[pmanaz1973]

I agree that a Triumph is probably the most desirable of the old twins but only if it is in or near box stock condition.

IMO, the old British twins that have been chopped or bobbed are only worth a little more than the boxes of parts you bought.

The real money goes for the restored bikes.

That might make a bobber look like a bargain but, a person can put a small fortune into one to get it back into a collectible, high dollar bike again.

(Talk to the guys who have put $20-25,000 into restoring a old $6,000 Mustang only to find out it's only worth $15-20,000 when they are finished and want to sell it.)

+1   A knuckle head that lives up here "customized" a 1969 BMW R60/2 an is still pissed that it's worth next to nothing except for what the factory parts on the bike are worth as used.  Ruined a classic and spent a boat load of cash doing it.

[Richard230]

I stumbled across a couple of photos from the "good ole' days".  The first photo shows me sitting on my friend's 1965 Triumph Bonneville.  When we were stationed in the Panama Canal Zone he had it shipped in a box from the factory and assembled it there.  Later we were transferred to an AF base just outside Boston and the bike went with him, where this photo was taken in 1967.

The other photo shows my daughter and I sitting on my Triumph Bonneville T-120R in 1971 .  Like I said before, a nice looking bike that wasn't quite put together right at the factory.  Somebody sure wasn't happy at the factory that day. 

[wildbill]

matt
remember a few months ago when I bought that immaculate 500 Daytona. I too thought it would be the bike. once in the yard and after a few days of googley eyed ownership I could see trouble brewing. little things first like clutch adjustment -idling and possible carb tuning.
then trouble finding some-one to do the job which was near impossible. now in my case seeing it was such a near perfect resto I decided to quite while I was ahead and cash and run and made a quick few thousand $$$ on the deal.
I have never regretted the sale....NEVER! glad its gone! if I'd kept it any longer trouble was coming my way and I knew I'd be a lot happier with just the enfield.
by the way have you thought about just buying  a new 2015 model bike. honestly they are now better year by year. best point for me especially gear changes. no false neutral on my last two bikes and  very positive changes too.
sure there not perfect yet but compared to 3 years ago it like they are made by Honda...lol
as you are aware I have had a few so have a pretty good idea   buy yourself a new 2015 and see the difference or come over here and buy mine and i'll buy the new one.......mines second hand now with 310 miles....lol

[Adrian II]

My one excursion into Triumph ownership was a 1978 TR7. The poor thing was going through a bit of a mid-life crisis and developed the exact problem Chasfield described. In fact it was turning into a bit of a liability to keep on the road, and to be honest the performance wasn't that sparkling compared to a well sorted 350 BSA I had been riding! I moved house, sold it and last I heard it had been fully restored by its new owner. Hope he enjoyed it.

Compared to that, my father's '63-ish Tiger 100 was a gem...

A.

[mattsz]

I got an unexpected first look at the bike today.  I didn't have my camera, or enough time to really poke around and get it started up and ride it, though.  I didn't see how many total miles it's got - the current owner bought it last winter and has put 95 (count 'em!) miles on it since then.  He's got a bum leg, and can't kick-start it.  He isn't too sure of exactly what the bike's current complete state is, but here's what I know so far...

It's not mint, but it's in pretty good condition.  It has a Boyer electronic ignition and a Mikuni carb (not sure which one).  New rims and stainless spokes laced onto the original hubs and new Avon tires (not sure which ones, but definitely not Skidmasters).  No obvious oil leaks around the swing arm, in fact it looks pretty oil tight, with just a drop or two here and there.  It's currently sporting a pair of open cocktail shakers, and he says it's pretty loud.  The petcock leaks, but so what... that's easy.  The inside of the tank - what I could see - is spotless... clean and not a hint of rust.

Something was done with the front forks, but he doesn't remember what, and I recall hearing that it had some engine work done recently - again, I don't know what, but I can find out.

It's got the blue paint scheme, like firecapt's pic, but with those 70's high curved bars.  There's a few minor dings and dents, but overall it looks pretty good to my inexperienced eye!  I plan to ride it, and get some photos, which I'll post.  He's hoping for $3k, but willing to haggle a bit.

More soon...

[mattsz]

Wildbill - I appreciate your experience, but I don't feel like I've got anything to lose, since this '72 can't really be any worse than what I'm riding now.  And I'm in the wrong business for buying another new bike, never again...

[wildbill]

sorry-forgot the prices your way are so cheap. in that case you might as well take the plunge buy and try it out.
this photo of my ex triumph Daytona 500 sold for just on $13000 and had close on $20,000 spent on it by the previous owner so you could imagine what you'd buy in oz for $3k and it would be in parts and a wheel away.

