Great to see an update on this bike, it looks and sounds fantastic. A little tip on your cold start procedure. Turn on the choke and kick it a few times without the ignition on. Then turn on ignition and give it the kick of life. Works every time on my old Dnepr. You want some fuel in the cylinders to help it start when its cold.
Never heard that saying but didn't Harleys up to the same era of this one i.e. the iron head have a similar oil pissing out issues when the worked, or maybe they just sent the leaky Harleys to the UK to keep the Brits happy.
@@nightster6378 I've got 4 Hondas from the 70's and it's not unusual with them either unless you do a really thorough job with the head gaskets and small little oil pucks when you rebuild them. Honestly, most bikes prior to the 80's and 90's were notorious for oil leaks. Brit bikes are just especially notorious for it
@@ronicard That's strange I honestly have never experienced any oil leaks from Honda's or any Jap bikes I have or had from 60's 70's or 80's and I have and had many, when I do rebuild an engine I always making sure gasket surfaces are good, spotless and the invention of RTV silicone was a blessing. Having a 64 C100, 66 CL160, and 78 CBX none of which have been apart from new except covers to set tappets. I also have a 70 Bonnie, 71 Trident a 37 500 Velo and many others including 50's and 60's small Italian bikes and none of them leak oil. I found it comes down to being careful when building the engines and the gaskets used. One of the reasons the Triumph leak oil from pushrod tubes as the one here does is there are 3 thicknesses of rubber 'O' ring can be used at the top and bottom of the pushrod tubes but there is only one size supplied with gasket sets usually the thinnest, the way I overcome If I don't have what I need is by putting a smear of Threebond 1215 around them and I use this on all other surfaces, what's nice about it it's grey in colour so it can't be seen on the joints as it blends with the alloy. I even used this on the balance pipes between the exhausts on my 72 GT750J with success, therefore, it can stand heat. Another is Curl T, this stays soft and doesn't glue the casings together. I have had a few Iron head Harleys and again careful building I only ever got small weeps from around the pushrod tubes. I use a Roadking and a 48 at the moment and they are totally dry as expected. I always found most bikes didn't leak oil from the factory bar maybe a weep but usually only after a rebuild and people can't be bothered to repair them if it isn't too bad. Sorry, this is so long.
@@nightster6378 don't get me wrong. I love all bikes. I currently have a total of 6 (I also have a dirtbike and a BMW R1200GS besides the vintage Hondas) and I'm always looking for more. And I agree with you that an engine rebuild done properly (sometimes requiring the head to be decked by a machine shop if beyond tolerances) should eliminate most oil leaks. But I've also seen a lot of really good builders experience issues with some of these rebuilds and eliminating all oil leaks. Good on you for the bikes you have and have had. Very envious of some of those on your list. Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down and be safe!
Heaps of people commenting about putting your battery in the tank, not sure if they truly understand what you're going to do but I think done right it will be good. Keep up the good work.
I fabricated steel and welded and supervised a shop and crews in shops and the field. One way to insure fail proof welds is putting a short piece of bar or even decent wall thickness tube inside if butting tubes together. Something that fits in the tubes tight as a backing to weld into and even drill a few holes and then plug weld into the backing and fill the drilled hole if solid bar backing. Smooth those off with a grinder aftejrward. Don't put your battery in the gas tank. You already had battery terminal issues. Build a cool looking oil tank and hang on to your life your bike and your fuel capacity. Plenty of guys put some of the electrics like the rectifier, starter relay/solenoid etc. in one end and a battery in the other end of an oil tank. If cylinder shaped just make each end removable. You could put a bulkhead in the tank dividing it. With enough room for a battery in one side. Wiring can be hidden in dummy oil lines. Blow minds dude with a louvered oil tank. You can fab up one that looks great, solves component location issues neatly and safely and still have a pretty trim fake oil tank. There are some small batteries now days.
HI from the UK, I liked the build series you did on this, I have a 1969 t120 and a 1966 t120, a little tip with the clutch is to keep the clutch lever pulled in with a strap when you are going to let it sit for a while, helps to stop the plates sticking.
I just discovered the videos of the life story of this bike and I'm hooked; great job! Living in the UK one of the things apart from the weather that I am getting jealous of is how smooth and pothole-free those roads are, the roads here are more like a ploughed field.
Great bike, I hope the oil leak holds up for the winter. It will be great to see this bikes further evolution now that you have been riding it a while and have seen what works and what you would like to change.
Good work on that just finished watching the entire playlist.... I’m working on a 77 t140v. Just a suggestion on the clutch plate sticking situation what usually works for me is placing a bolt in the clutch lever leaving it slightly compressed white in storage this should mitigate your clutch sticking problem.
