1 concentrics , and the Lucas Rita ignition system , which worked great , until it didn't . Dusty
I'm no paper specification expert on later Triumphs.....I believe they might have been a modified Amal Concentric mark I...so called Amal 1.5. There were Bings on some years in some markets. Brand new Amal Concentrics made in the UK with the needed improvements are only $150 each from many US vendors..Other reliable electronic ignitions are available for about 150 bucks...But the 78 may still have points... All the years I rode Triumphs and only had one breakdown where the bike had to be hauled back home....And that was last year when the kick starter broke and the bike couldn't be bump started with the Pazon electronic ignition...
You guys have convinced me an old Triumph isnt for me....I guess Ive gotten spoiled by the solidness of my old Guzzis! The old Bonnevilles sure are pretty, though.Rick.
Here we go again Buy an airhead , maybe not as cool , but it won't be nearly as frustrating to own . For years those Brits were my ride of choice , being stubborn and all , but after 20 years of owning both , the old beemers are just a better bike. Of course the next poster will say exactly the opposite Dusty
I had a '79 Bonnie in beautiful condition, well cared for and ran great around Atlanta.One day, took a ride to Daytona and back, almost... Removed spark plug because she went down to one cylinder. Peering into hole I could see the top of connecting rod. Holed a piston. Game over.Several years later I would ride my 1970 R75/5 BMW to Mexico and back, also commuted 40k miles in two years on it.IT NEVER MISSED A BEATThat said, I loved the way I felt on the Triumph, so pretty as she was, and had no regrets.Just keep 'em close to home..
Any bike will come apart if you don't know how to work on it, don't know how to tune it, and ride it wrong.I do know how to work on mine, I know how to tune them so they don't hole pistons, and I know how to ride them. That's how my '55 BSA M21, my '61 A10, my '69 Firebird, and my '75 Norton have been seen in every state from Georgia to Tennessee to Ohio to New York to Massachusetts, on their own two wheels, and with no holes in their pistons ...All you have to do is figure it out instead of moaning about how they won't go far, and you can ride them where you want to .....Lannis
..no moaning here, just one persons first hand account. Beautiful running bike, right 'till the end.."Any bike will come apart if you don't know how to work on it, don't know how to tune it, and ride it wrong."True enough, though some are destined to come apart unless upgrades are made ( flat tappet Stelvio ).Surely you have made upgrades, or modifications to your ol'scoots ? Theseus' paradox as it were?Just saying some older bikes need a little more "help" than others to cover the big miles. ..added the "afro" dood for fun, though I'm not sure why...
...at 100 MPH the BMW's mirrors will still be clear . Dusty
And you can keep it there all day.You'll have to stop and wait for the chase truck pretty regularly on a vintage Brit bike.My Norton buddy from over Okmulgee way has some good stories about the runs to Rockers vs Mods in Dallas !!!
The stupidity and arrogance was all on the part of the factories themselves. They like a lot of British firms at that time were badly run and dominated by the unions. It was a relieve when they stopped making outdated poorly built machines that were only being bought by diehards who wouldn't accept the Japanese made a far superior bike.
All a Brit parallel twin needs (Assuming it doesn't have compression's of 64 to 1 or is seriously out of tune) to be absolutely smooth is dynamic balancing to the correct factor. For some reason the factories did not do it dynamically. Probably a cost thing. You could do a reasonable job statically though. Just not as good.
Lannis, you take long rides on Brit bikes, you own an A10? In all honesty are any vintage 360 degree 650-750 twins considered smooth at hiway speeds compared to lets say a Tonti frame Guzzi? In 45 years I've never ridden a Brit Bike I would call smooth over 50 mph unless riding fast on back roads and fully focused on riding....I will say the 55 A10 I had was the smoothest despite having a hot cam and higher compression...
