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Ian Soady¹ said :-
Flywheel puller? All you need is a big enough Birmingham Screwdriver......
19/11/2025 12:21:50 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Blimey! I hope you're not using such a hammer on pressed up cranks Ian... or once piece cranks for that matter.
19/11/2025 14:23:10 UTC
Andy LM said :-
Ah, Wooler, very good distillery and restaurant. Well worth a visit and not too far from the Stormin Rally
20/11/2025 18:51:08 UTC
Glyn said :-
Does anyone have any experience of the Triumph triple 900?
I have an opportunity to buy a 1996 complete but dismantled bike for £1k. I’ve no experience with any British bikes apart from the BSA Bantams. They’re a bit on the heavy side though but I doubt I’d keep it after the renovation. I’ve currently got 2 new knees on order and so the idea of a trike is still foremost in my mind.
20/11/2025 20:04:40 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
For £1k Glyn I'll come down and fix ya knees for ya. I'm pretty sure we can fit a couple of stainless steel gate hinges in those knees, screw 'em into your thigh and shin bones, stitch you up, and get you a brew in no time! You might want a nice bottle of single malt to take the edge off while I'm doing it, ooh it'll be handy too if your Mrs can find some clean rags? Do you want a grease nipple fitted to each knee for easy lubrication? That's extra.
I'm about as much help with your Triumph question as I would be with your knees...
21/11/2025 08:56:46 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Not the 900 but I did have a Tiger 955i for a few years. The engine was a real peach with plenty of torque as well as around 100 bhp (allegedly) at the top end. Sounded lovely as well. But I think the 900 will be the carburated version so a bit different. The Tiger was heavy and much of the weight carried quite high so could be a handful if it caught you off balance, especially with dodgy knees.
Good luck with the ops - I had my left knee done about 15 years ago - doesn't time fly - and my right hip a couple of years ago. Both still fine. The trick with the knees is to religiously do the physio afterwards, painful though it is. And I wouldn't fancy having bothe done at the same time myself as with one you're still mobile - with both you'll be struggling for a while.
Trike? You need a combination! I've painted the chassis of my Steib and am booked in for a paint job on the body for February. Yesterday I was looking at the rear mounting on the bike and have found that very luckily I can put a 1/2" long bolt through the swinging arm spindle, and that the rear brake pivot is conveniently screwed into a plate on the frame about 2.5" below that, again 1/2" diameter. There is an outrigger plate to the rear which will give even more stability so I will fabricate a 10mm mild steel plate to fit over these then attach the rear lower sidecar mounting to that. This is the one that takes probably 75% of the vertical load. But still a little way to go.....
21/11/2025 10:07:07 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I haven't Glyn but a pal had an ex race series 900 for a while, it was loud and quick for its time and seemed reliable even with its past history. I have ridden the first incarnation of the Trophy 1200 which scared the life out of me, by todays standards it'd be a sluggard but it was damn quick in the mid 90's.
The handling of the 1200 was sweet enough.
Get it bought!
Upt.
21/11/2025 11:01:25 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Andy.
Ad Gefrin is a nice detour and the restaurant can and does provide a good meal. The weekend dinner openings are nice at this time of year. Thankfully for us it's just a five minute walk.
I think they can start selling their own whisky soon, it must be approaching three years old by now. I will have to check. As soon as they do we'll do a tour and tasting dinner special.
Upt.
21/11/2025 11:05:45 UTC
Glyn said :-
That sounds a great deal Ren as I believe that the private hospital rogues are charging £6k per side and that doesn’t include the grease nipples. Actually Ian, they’re doing one at a time, the first one early next year and the second 3 months later. I’m a little apprehensive about becoming bionic.
21/11/2025 13:49:27 UTC
Glyn said :-
Well I bought the Triumph Speed triple 900. So another complicated Lego puzzle without a picture on the box.
Knees? Forget them, it should be my head that needs looking at by the medical profession.
22/11/2025 13:18:18 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I look forward to your progress Glyn. Are you going to trike-ise it?
22/11/2025 14:46:49 UTC
Glyn said :-
I have and am considering that very idea Ian. Bike is an ex demo, one owner bike that’s covered about 11k miles. It hasn’t run since 2001 and everything needs looking at. All calipers are sticky, throttle cable is jammed. All items that happen after a long layup. I have 4 boxes of parts removed by the previous owner but they’re mainly largish bits and he’s supplied a Haynes Manual with the paperwork.
23/11/2025 15:38:51 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
That doesn't look in bad nick Glyn, and should prove an interesting project. Would you use something like a Reliant back end (obviously needing to turn the drivetrain through 90 degrees) or are there trike-specific diffs etc available? It would be very tricky to add a sidecar given the type of frame.
23/11/2025 16:16:39 UTC
Glyn said :-
Even Rhino Trikes use the Reliant axle, there cant be that many left. Casarva trikes build their own independent frame and use the diff, shafts and brakes from E39 BMW cars. Theres much written about the pros and cons of the ISR versus the fixed axles for M/C trikes. I think my preference would be for something made by BMW that can handle many horse power rather than by Reliant with their somewhat lower power unit.
24/11/2025 11:24:38 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
I seem to recall ( but I may have imagined it )the early trikes were the back end of a VW beetle complete with engine, with the front of a motorcycle grafted onto the front.
Looking forward to the build Glyn.
24/11/2025 12:19:58 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
There are car based trikes as per the V-Dub rear end with a motorcycle wheel bolted on to the front. There are bike based trikes with a pair of wheels bolted to the back of a motorcycle. There are bespoke trikes such as Can-Am (2 wheels at the front, single rear) or Boom Trikes (2 wheels at rear, 1 at the front).
The hardest part of grafting a rear axle to a chain driven motorcycle is converting the chain's rotation output to the one for an axle with a differential. Seen some nice solutions where the diff is cut open and a rear sprocket replaces the crown wheel.
24/11/2025 17:03:18 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Or... right... oooh... electric motor powered rear axel - output from engine to generator - generator to battery - battery to rear axle? Petrol-electric hybrid electric only drive. Do it Glyn!
24/11/2025 17:06:33 UTC
Glyn said :-
I’m falling for this Triumph! I like it more with every visit through the garage door. It seems to be rather well made and certainly solid. It has been stood for years but the Exide battery has not only taken a charge but also held it overnight, I’ve never had that before. The fuel tank is full of some horrible, rusty oily mess which will take some sorting out. I’ve used Kreem sealer on rusty tanks before with great results. The double front and single rear calipers are very sticky. The previous owner had done a “stick coil” conversion (I know, I had to google it myself) which I may remove in favour of the original set up. The Kehin triple carbs are Japanese and I know them very well from previous experience so first job is to get them off and into the ultrasonic cleaner. The throttle cable is locked solid and the brake light is constantly on, all very straight forward stuff really. There appears to be no rust other than a few bolt heads.
In short, I might just keep it as a bike and look to three wheels on the next machine.
25/11/2025 07:55:26 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
This is like a soap opera for bike fans! There's twists and turns, anticipation and excitement, even mystery and intrigue. In next week's exciting episode... Will the Triumph be triked? Will the carbs be clean? Will the tank have pin hole leaks? Whatever happened to the TZR? Will Mrs Glyn put her foot down and say "enough is enough"? Will Glyn's knees see him through this restoration?
Ooooooh the antici..............pation!!
25/11/2025 08:04:25 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
That's the North South divide right there.
Working with the garage door up in November. Brrrrrrrr.
And....having a TV licence. Blummin suvverners.
I like the Trumper.
Upt.
25/11/2025 11:26:56 UTC
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