On a cold day you've got some nice warm exhaust blowing onto your inner thigh. I've never been a fan of cutting pipes short like that, but it's a cool looking bike.
I didn't notice you using the ticklers on the carbs when you started the bike cold .... push those down on each carb till gas appears , should start better , there are chokes that belong in the carbs but people usually leave them out .... also breaking the clutch loose is an old Triumph thing , hold the clutch in and kick it through in neutral ,,, I was shown a trick by an old Triumph mechanic once , he told me to scuff the steel plates in my clutch on a grinder , doesn't hurt the clutch and it keeps my clutch from sticking on all my old Triumphs.... great video , love the build
You can buy aluminium pushrod tubes that seal really well, i think tri-supply in England does them. The problem is the difference in expansion of the aluminium cylinder head and the original steel pushrod tubes. I put a set of the aluminium pushrod tubes on my 500 and it has never leaked from there.
Hello I have 3 Triumph and are my transportation; not Sunday bikes. Those problems are solved this way: -the leak is due to excess of heat due to you have the pipes in front of the cylinders... -the clutch glued is solved putting the MAP 6 plates or the N Hyde 7 plates kit. You will not have more that problem. Never ever more. In the case that you do not want to spend in the bike, for that case you only need to engage a clothespin between the handlebar lever and just that. Also may be you have too much oil into the primary. Max is 150cc. Oil is for the chain not for the clutch, Plates should be dry. Idles perfect mate
I bought momentary switches off Amazon for like $12 a piece that look like those buttons and drilled them into the bars on my cb550. I drilled just a big enough hole to thread the in and put a little super glue. Held up great for the 4 years I owned the bike.
They only time I can ride on a road with no traffic is maybe 2AM. Then watch out for deer and cops cause both are out in force. Also drunks are out too. This bike almost sounds like the 69 BSA I used to own. That bike was fast. I sold it back in 1977. I also love the sealed beam headlights. And they're not freakin blue, like this new shit.
Love your videos and your general approach to solving problems, great work, Hey just a thought on handlebars for the Triumph, I reckon a set of TR6 type bars would look awesome on this bike, cheers
Nice bike. Few things that I would do differently for personal style like having a drum on the front so you could lose the ugly master cylinder and clean up the bars. Also a 21” on the front would look great! It’s been mentioned before but the battery placement issue could be solved by a mag and capacitor, however I would imagine that would mean that you wouldn’t be able to run the m-unit. Looks like it starts easy and rides great so good work man
Absolutely perfect build. I have a ‘78 cb750 build I’m working on/planning. I’m struggling with planning my wire hiding, Along with hiding the munitions and battery. I’m worried about hiding it under the seat because I’m worried about hitting a big bump and destroying a tire with the potential electric stray I’d have to install. Maybe the headlight is a genius option.
I've always wanted to build a triumph chopper but I always seem to gravitate towards Japanese bikes and Harley's. Cool bikes though and love the channel. Btw, look into pig blankets for soaking putting under bikes to absorb oil. They last forever and keep the floor nice and tidy
what you are describing as a "clutch problem" is probably "wet sumping", you can fit a tap in the oil line , but you will only forget to turn it on once if you know what i mean so i wouldn't bother. and i really wouldn't worry about the push rod tube leak, they really are hit and miss. as long as she keeps running as well as she is i would just ride it. if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I had a yamaha roadster that had the same clutch problem after sitting for two to three days. I solved the issue by switching to amsoil synthetic oil and there was no clutch slipping issues when accelerating.
Sounds like all normal triumph issues. The pushrod tubes will drive you crazy. Getting them right is never easy. The clutches that is a normal thing. Most guys upgrade the clutches I'd look at map cycles they have some truck stuff.
Old fellers store their bikes with the clutch rubber-banded/zip-tied in to prevent the plates sticking together. I would say run ATF in the primary, but in '71 and up they shared oil with the engine so that isn't an option. Better oil maybe? Like diesel 10W-30?
Insted of hiding the battery in the gas tank maybe run a bettery eliminator~I had a "Mity Max" on the bottom rear fender of my 1966 Triumph Bonniville 650 I ran from 1987 till 1997 and my "Mini Mite" battery elliminator I had on my 1967 Triumph Trophy 500~There was no electric start so they ran flawlessly and tucked in out of the way
There's a much easier way to free the clutch - start the engine, pull the clutch in and blip the throttle a couple of times. It will then go into gear smoothly and silently.
