So you want to be the Fonz?
A benevolent soul bestows a not-mint 1968 Triumph TR6R on Naishy. ‘Fix it and you can keep it,’ she tells him. And so begins a battle of wills to get it going and stop random bits falling off. Naishy isn’t winning…
I’ve owned Japanese bikes since getting my AP50 sports moped at 16. But I’ve always fancied a Sixties Triumph 650. Fonzie any one? Last January I was gifted one. My missus’s best mate had to stop riding a decade ago, following a back injury. Her beloved Trumpet rotted in a shed, then languished in boxes. She said that if I got it going, I could have it.
It’s a 1968 (‘best year’) TR6R – like a Bonneville, but with a less fussy single carb. I love the filthy Eighties bastard look, so no need for costly repainting. And it makes a fantastic racket. What could possibly go wrong? My ignorance about old Brits was circumvented by persuading Classic Bike’s spanner-guru Rick Parkington to assemble the bits and teach me to build the motor oil-tight. The rest, which Rick called, ‘shake-down stuff,’ was left to me. ‘Learn and enjoy,’ he smiled.
I’ve learnt that ‘shake-down’ means ‘vibrate off’; in the past six months I’ve ventured out no more than ten miles each trip, but regularly returned a few components lighter.
When the bolt securing the Zener diode disappears, the diode stops working and boils the electrics. But it’s not so bad when the Amal carburettor’s innards fall into the float bowl. The bike sputters home. The Amal’s bellmouth also rattled off somewhere. Performance is unaffected. Top tip: when things fall off don’t bother replacing them. Meanwhile, my new imperial tools are revealing the frustrations of Brit-bike fettling. It took Triumph 35 years to finally make the tappets accessible. That’s two years after this bike was built.
Next, I’ll refresh the engine oil – if you want to start a fight online ask about the best viscosity.
I’ll also attempt to swap the clutch plates. They’ve surrendered to the Trumpet’s 46 horses. Best types? Six plates or seven? Another chance to spark online rows. Last time I entered my lock-up, petrol fumes knocked me backwards. The Trumpet’s fuel taps had sprung leaks. Not the bike’s fault, really. Ethanol-proof replacements are on order.
Meanwhile I’m hoping the Trumpet won’t self-ignite, taking with it my Z1 and H1 Kawasakis.
The good news is I have found a perfect, shop-battered, NOS side panel cheap on ebay, to replace the plastic one that came with the bike. It hasn’t fallen off yet.