Motorcycles

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Been going out on my motorcycle, just around the neighborhood. I’ve had it for several years, but spent some time fixing minor electrical issues and then Covid happened. Decided, since I wasn’t able to adhere to my original plan, plan B came in. I go out and ride 20-30 minutes and practice on back streets. So I’m the 61 year old teen buzzing around on a loud motorcycle. LoL.
broken link. Fresh pics.
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Last edited by sikacz on Sat Jun 18, 2022 7:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

2
Nice! First bike I bought was a rebuilt 76 Bonneville. Sold my Harley Softail when I left Austin, but if I was to buy another bike it'd probably be another Triumph.
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Re: Motorcycles

3
I also ride around in the back streets if that. LA commuters can kill you without even spilling their latte.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Motorcycles

4
Llew wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:44 pm Nice! First bike I bought was a rebuilt 76 Bonneville. Sold my Harley Softail when I left Austin, but if I was to buy another bike it'd probably be another Triumph.
I’ve had a soft spot for Triumphs since I was a kid in the 1960’s. It was the motorcycle to have in Finland, that or a Norton.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

5
sikacz wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:10 pm ...but spent some time fixing minor electrical issues...
So glad to hear that Triumph is staying true to form.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Motorcycles

6
Bisbee wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:16 pm
sikacz wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:10 pm ...but spent some time fixing minor electrical issues...
So glad to hear that Triumph is staying true to form.
LoL. It is a 2005 motorcycle. LoL. It’s actually not in bad electrical or mechanical shape. Previous owner had installed a cosmetic license plate holder that damaged the rectifier. The battery was also weak and the coils were in need of replacement. Now it starts like a gem.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

8
Where would we be if Triumphs simply started and Harley’s didn’t leak oil?...

...maybe in Japan?
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Motorcycles

9
I wouldn’t mind a pre -1972 Bonneville, pre oil wet frame. I just don’t think having oil within the frame is a good idea.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

10
Bisbee wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:26 pm Where would we be if Triumphs simply started and Harley’s didn’t leak oil?...

...maybe in Japan?
LoL. Modern advances, Triumph managed to make a modern motorcycle that doesn’t leak and actually consistently starts. Still, I’d like to have a 1960’s Triumph with a kickstart, just because I want the exercise and nostalgia. LoL.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

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Check out the single sided swing arm...
Honda’s ‘80s Star Child, baby!

I also currently own a 2004 Thruxton but of course... no funciona.
Last edited by Bisbee on Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Motorcycles

13
Bisbee wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:39 pm 29BA4709-C0AE-4C64-8BEB-A70341EC7FCC.jpeg
Check out the single sided swing arm...
Honda’s ‘80s Star Child, baby!
Nice! Basic city riding or do you get beyond the city?
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

14
Just ride it ‘round town... I actually got this bike during the early lockdown period to have something to wrench on to keep myself sane.

Motorcycles were a bigger part of my life than firearms. Even rode a big old airhead GS through Central America and Mexico back to the US. I still suffer PTSD from a bad motorcycle accident back in 2013 and kinda got into firearms for something to do. So getting back in the bike was a strange experience when I can’t trust drivers all around me... in Los Angeles. Now I have three different bikes in various states of repair. The Honda runs like a Swiss watch.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Motorcycles

15
My eye-candy Triumph...
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"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Motorcycles

16
Nice nice nice! I wanted to ride motorcycles since I was a teen. Parents forbid it do I didn’t. In my early 50’s my wife encouraged me to get a license, I did, but it wasn’t till a few years back that I finally bought the Triumph Thruxton I was dreaming about. Having a ball just riding around and of course just like with guns, mods! I have a few planned for upgrades. LoL.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

17
I’m looking to change the fenders to aluminum, delete the airbox, change the signals to billet aluminum and a few other odds and ends.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Motorcycles

18
I think the re-born Triumphs are DEFINITELY sweet! I never had a thing for them, but they are still sweet!
First bike I rode was a friend's Honda 125--no idea what year. That was 1976.
In 1977, I bought my first bike, a 1971 T-250 Suzi. I'm currently extending my 30-year long restoration project on it to 40 years!
Then I bought a 1981 Yamaha 650 Maxim that gave me nuthin' but trouble. Kept breaking exhaust studs, needed a new cam chain, and frequent valve adjustments--using shims. Its picture made the Washington Post twice. I never did, though.
Traded it on a NOS 1991 Venture Royale. A 1300 V-4, a detuned extended V-Max 1200 engine. Never quite liked that bike, and changing the rear tire was an all-day affair unless you were a pro, in which case it was a half-day affair!
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While I had the Venture I found a 1981 Yam XS-400 at a yard sale for $200. Needed the carbs cleaned and a new battery. GREAT hot-weather bike when stopped in traffic as it didn't cook you the way the big bikes do.

