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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
nab301 said :-
Glyn , no personal experience with Triumph triples but back in the day the early ones had issues with sprag clutches , the main problem being that replacement(on the early ones )required a complete engine strip . A good well charged battery usually keeps these issues at bay...
Leaking internal carb O rings was another issue which you seem to have covered.
Nigel
28/11/2025 10:29:06 UTC
Glyn said :-
Reading everything I can about Triumph triples, it would appear they all have varying degrees of sprag clutch issues with expensive repairs required. It seems the later 2015+ bikes can use a Suzuki sprag clutch as it’s almost identical. Triumph part £250+ Suzuki part £37.. that is just wrong. furthermore, and sadly, the Suzuki part doesn’t fit my Mk1. Hopefully I won’t need one but it’ll be a while before I find out. Apparently, they slip when the engine is hot as a common failure.
06/12/2025 17:37:00 UTC
Glyn said :-
Not very much progress on the Triumph as we’re currently in Munich for a week. However, the Germans are very heavily into green issues and treat any vehicle as the enemy. I’ve attached a picture of a specimen parked by the roadside that is returning to its natural state. I think this is as green as German motoring gets.
07/12/2025 14:41:15 UTC
Glyn said :-
Sorry, no attachment
07/12/2025 14:42:11 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Patina Glyn, that's what you'd call that today.
08/12/2025 08:18:36 UTC
Glyn said :-
Looks like a challenge to me. However, 2 things; 1/ it doesn’t fit in a suitcase and 2/ it’s almost impossible to add any value at all.
08/12/2025 12:07:26 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Glyn, you could try adding a litre of petrol.
That would double it's value!!
08/12/2025 12:39:51 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I wonder if the owner has been dead in their apartment for years. Just sayin.
And what ate the seat.
Upt.
08/12/2025 12:45:05 UTC
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