73 Tiger 750 restore project

[Outkast]

Greetings to all . It has been a Long time dream of mine to own not only a motorcycle but to own and ride a Triumph . That dream came true this weekend on a road trip up to Chicago , Il. . I took the trip up to help move my girlfriends parents into a new house . To my surprise in a rotted out old barn in the backyard buried under 25 years of dirt and debris laid a 73 Truimph Tiger 750 . For a bike that is 3 years older than myself , and one that has been in a rotted out barn untouched for nearly 25 years , to my eyes it was sparking . Of course that is not the truth , but more on that later .

After dropping hint after hint to my girlfriend that it has been a long time goal of mine to restore such a bike , my girlfriend passed that onto her dad , and wouldn't you know , on the back of my trailer on my ride back to Georgia , I was towing back my new , well new to me , Triumph . Now I must admit that I told her dad a few white lies about my experience level on a bike and about my mechanical skills , don't judge , I'm sure there are many out there that would of done the same , I promise here to be honest , for I know I will soon be in need of much support and guidance . Truth be told , I'm 35 and have never rode anything more than a 125 dirt bike when I was younger , and my mechanical skills are average at most , though I am a fast and eager learner .

I have a friend hear in Atlanta that has quite an extensive motorcycle collection , so of course he was my first call when I got home . I told him what I had and he was skeptical that what I had was anything worth more than another thing to collect dust in my garage , but upon seeing my new baby be was somewhat surprised at the actual condition and has a bit more hope that I may actually be able to pull this off .

My first questions were of the nature of do you think it will run again without costing more than a new motorcycle , and with my skill set will I be able to put the work in myself to even be able to get it to a point where I can get more enjoyment out of it then just cleaning it up , ie. being able to ride it a few times a month . I don't plan on riding it cross country , but I would like to feel the wind blow through my hair and turn a few heads at stop lights here and there .

This is just an introduction so I will wrap this up , I am sure you will be seeing me pop up many more times in the future , so I ask now for your patience and forgiveness of my total lack of knowledge of all things Triumph . I've started with downloading a parts manual and a workshop manual , but am having trouble finding a factory repair manual and owners manual , but will keep looking . Any help with that or any info on other first steps or manuals , books that I will need would be gratefully appreciated .

I will be posting pics in a few days so you guys can see what I'm working with , and if I can get some opinions if this really is a dream or more of a pipe dream . Just something to chew on before I end this , my friend let me know some good and bad about the bike . The good - seems to have all original parts , ie. seat , tank(good condition) , gauges , oil was clean and smelled good after 25 years , no one has ever been in engine , when cranked it had some sounds of wanting to come back to life . The bad - I have no key(front end is locked and been that way for 25 years) , brakes locked up , needs new carb , tires shot(obviously) , will need new pipes , much dirt and rust(not so much bad as expected) , and so on and so .

Like I said I'll start another post with pics and more info as soon as I figure out what I'm doing . Thank you again in advance , and I look forward to beginning down this road of being a Triumph owner . Take care all . - Michael T

Email:[email protected]

Photo Gallery Link - https://www.triumphtalk.com/album.php?albumid=77

 

[The Seeker]

Congratulations!!

It's going to cost some cash of course to replace some things like the pipes, mufflers, tires, etc. The level of restoration depends on you, your personal taste, and wallet. You have time on your side and can put money towards it whenever possible.

The fact that the motor turns at all is a HUGE plus. How does the clutch lever feel when depressed?

You probably don't want to ride it in tight left hand circles, so the steering lock will have to come out (I'll bet it was fun loading and unloading it with the wheel turned?). That's not hard to remove: Looking from the front of the bike, if you remove the headlight, you'll be able to see a small allen screw where the steering lock barrel is. Loosen that allen screw and use a long piece of metal and hammer to pound upward on the locking pin. Soaking it with WD-40 overnight will help with this. The entire steering lock barrel wil come up out of it's well. New steering locks with keys are easy to get.

