Reassemble clutch and tighten the springs about 1-1/2 turns.
Too little? Standard adjustment is to tighten what the parts book calls the "Pressure nut" on each spring 'til the end of the "Screwed pin" is level with either the top of the "Pressure nut" or the bottom of its slot; that variation should then be sufficient range for any individual adjustment to eliminate "Pressure plate" wobble.
when Triumph changed to engine oil supplying the primary drive I think it was a retrograde step as it no longer gives the choice of what primary oil to use. I suspect it was done to match the easier servicing offered by the new Japanese bikes
Before '70, Triumph twins had a 'timed breather' to vent the crankcase. The inlet camshaft was hollow, operated the timed breather parts on its end in the drive-side crankcase, that fed into a channel cast in the case which ended at a steel spigot by the gearbox final-drive sprocket. The 'timing' allowed increasing crankcase pressure to vent to atmosphere as the pistons descended but not to suck from atmosphere as the pistons ascended.
Appearances are the timed breather capacity wasn't enough if a bike was used at high rpm for any length of time, say in competition. Certainly the factory ISDT twins in the 1950's vented the crankcase through the primary; the mods. were relatively-easy - drill the drain hole(s) between primary and crankcase, leave out the drive-side main bearing oil seal (for venting), fit a filter in place of the primary filler cap.
These mods. became popular 'tuning', especially in the US, where both importers offered ready-made primary filler-replacement filters and/or spigots (for longer vent pipes) in their go-faster goodies catalogues.
When the triples (developed through the 1960's) were launched in 1968, they had crankcase-primary venting. Meriden must have regularly considered ways of reducing the twins' production costs - leave out parts (drive-side main bearing oil seal and fiddly-to-assemble timed breather bits), cast drive-side crankcase easier, solid inlet camshaft - what was not to like? They also probably hoped for fewer leaks when owners chased Japanese bikes ...
lack of friction inhibitors as commonly used in most modern engine oil.
You should always use specific motorcycle oil even for modern bikes for the same reason that most
modern bikes use a wet clutch.
If you want know if any modern engine oil lacks the specific friction inhibitors that affect clutches, look for "JASO MA2" amongst the specifications on the container.
I use an engine oil specifically formulated for old style bike engines. No friction inhibitors or detergents and friendly to bronze bushing.
Your Triumph is designed to collect oil sludge and gunk inside the crank itself
Some misunderstandings.
While called the "sludge trap", its design and position means it's better at catching heavier particles than any that might make up a "sludge". Even if a "sludge" was made up of particles, they'd be finer than the 15 microns reckoned to be the smallest wear-causing size. A given bit of oil spends so little time in the "sludge trap" that there isn't enough time for such small particles to be separated out.
"Sludge" is more likely chemical compound combustion by-products, normally dispersed or prevented from forming by the various detergent additives. These have been in engine oil about as long as Turner's twin has been around so the chances are remote that even an "oil specifically designed for 40's, 50's and 60's engines" lacks them, or a low- or no-detergent oil is a sensible choice for most (any?) readers' bikes.
The lack of a modern oil filter is the reason we should change Triumph engine oil about every 1500 miles,
The oil 'filtration' on Triumph twins was designed in 1936 (or possibly earlier, given the engine design is basically half an Ariel Square Four). Like many things, oil filtration has advanced a bit in the intervening eighty-plus years.
The lack of a modern oil filter is the reason
Triumph recommended changing engine oil every 1500 miles; there are modern oil filters that fit old Triumphs. The crankshaft sludge trap is essentially not user-serviceable, modern oil filters are user-serviceable, they stop the sludge trap filling up and they can at least double the oil change interval. What's not to like?
The only reason that might advise a lower oil change mileage on a filter-fitted bike is if it doesn't cover 3,000+ miles in a year, because the oil companies usually advise a 12-month time limit as well.
