ACE CLASSICS KEEP THE TROPHY GOING

Ace Classics, of Lee in south London, have been Triumph pre-unit specialists since 1991, when founder Cliff Rushworth decided to solve the problem he was having getting decent parts to keep his beloved pre unit twins on the road, by having them made for him. We asked Cliff about his experiences keeping the TR5 Trophy rolling. “The rigid TR5 is a proper off-roader with a really light frame. The frame had a very low seat and if you look at any old pictures of the TR5 you’ll see most of the riders are standing on the footpegs. Later on they were basically just a Tiger 100 in trials trim. “If you are looking for barrels and heads for the 1949 models, the square ones, they are virtually impossible to find and if you do find either then you’ll pay a king’s ransom for them.” Petrol tanks are another problem that Cliff has come across, and he doesn’t recommend buying in a replica from India as they probably won’t fit, will have the badge and rack holes in the wrong places and may leak. “The first TR5 tank is impossible to find. It’s a special two-gallon tank and the fuel cap almost touches the tank rack. Some people have used TRW tanks, but they are the wrong item. Frames are hard to find too. TRW frames do get used as the frame is almost identical, but those are getting really expensive too, at around £1,000 for a good one. “From 1954 onwards they had almost the same engine as the T100 and again the petrol tanks are rare and nearly impossible to get. They are like gold dust – you need to look out for them and they don’t have a seam down the middle. Cylinder heads are plentiful, but barrels are hard to come by. “Tanks are another problem, from 1956 onwards. The 1956 ones were only made for one year. You’ll pay £700-800 for a good one from 1956-59. I sold a dented one needing full restoration for £350 to a chap from India who was taking it back there to be restored. “They were given full width hubs in 1957. The thing about the brakes is you can get two that look completely the same and some are perfect, and some are just useless. The full width ones are worse than the little single sider. “The alloy barrel does make the TR5 a bit more rattly than Triumphs fitted with iron barrels, thanks to the close fins, and it’s a lot noisier. “Top speed on a T100 might be supposed to be 100mph, but its more like 85-90, and the same goes for the TR5. You’ll be more likely to see around 70mph. Unless you have a tuned speedo…” “The Trophy had the bottom end from the sportier Tiger 100 fitted with milder cams and lower compression pistons.”