I bought my first Triumph as a box of bits as 17 year old.
Actually it was a 3TA in a Ducati 200 frame. It was Winter , it was only a couple of Suburbs away .
I don't remember it as yesterday, because it was over 40 years ago. In a different land to where I live now and a different culture.
Then I was in the Greater Manchester Area of Manchester, Lancashire , England. It was very wet and cold in them days for 6 months at a time. But you know that.
Now I live in Sunny Sydney , Australia.
There was a bit of traffic then and there is much more now.
Most cars were 850 , 1000 , 1100 and 1300 , with Cortina's 1500 and a few 1800 Morris Oxfords.
So didn't need much horse power. Fuel was cheap and I could get parts from Jack Bottomley Motorcycle Spares at Chettam Hill , Manchester and would ride down to Ferodo Factory on the way to Farley more and get brake drums and Shoes machined.
Went to and Marshalled at a lot of Race meetings at Oulton Park and Aintree , and went to lots of races to watch club and nationals. Saw the match races a few times, at Oulton Park and Mallory Park. Best time was when Cal Rayborn , rode the Harley 750 and wiped the Board with a Bike that should not Win!. The Rocket 3 sounded nice and the Norton's were more like a Commando S 750. With Croxsford and Williams. Ray Pickle won some races as well. He was very fast. I could almost mention 1/2 the field from memory , but let's not try.
There was always a couple of Boyers of Bromley Honda 750's circulating together at the back. About a minute behind the leader at the Finish. They didn't wobble and were doing a consistent job. I thought at the time , maybe they would be a bit bored , but now I know better and that they were having a Wale of a time. I could see they were so well prepared , they looked , sounded and rode round , like Hailwood's 500 Honda 4 factory bike from the photos from the back and they were in Unison.
My little 350 Tricati got me around for a couple of years. The Engine never stopped , even with oversize rings in it, that should not fit. Cause there was no rings around in Jacks place. Walken Motorcycles supplied me a couple of Tanks from there Ducati Stock , but then refused to sell me any more , as I kept dropping the Bike in the Snow and Rain.
As a 18 year old , I set off and stayed at the Bottom of Bray Hill for the 72 or 73 TT. Got absolutely drenched and had not eaten for 3 days when I got home. On account of the farmer not allowing 2 Scottish lads and I , borrowing a couple of chicken's. I saw a lot different bikes , I had never seen before including Laverda' s 750 s and Munch Mammoth, which wisselled. When I got back , my mates at college had let all the teachers at Manchester Polytechnic know that instead of College , I had gone to the Ilse of Man for two weeks. But I passed all my exams. JUST.
It was easy in them days , I just looked like I wasn't paying attention.
I could memorize 5 minutes of teacher talk , while staring out the Window , wishing I was elsewhere outside in the Sunshine.
Anyway , I started work at 16 as an apprentice draughtsman and the factory closed 18 months later, luckierly , a Cadetship came my way , as the Labour Government had told all its Nationalized Industries to DOUBLE its student intakes of Apprentices. Just in time for Christmas.
It was a boring long apprenticeship/cadetship.
So I did 6 and 1/2 years , before I got a mans wage. We were a poor family , because " don't mention the War " and I don't think , I could have survived financial without the wage as small as it was.
I bought the following year a Ducati 200 as in four wooded boxes for £40 and put it together over winter , brush painting and polishing it better than a spray job. All up cost me £125 , with Mick Walker Motorcycles getting most of the Money. It had a Triumph t500 piston and measured 220 cc.
Smoked a bit and piston broke, so I converted it back to 204 cc. That was a great bike , about as fast as a Triumph Trophy 250 , but I never pushed it.
A Magistrate with Flowers in her hair , managed to take my Riders Licence off me for having a Bald Rear Tyre , Horn Not Working and a Noisy exhaust. She didn't understand that Truck Oil had caused me to flattened my Silellium Genuine Silencer, I got from Italy and it went better , when I pulled the centre out.
I better stop now its 2 am and I want to get up at 6.30 am.
I have Bought a T955i and need some advice. A workshop manual in PDF form would be nice. Just a few repairs and she should be Right.
It won't be perfection, but it like most things , will improve over time.
PS: not a lot of people over here like old school. They much prefer new and plastic. Times have changed , along with demographics.
Soon will need a Red Flag. Forget Sydney to Melbourne in 9 hours and less on the old roads. Its two drivers , 13 hours on the Freeway , and getting slower all the time. The police called the last holiday , " Operation Turtle " , for good reason...
Actually it was a 3TA in a Ducati 200 frame. It was Winter , it was only a couple of Suburbs away .
