1969 Tiger

[bdavanza]

That motor will loosen up as it breaks in. High pipes with the mufflers are kind of a contraption, but they do look cool. I like the open desert pipes but I don't know how your neighbors or local police would feel. Mine don't complain.
Looks like your kickstand is bent a bit, a hot torch can remedy that.
The tank looks fantastic on there.

 

[oldroadie]

Looks like your kickstand is bent a bit, a hot torch can remedy that.

Where do you think it's bent? It doesn't work very well and it's hard to deploy but the main bit seems pretty straight. I don't have any to compare it with so if you know a trick I'd be pleased to learn it.

 

[tezza]

thats one sweet ride,cheers on a job well done.

 

[mark66]

Gorgeous looking bike. Well done. Love to see the old bikes looking new and being used. "Ride It, Don't Hide It". And I'm sure you will, every chance you get.
Cheers

 

[bdavanza]

I was just noticing the amount of lumber you have under it. I was imagining it would lean over pretty far. They get bent over time from kicking, etc.
If it's hard to operate that's usually from needing grease, or worn out pivot holes or bolt.

 

[oldroadie]

I ground a shim to keep it from being wobbly in the frame mount and now it pivots okay. I really meant it was hard to find under the exhaust with my foot...that and the bike does lean over pretty far. I don't even know if it's the correct piece, it's just what came on the bike.

 

[oldroadie]

That motor will loosen up as it breaks in.

Yep, it sure has. Easier to start now with a lighter kick, maybe kick twice to fire her up cold then once it's warm it turns over with the slightest punch. It is a blast to ride, especially here in the N. AL mountains. You really know you're on a machine with all of the vibration and handling feedback.

It's shame my "rebuilt" eBay speedo died after three miles...I have no idea how fast I'm going but I'm sure it feels a lot faster than it really is. Still, the odometer seems to be counting pretty close to real mielage so the speedo repair will have to wait until the break in period is over

 

[oldroadie]

Ouch!

Just under 300 miles of smiles when this happened:

It's on the intake side of the left piston so I'm guessing I sucked some unknown disaster object into the engine...bummer. and it was just starting to run so well...

 

[thearcticsea]

So for the sake of reference, what kind of filters do you have on the carbs? And also, what does the bike do exactly when something like that happens??

Do the pistons seize? Does it make a crazy noise? It's never happened to me and I'd like to know from your experience.

 

[oldroadie]

It wasn't noisy, the motor just suddenly wound down like a switch had been thrown. I thought either out of gas or the battery had failed and I spent a week trying to suss those out; cleaning the carb and petcocks and kicking and kicking. The motor never locked up so that threw my judgment way off. Then I bought a cheap compression gauge from Auto Zone and learned the truth.

It's a single Mikuni round slide with a pancake filter that looks much like a K&N gauze filter. I'll probably weenie out and get one with a thicker paper element now just to make myself feel better as I toss the dice between foreign object and plain old seized pistons.

 

[bdavanza]

I am going to doubt that this was from debris. I've run lots of Triumphs with no air filter or just a brass screen in the intake without issues like this. I think you had a mild seizure, one tight enough to shut down the motor but not enough to lock it up. Were the clearances too tight? Is the other piston in "perfect" shape? Could the L and R pistons have gotten mixed during assembly? They are not always exactly the same dimension and the holes are usually bored accordingly. Rings are usually filed to size as well, were your ring gaps checked?

 

[oldroadie]

Seized plain and simple. Ring gaps were checked as was the piston clearance; consensus is that I was too eager and seized the motor before the rings were bedded in allowing the pistons to overheat; wrist pin discoloration pretty much makes the exclamation point. Left cylinder worse than the right but both seized. Rebuild coming up

 

[oldroadie]

Jugs and pistons are back Now for a warm day to wash out the bottom end with kerosene and start rebuilding...

 

[oldroadie]

Well didn't that just take few months? I've washed out the bottom end with alternating flushes of ATF, 30 weight and 3 gallons of kerosene. Top end goes back on today, plenty of nice days coming for tuning and running in.

 

[Texas94fs]

Well didn't that just take few months? I've washed out the bottom end with alternating flushes of ATF, 30 weight and 3 gallons of kerosene. Top end goes back on today, plenty of nice days coming for tuning and running in.

Hell yes! Glad to hear you are gettin her back on the road!:kiss:

 

[b717doc]

Hey Ed, just now reading this thread...sounds like your going thru what I went thru with my 72 Bonneville. I got her rebuilt, new everything, and took her out for a spin, did'nt make 10 miles and she seized again...heres what I found when I pulled the cylinder

Was apparently just too much too fast, as the cylinder overheated. Replaced both pistons, ring, and had cylinder only "honed", and she's been running sweet ever since.

Here she is at initial re-build, about 4 years ago (before the seize).

We're getting ready for the annual British in the Blue Ridge rally the first week in June, up in Hiawassee, Georgia.....We would love to have you join us...they're giving away a 1979 Triumph T140! Randy and all the gang will be up there, as usual. This will be my 3rd year, really hope you can make it...call me (404) 444-6077....Im leaving out Thursday night on my T120.....

 

[oldroadie]

It's back together and 20 or so miles on it. Sounds a little deeper than I remember and it's much easier ti kick over; I'll take that easier spin as confirmation that I set the piston tolerance too tight last time around.