Do you also NOT have an ignition key? If not, the ignition switch will need to be replaced...again, they are easy to get and easy to remove and replace as long as you pay attention to where each wire went on the original.

You can find some good prices on eBay for tires and we can direct you to places for parts, etc.

Please do post some good photos so we can assess things better. But mainly, TriumphTalk folks are always willing to help...we LOVE this stuff!

 

[grandpaul]

Great intro post, welcome to the forum Michael!

You'll need to replace tires & tubes, battery, and probably the front brake hose, at an absolute minimum. Then, oil change, clean the carbs, flush the gas tank and swap spark plugs.

Possibly you'll need to overhaul the front brake master cylinder, a pain in the neck. Hopefully the disc brake caliper pistons aren't stuck, they tend to after a few years of sitting; not as much of a pain, but still a pain.

You are going to want to at least check the valve adjustment through the inspection caps. Go down to a "big box" motorcycle dealership and see if they have the little individual feeler guages (set of 3) that are like little popsicle sticks with a tiny feeler blade on each end, they are perfect for the job.

"I've started with downloading a parts manual and a workshop manual , but am having trouble finding a factory repair manual and owners manual..."

Sounds like you have all you need. The shop manuals have all the maintenance info and mechanical specs in them.

 

[CarlS]

AJ is spot on in his advice and in the fact that we love restoration projects. Here is a before and after pic of my 68 Trophy. This should give you encouragement.

 

[grandpaul]

Make sure to have a look under the frame, at the rear end, just in front of the rear wheel, where the swingarm bolts to the frame. Some of the early oil-bearing frames had the tendency to crack at those weld points. If you see heavy oil and grime around there, you may need to make an appointment with a good welding shop (don't forget to drain the oil first!)

Oh, yes, don't forget to clean or replace the air filter elements in the two airbox sidecovers. Also, that's a spot where bugs and mice can crawl in and make nice apartments when the old bikes sit in barns...

 

[DaveM]

I have just been looking at the photos of your bike that you posted in the photo album.



If I look at some of the bikes that Paul has brought back to life as in the photo from Carl, your bike should be a breeze to sort out. It really is in good condition as a starter for a restoration project

 

[Outkast]

Day 1 in the books ! I turned the rock n' roll up and opened up the garage doors and spent about 3 glorious hours today which is just the start of many more to come , cleaning off 25 years of dirt , grime , oil , debris , mouse poop , hornet's nests , and God knows what else from my bike . My smile was ear to ear as i Slowly started to see her gleam a bit under my rag . Still looks like many more days of just general cleaning and scrubbing before i will move forward to start to diagnosis my issues . I went through about a dozen rags and a half box of gloves today , and i have a few questions if i may about how best to go about the cleaning issues . I had to make due today with what household cleaning products i had , but this will not work in the future , since i have some Heavy duty scrubbing/polishing,etc. to due . I'm not sure if buying auto/moto cleaning products will do or if there are cheaper , other alternatives . I've got 25 years of oil/grease splattered everywhere and on everything , and am not sure what is best to do about that , good old fashion elbow grease is only getting me so far . Next would be chrome/aluminium cleaners and options . Slight rust here and there will have to be dealt with , and I'm at a loss for that as well . Lastly , I'm not there yet but my friend has a bead blaster which is at my disposal , and i know would be an option for the engine , but I'm not sure if I want to go that far quite yet , or if that is even a good idea ? Rest and research for me tonight , for tomorrow i have a Beauty to bring back to life . Take care all , and again thanks for all the encouragement and support . - Michael T

 

[The Seeker]

Fine steel wool bought at a painting supply store (or similar) would be great for the chrome.

And I swear by WENOL Metal Polish!!!

Believe it or not (and I've done this).....furniture paint stripper (the gel kind) works great on aluminum stuff to get grease and oil stains out, leaving a pretty shiny surface that will only need WENOL and some buffing afterwards. Just be sure not to get it on any paint!