I don't remember it as yesterday, because it was over 40 years ago. In a different land to where I live now and a different culture.
Then I was in the Greater Manchester Area of Manchester, Lancashire , England. It was very wet and cold in them days for 6 months at a time. But you know that.
Now I live in Sunny Sydney , Australia.
There was a bit of traffic then and there is much more now.
Most cars were 850 , 1000 , 1100 and 1300 , with Cortina's 1500 and a few 1800 Morris Oxfords.
So didn't need much horse power. Fuel was cheap and I could get parts from Jack Bottomley Motorcycle Spares at Chettam Hill , Manchester and would ride down to Ferodo Factory on the way to Farley more and get brake drums and Shoes machined.
Went to and Marshalled at a lot of Race meetings at Oulton Park and Aintree , and went to lots of races to watch club and nationals. Saw the match races a few times, at Oulton Park and Mallory Park. Best time was when Cal Rayborn , rode the Harley 750 and wiped the Board with a Bike that should not Win!. The Rocket 3 sounded nice and the Norton's were more like a Commando S 750. With Croxsford and Williams. Ray Pickle won some races as well. He was very fast. I could almost mention 1/2 the field from memory , but let's not try.
There was always a couple of Boyers of Bromley Honda 750's circulating together at the back. About a minute behind the leader at the Finish. They didn't wobble and were doing a consistent job. I thought at the time , maybe they would be a bit bored , but now I know better and that they were having a Wale of a time. I could see they were so well prepared , they looked , sounded and rode round , like Hailwood's 500 Honda 4 factory bike from the photos from the back and they were in Unison.
My little 350 Tricati got me around for a couple of years. The Engine never stopped , even with oversize rings in it, that should not fit. Cause there was no rings around in Jacks place. Walken Motorcycles supplied me a couple of Tanks from there Ducati Stock , but then refused to sell me any more , as I kept dropping the Bike in the Snow and Rain.
As a 18 year old , I set off and stayed at the Bottom of Bray Hill for the 72 or 73 TT. Got absolutely drenched and had not eaten for 3 days when I got home. On account of the farmer not allowing 2 Scottish lads and I , borrowing a couple of chicken's. I saw a lot different bikes , I had never seen before including Laverda' s 750 s and Munch Mammoth, which wisselled. When I got back , my mates at college had let all the teachers at Manchester Polytechnic know that instead of College , I had gone to the Ilse of Man for two weeks. But I passed all my exams. JUST.
It was easy in them days , I just looked like I wasn't paying attention.
I could memorize 5 minutes of teacher talk , while staring out the Window , wishing I was elsewhere outside in the Sunshine.
Anyway , I started work at 16 as an apprentice draughtsman and the factory closed 18 months later, luckierly , a Cadetship came my way , as the Labour Government had told all its Nationalized Industries to DOUBLE its student intakes of Apprentices. Just in time for Christmas.
It was a boring long apprenticeship/cadetship.
So I did 6 and 1/2 years , before I got a mans wage. We were a poor family , because " don't mention the War " and I don't think , I could have survived financial without the wage as small as it was.
I bought the following year a Ducati 200 as in four wooded boxes for £40 and put it together over winter , brush painting and polishing it better than a spray job. All up cost me £125 , with Mick Walker Motorcycles getting most of the Money. It had a Triumph t500 piston and measured 220 cc.
Smoked a bit and piston broke, so I converted it back to 204 cc. That was a great bike , about as fast as a Triumph Trophy 250 , but I never pushed it.
A Magistrate with Flowers in her hair , managed to take my Riders Licence off me for having a Bald Rear Tyre , Horn Not Working and a Noisy exhaust. She didn't understand that Truck Oil had caused me to flattened my Silellium Genuine Silencer, I got from Italy and it went better , when I pulled the centre out.
I better stop now its 2 am and I want to get up at 6.30 am.
I have Bought a T955i and need some advice. A workshop manual in PDF form would be nice. Just a few repairs and she should be Right.
It won't be perfection, but it like most things , will improve over time.
PS: not a lot of people over here like old school. They much prefer new and plastic. Times have changed , along with demographics.
Soon will need a Red Flag. Forget Sydney to Melbourne in 9 hours and less on the old roads. Its two drivers , 13 hours on the Freeway , and getting slower all the time. The police called the last holiday , " Operation Turtle " , for good reason...
Welcome, Chris, from Northern California. Thanks for the entertaining intro.
no, the riding season here isn't quite that short.
TO TT from Mississippi, glad to have you with us, i would love to sit down and have a beer with you!