Bought a 2002 Yam FZ1 and wife said: "Two (running) bikes, max!" so I sold the Venture and never missed it.

Then I got a 2004 Yam FJR and the XS-400 went for 3x what paid for it.

Now FZ1 is at our beach house in the Bahamas and it's finally giving me SERIOUS trouble...after all, it didn't run for 2 years, since, following our last visit in July 2019, there was Dorian that September, and when I got down in November, I had bigger fish to fry than the bike. We were just down there this month for 2 1/2 weeks. My wife can work from there. And, after working on fixing all KINDS of problems after 18 months of, well, not exactly neglect--just couldn't get there, I finally took on the bike.
Despite the battery tender, it needed a jump but started. I went to check the tire pressure and the valve stem on the rear snapped off! So I had to pull the wheel and take it to the ONE shop on the island changing tires, hoping they could handle a motorcycle wheel--they could and replaced the valve.

But checking the bike now for things that wouldn't pass inspection, even in the Bahamas, the front hand-brake light switch wouldn't work. So off it came, carefully disassembled and soaked in vinegar. Then off I went to Marsh Harbour to have it inspected and re-registered. Web site said Road and Traffic open till 4...sign on the door said "Close at 3"--"Welcome To The Bahamas!" (BTW, now foreigners can no longer re-register vehicles without a Bahamian driver's license, so I had to get one of those, too. I don't actually have it--just a receipt showing a valid DL #. I MAY get the license in a week, a month, or a year--"Welcome..." you know the rest!)

On the way back I noticed a little gas on the floor under the house. Next day, bike cranked, but wouldn't start, then wouldn't crank at all--and the leak was worse.
I went to take off the tank...and the front hex bolt's head stripped! For the first time ever a reversing tool (kind of like an Easy-Out) actually WORKED. Then it turns out there was a tiny hole rusted in the tank! So I started emptying the tank...and the top of the gas can split along a seam--THANKFULLY only on the top.

Now I have to figure out how to fix the tank...and not blow it up! There are 3 basic options: special tank-repair epoxy, brazing, or welding.

Meanwhile I'm pondering why it won't crank even with plenty of juice. Fuse? Solenoid? Starter? Wiring? I don't know. It once looked like this, me riding The Tail of the Dragon at Deal's Gap, NC. But the salt air has damaged the finish.
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Meanwhile I was terrified to ride the FJR during the pandemic--what if I fell, badly? Been there, done that on the FZ1 in 2004--6 months P/T. Still it's a beauty!
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"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Motorcycles

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cooper wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:01 pm Nice bikes. All of them, but especially sikacz's yellow Triumph. Classy. Similar to firearms -- have fun, be safe!

Starting in the late 90's I rode a little Suzuki GS450 from the late 80's for several years. I loved that bike.
Yeah, that yellow Thruxton is awesome! The GS450 was a GREAT parallel twin! The whole GS series that started in the late 70's was terrific. The GS1000 from 1978 for many years was the dominant bike on the Super-Pro(? is that right? Modified but mostly stock street bikes 1000cc and less) racing circuit. Rarely could a KZ1000 break through.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Motorcycles

21
Bisbee wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:16 pm
sikacz wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:10 pm ...but spent some time fixing minor electrical issues...
So glad to hear that Triumph is staying true to form.
My dad once bought a beautiful Jaguar sedan from someone who was leaving the country. It was a great car when it ran, which was never.
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Re: Motorcycles

25
Llew wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:14 pm St. Patrick's Day Parade, Alexandria VA, 80s. Me on Sportster 1100.
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Hey! I MOVED to Alexandria in Oct 1983, and we lived there after I met and married my wife (The Hamlets) until we moved into our townhouse off Beulah in Fairfax Co. (Alexandria was still our mailing address). We moved north to NJ in Jan of 1993.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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