 

[grandpaul]

From the photo that Dave copied over, I'd almost say "pour some fresh gas in it, a new battery, and see if it'll fire up!

 

[DaveM]

Paul here are the rest of the photo - Photo Album and looking at them I must agree with you it is in great looking shape for a barn find

 

[The Seeker]

Here's a website that you'll be able to send your money to.....http://www.northerneagle.ca/index.htm

Dennis the owner is a great guy to call or email if you have to ask questions too.

 

[grandpaul]

From those photos, I'd concentrate first on inspecting the frame at the swingarm pivot point.

Note all the oil residue on the backside of the engine, that's a tell-tale sign of cracking of the oil bearing tube in that location.

 

[Outkast]

Thanks Paul , i had that same concern about All the oil residue on the backside of the engine as well , as it was completely coated . I had heard that there were sometimes issues with cracking of the frame as well at that point . I spent the past few days just cleaning it up so i could get a good look to see if that in fact was the issue . Below is my day 2-3 album with the tank off and the engine a bit cleaner , there are some closer pics of the frame as well . I looked quite closely for any cracks or fractures , and haven't seen any , which is a good sign for me , but am still concerned at how and why it was so coated with oil back there ? My next question is about the tank . I went to take the tank off today and drain the gas but was unable to drain Any gas out . Nothing came out as i took both tubes off and both petcock's were broken , so i kept them on and just removed em with the tank . I took the tank off as is , and it was bone dry , so i'm guessing that was that , am i wrong ? Tomorrow I'm gonna drain the oil , and any help or thoughts on that , would as well be greatly appreciated since it will be my first time doing it on a motorcycle . Also related to the oil , there is a small airport near me , and someone suggested that maybe i could bring them a sample to test it . Is that a waste or a good idea ? If it's not highly priced to do so , it sounds like a good idea to see whats going on in there , or do you know of a different way ? Thanks again to Everyone for the help and support . I'm trying to document Everything I can not only for my own records , but mostly because I'm such a newbie , and with you guys looking at the pictures , I feel like I have So much more help and support , so Truly Thank You and please excuse my simple and mundane questions . Take care - Michael T

Day 2-3 album - https://www.triumphtalk.com/album.php?albumid=79

Album 1 Day 1 Untouched (Complete) - https://www.triumphtalk.com/album.php?albumid=77

 

[The Seeker]

If you don't hear anything sloshing around inside the tank then I'd say you can be pretty sure it is dry. I would think about replacing the cork gasket inside the gas tank cap as those always go bad with age and will almost certainly leak gas out onto the tank when you get it filled.

Personally, I don't think testing oil that's been sitting in that bike for so long is going to tell you much. It ancient and broken down....we already know that.

Draining the oil is straightforward....just put something underneath to catch it. There really isn't an oil filter, but more like an oil strainer made of wire mesh to catch the huge stuff.

 

[otherwise]

I agree, don't bother testing the oil.
When you replace the oil, put an inexpensive thinner grade in and run it for as long as it takes to get properly hot then drain and throw it away. Then put the correct oil in and if you have access to testing for free get it tested after about 500 mile.

 

[mikechev]

Great pics Outkast, these resto posts are more interesting that the TV, If only i spent more time on my own projects i might finish one

As you mentioned you are "Newbie" and not that i'm any expert and I don't know how far you intend to go with this restoration but here is a good tip i got from (somewhere) for the rusty pitted chrome work. Get some ultra fine steel wool and a can of WD 40 (i bet you already have some) it won't fix all of it but make it look a hell of lot better and can help save some $$ for the stuff that you can't fix.

Cheers

Mike

 

[ChuckB]

AJ is spot on in his advice and in the fact that we love restoration projects. Here is a before and after pic of my 68 Trophy. This should give you encouragement.

I'm new to the forum and just saw this..... I got one word.. !!

Yeah.. it does kind of give a little encouragement..

 

[DaveM]

Well when I first saw that before photo I thought this would have been one I would have put in the junk yard