Question in BSA and triumph frames.
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Question in BSA and triumph frames.
When BSA and triumph switched over to oil in the frame. How did that frame compare in weight in comparrison to the one it replaced including the frame and oil tank it needed.
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
I have handled both Triumph frame styles.I would say about 10 pounds. You can get a exact answer on a site like Brit Bike that has a broad knowledge base.
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Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
Ok thanks. Someday down the road want to get rid of one of my motorcycles and mess with a non original BSA. I read a couple books on both triumph and BSA engines and the one real flaw I saw in the BSA was it used bushing to support one end of the crankshaft. But there is a company in the UK that makes a bearing conversion to get rid of that.
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
Ive always loved Brit bikes.
I built a 70’s Yamaha 650 lookalike chopper years ago but sold it when I was broke.
This week I found a local guy with a BSA 650 70’s style chopper project. $1500.00 and pretty complete. Of course Im still broke!
I built a 70’s Yamaha 650 lookalike chopper years ago but sold it when I was broke.
This week I found a local guy with a BSA 650 70’s style chopper project. $1500.00 and pretty complete. Of course Im still broke!
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Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
Ya track master 4130 super light frames are still around in kansas will build to what anyone wants. In a perfect world would like to do that with a BSA engine. A really light around town bike and my new triumph for to the west coast hwy1 rides from dfw. I wanted a new 70, 650 yamaha but bought a new 71 Honda 4. I know it's more complex and more expensive to make but I wish manufactures would do the dry sump oiling that the Brits did back then. Only manufacture that has kept doing that is harley. Just cant do one of those undersquare slow rev farm tractor engines.
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
From one who was there when Brit bikes were new, they're better appreciated from a distance. I blew up a '65 BSA Lightning three times because no one knew the points cam was a mis-engineered POS.Little Mouse » Ya track master 4130 super light frames are still around in kansas will build to what anyone wants. In a perfect world would like to do that with a BSA engine. A really light around town bike
Just by coincidence, I recently priced out a similar project. Turns out I can buy a used Ducati in mint condition for way less than I can build up a Brit bike from sixty-year-old parts. Which one do you think will be a better, faster ride?
Jack Vines
Studebaker-Packard V8 Limited
Obsolete Engineering
Studebaker-Packard V8 Limited
Obsolete Engineering
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
I have had many triumphs over a 40 year period and love the character, charm and look. Performance; what performance?! My biggest disappointment was a beautiful 1966 or 67 BSA lightning, stunning to look at, but I really didn’t enjoy riding it. My favorite was a triumph 500 Daytona! Worst was a triumph cub. Anyway I currently have a ‘79 Bonneville Special. I would like to put the motor in a track master frame and make a street tracker, but oh the cost....
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
Yes, the BSA 650 of that period had a phantom spark because of improper dwell...pre ignition could hole a piston or worse..Triumphs have problems but they are easier to fix ....I have a 96 Ducati 900 Monster (naked frame bike) I picked up a few years ago for $3000..It's fast ,smooth great handling and more reliable that people think they are...And the intoxicating exhaust sound... I also have a 79 Triumph 750..More cash into it than the Ducati, it not as fast or smooth but still quick with some tricks I learned from the race bikes...Both bikes make me grin when riding...PackardV8 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:48 pmFrom one who was there when Brit bikes were new, they're better appreciated from a distance. I blew up a '65 BSA Lightning three times because no one knew the points cam was a mis-engineered POS.Little Mouse » Ya track master 4130 super light frames are still around in kansas will build to what anyone wants. In a perfect world would like to do that with a BSA engine. A really light around town bike
Just by coincidence, I recently priced out a similar project. Turns out I can buy a used Ducati in mint condition for way less than I can build up a Brit bike from sixty-year-old parts. Which one do you think will be a better, faster ride?
Motorcycle land speed racing... wearing animal hides and clinging to vibrating oily machines propelled by fire
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Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
10 year older cousin of mine in so-cal most of his life had a 750 Norton cant remember the year. So he sold it later on he bought a 650 bsa lightening. He said it was slower then dirt compared to his norton. So anytime I want to rag on him I bring up his bsa.
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Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
Another motorcycle I never owned only rode one time that I like. Is hondas 450 scrambler. Really like some of the moto guzzi models. I miss kick starters , just seems like throwing your leg over a motorcycle and kicking it through some form of manly lol acomplishment.