[wildbill]

sorry-forgot the prices your way are so cheap. in that case you might as well take the plunge buy and try it out.
this photo of my ex triumph Daytona 500 sold for just on $13000 and had close on $20,000 spent on it by the previous owner so you could imagine what you'd buy in oz for $3k and it would be in parts and a wheel away.

[wildbill]

very cheap to purchase when you consider I sold this 500 Daytona for almost $13K

[mattsz]

Yeah, but are we comparing apples to apples here?  How does the US dollar exchange with the Australian dollar, and what do things cost in Australia?  A bullet in India costs 154,000 rupees - doesn't that seem like a lot?

[Arizoni]

The current Aussi dollar is worth $ 0.72 USD so the $13,000 Aust cost would be $9360 USD.

[wildbill]

well there was a time and not long ago when the au$$$ was a good 10% above the usa greenback but the ass fell out of it....lol
as for prices here/there I don't really know. it's either we get overcharged for what we buy or you don't get charge enough for what you buy.
but I do know if we both buy from the uk we both get stung - us more so than you....lol
I am in the process of buying a few items for my c5 from hitchcocks so whatever it is just double the price and add the freight...lol
besides it's my own fault I shouldn't keep selling the accessories with the bikes or better still just KKKKKEEP THE BIKE!

[mattsz]

Might as well carry this on...

So I took a ride, and took some photos…

The ride is about what I was led to expect - more power than the Enfield, good torque throughout the range.  The ride seemed to be about the same as the RE, too - pretty stiff and tough over the bumps.  Handling is not quite as responsive as the RE, but still within the ballpark.  My RE is smoother at similar lower RPMS, but by the time I touch 3500, it's vibrating much worse than this Triumph does at any RPM. Clutch feels good; gears shift very hard.  Front brake is so-so; adding the rear really boosts the stopping power.  It's not set up well for me at all - I'd need to adjust the shift lever; it doesn't look like the brake lever is adjustable - unless I put the lever in a vise!  Aside from the advice given here, another friend (who owns a 1968 version of the same model, that he's owned since… 1968!) suggested that I pay attention to the wiring harness - I suppose because his gave him some headaches.  On this bike, the term "harness" is probably a bit generous, but everything seems to work.

Again, new or recent:

Rims and spokes
Avon Roadmaster tires
chain and rear sprocket
unknown engine rebuild work (I know...)
front forks
Mikuni carb and manifold
Boyer ignition
exhaust header pipes

Some pics...

The frame tubes between the exhaust and the front wheel are slightly dented:





Engine, right side.  New exhaust headers:





"New" Mikuni carb and intake manifold.  The yellow film is actually fuel dripping from the leaky tap.  I don't know why it's that color.  Owner says, "Vinalhaven gasoline?"





More fuel drips on the right engine cover:





The offending leaky tap, with a drop showing:





Tank has a "repaired" paint ding, center, just above middle.  The inside of the tank is pristine - clean metal, no rust:





Right side:





Front wheel and hub.  New rims and spokes front and back.  Fork tubes look new, as do the seals.  Front brake works… hmmmm… well, mostly:





Engine, right side:





Rear wheel; back brake really adds noticeable stopping power.  Cocktail shakers with no baffles are pretty loud.  Our engineer says he sees smoke, especially from the left side - rings?  Previous owner (who sold my guy the bike) says compression was fine last year (100 miles ago)...





Wiring seems a bit dodgy in places:





Bike, left side:





Dash.  Gauges work, but rubber is a bit crackly.  Steering seems tight.  18,050 miles:





Under the seat: the seat covering has worn the paint away from near the oil fill:





Ignition component?





Battery and wiring seem dodgy as well.  Since it's kick-start only, I'd change the battery to something cleaner, if not a bit smaller:





A bit gunky underneath, but again, no puddles on the garage floor.  That's a new chain and rear sprocket, too, btw:

[mattsz]

Are you asking for honest feedback based on the photos? Or are you ready to go for it?
Jerry

Hey Jerry -

Honest feedback.  People who know me around here probably know I'm not the "just go for it" sort...     

Am I reading between the lines correctly when I divine that your question is worded to reveal your position on the matter?  Like when wife asks if the dress makes her look fat, and husband responds by asking if she wants the truth?    I've never done this, by the way...

With the disclaimer of my admission of ignorance of most things motorcycle, I'll say right now that it's the "dented" frame tubes that are the biggest red flag for me.  Then again, we're talking under $3k...

[Guaire]

Carb is good, so is the ignition... sprockets and chain. Front brake needs work, check the cable. Get a new petcock. The one on there is about to break.