That's a bad ass bike man. A very good friend of mine recently gave me his dad's TR500. He's been gone a while now and he wanted room in his garage for his boat. I have a HD RoadKing as a daily driver. I want to get this little Triumph running and do something similar. I'm a carpenter not a mechanic but I'm not a bonehead so I can do the job. Can you recommend some good sights for instructional how to's on Triumphs? Again that's a sweet little ride. Thanks for any info.
Just thought of something regarding your oil leak. A friend of mine was rebuilding an old triumph engine and could not get it to seal or run properly. Turned out that the pushrod tube was a few tents of a mm too long. Might be worth a shot if the history of the engine is unknown.
the bike sounds awesome. maybe try a pair of tc brothers 1" tracker bars instead of drag bars they will fit the look of the bike better and your back and wrists will thank you
I'm new to your Triumph build and I like it. One question and you have probably answered it in the build videos but why the hardtail? Is it just because you like the looks? What happens when you hit a bump, do you get shot up out of the seat? I'm a touring rider these days and my 68 year old derriere is probably a lot more tender than your young one ;-)
Always loved the way the stripped down bobbers looked. It’s really not as bad as you might think. That being said, I have plans for a more comfortable bike in the near future for some long rides and motorcycle camping trips.
My question is, could you crate up that Trumpy and send it to me here in Brisbane Australia please Mate ! nice work ! Push rod tube seals can be a problem if you dont get the correct orings, many combinations.
You should put a union Jack on the petrol tank , And the year she was originally made on the oil tank And the year she was brought back to life on the number plate Keep up the good work mate !!
I fought pushrod tube leaks for years, don't try to be clever, proper installation of the oem o rings and seals works. Last time I did mine on my T140V I got 40,000 + miles with no leaks. Have you tried adjusting the pressure plate springs?
acousticpunker I think ya need a battery for the munits. In order to start the bike you need to allow power to go from the batter6 to the starter. Muniz controls that.
I had a piece of flat stock bent and twisted to match the angle of the rear frame but it just recently worked its way loose and fell of. I will probably do the same thing again but attach it more securely.
cant you choke with those mikunis? my ironhead cold starts with mikuni need choke if its been a week or longer, hope im not mistaken on the carbs but they look like mikunis . holy shit smile on my face during the riding section. sounds so much like my ironhead, what fun these old bikes are.
hey Taylor awesome build! question: i noticed you eliminated your front wheel fender, did that have any effect on stability? Im thinking about doing that to my 82 KZ750 Spectre
Yeah, I will build in a “box” on the underside of the take that the battery can slide up into and be held securely. I will loose some fuel capacity but I don’t take this bike on long road trips anyway.
you have a kick start, get rid of the battery all together. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE FUEL TANK. I had a shorai lithium ion battery until last week, I dont anymore as it burst into flames when I was on the freeway, not worth the explosion brother!
That’s what I tell my wife “I’m not a hoarder, I’m a collector”. I’m going to sell the Barn to Brat bike soon and the Kawi when it’s done. The other two bikes in the garage are future projects.
Battery in the tank? Yoinks! That wont end well! Even if you isolate it all - which is going to be difficult given it's an all metal surround, any movement of the battery could touch the live terminal to the tank and short it out let alone dangers of lack of ventilation and so forth. No mate, that's not a good idea and tbh is a bit of a rookie error. Leave it where it is and make that work properly instead.
It’s a lithium ion battery so it will be mounted upside down(terminals slightly below the tank), insulated with foam, and mounted securely. As far as ventilation, it’s currently in an air tight box so it will actually be an improvement. Thanks for the concern but I’m going to move forward with the idea.
Others are saying similar things mate, don't just do it out of bloody mindedness. There's a reason why manufacturers don't do this with metal tanks...or indeed at all.
Tick over is too slow and bad for a cold motor. Keep your hand on the throttle till the motor is warm, 12-1500 rpm, not 900. Exhausts are way too short, harming performance and letting the exhaust valves run too hot. On a long all day run in hot weather, fair chance of burning them out.
Stick to Hondas dude. 1000 miles is nothing on that rear end. Try 10,000 miles. Minimum. Top and bottom joins should have gusseted plates. The OIF oil bearing tube frame is reknowned for cracking at the s/arm pivot points, centre stand points and those top tubes with NO GUSSET where your front seat mount is. Ride it coast to coast and it won't make it back home. IMO you cut the frame in the wrong place at the bottom. Why oh why ( i know why - ,for that clean look) do people not leave the rear engine mounts on and the uprights, just shortened to the new rigid. In fact why do people chop a good stockish great handling Triumph in the first place? A wreck or basket case i get, but... Yeah, don't ask me how i know, i built my first OIF T140 hardtail in 1983, and have been building Triumph big twins ever since, inc having my own shop in England for 5 years 1988-2003.