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
Kick start is nice There are days I won’t attempt to start my Bonnie due to cranky knees. My dad and I had a lot of triumph bikes and parts. It was a side business. His health got bad and I got busy, so we sold off to guys from England and stuff went back to the home country. Had some cool stuff and both types of frames, etc
Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
As has been pointed out, these bikes were not famous for reliability [yet some owners did staggering trouble free miles on them] A lot of us personally experienced when they were new their ability to do anything it wanted to you at the most inappropriate time.
In time we also found that replacing the timing side case bush was not as simple as pushing the old bush out and pressing a new one in, it turned out the bush needed to be line bored to the left bearing and timing cover for as close to correct correct alignment.[this in the factory was done in a jig]
I have let time cloud my good judgement and kept a couple, i restored the Hurricane a couple of years back [bought in 96], at the end of it i could not bring myself to ride it so put it aside. I bought the 69 R3 in 83 and used it as my main ride for a couple of years while i was building an XR1000 for myself, that bike is now under restoration back to box stock and will be used..I grew to hate the thing as this was early days of my hot-rodding engines, big bore kit, big cams, big carbs,big valves the list of big went on, a big three into one into two empty ray-gun's turned it into a tuning nightmare, nothing under 3-3.5K rpm then all hell would break loose, around town took a little vigilance with throttle application but on the open road, sweet!
Harley Davidson can also be an acquired taste as has also been noted, but its a bit like owning a classic car, there will always be better designed and faster cars out there that seem to leave your pride and joy in its tracks, but a million other peoples cars/bikes don't scratch the itch like your own car/bike does.
Cheers.
In time we also found that replacing the timing side case bush was not as simple as pushing the old bush out and pressing a new one in, it turned out the bush needed to be line bored to the left bearing and timing cover for as close to correct correct alignment.[this in the factory was done in a jig]
I have let time cloud my good judgement and kept a couple, i restored the Hurricane a couple of years back [bought in 96], at the end of it i could not bring myself to ride it so put it aside. I bought the 69 R3 in 83 and used it as my main ride for a couple of years while i was building an XR1000 for myself, that bike is now under restoration back to box stock and will be used..I grew to hate the thing as this was early days of my hot-rodding engines, big bore kit, big cams, big carbs,big valves the list of big went on, a big three into one into two empty ray-gun's turned it into a tuning nightmare, nothing under 3-3.5K rpm then all hell would break loose, around town took a little vigilance with throttle application but on the open road, sweet!
Harley Davidson can also be an acquired taste as has also been noted, but its a bit like owning a classic car, there will always be better designed and faster cars out there that seem to leave your pride and joy in its tracks, but a million other peoples cars/bikes don't scratch the itch like your own car/bike does.
Cheers.
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Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
You would think it would go,, one cylinder one lot of trouble,two cylinders two lots of trouble,three cylinders three lots of trouble, it wasn't, it was to the square!
Cheers.
Cheers.
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Re: Question in BSA and triumph frames.
I always liked the iron head sportster before harley started in my opinion ruining it making it into a bobber or chopper look. I was reading about the iron head cases that cant be bought new. It mentioned you cant simply just take another side case and use it with one it was originally matched to. That it would then have to be align honed across the cases. You would think that S & S would do a good thing and make some new cases for iron head lovers, they were made for a lot of years. Maybe not a real profit deal for them but it be a real help. I had an older riding bud long gone now but he was only one of us 6 that had a harley. He bought a new 1984 last year of the flh shovel head. So at that time I still had my kz1300 6 cylinder kawasaki, we decided to trade bikes for a short distance. I got off that thing and I thought this thing is strait out of the stone age. Later on one winter it was plenty cold out he needed to ride it down 45 miles to ft worth tx for some work on it and he took me up on my offer to ride there for him, he followed in his pickup. So you are right after riding it only that far I liked the rocking chair position and you knew in all of harleys years they knew how to make a bike comfy. Got used to the just ease along never have to rev it any tq. But I have never been or ever will be a luxury car person or touring bike type. I like motorcycles that are flickable even if you care not to push it. But I'll admit to liking the idea of having a sportster. With me it used to be all about how smooth the engine is and power. Now I guess with age, handling has become important and liking the looks of what I'm riding. I never did like the looks of the KZ 1300 but yes it was a superb strait line motorcycle you could jump on ride thousands of miles no troubles and never think anything of not doing that.