T160

[Sea Dog]

Boris the TSS has a new friend in the shed.




Meet Rosie



She's virtually brand new



From new sat in the dealers show room from January 1976 and sold to a collector on the 24th September 1977. Languished in the private collection for around 25 years then sold on to another collector who displayed her in the Nabiac Motorcycle Museum for about 10 years. GFC prevailed and she came up for sale, still with only the factory 5 kms on the clock. A local bloke purchased her and admired her for 12 months before deciding to put her on the road. This involved a full commissioning process by a Trident / Rocket 3 specialist. Then ridden for 7 months, putting 476 kms on her, before circumstances dictated a sale. Enter the local classic bike show where Boris was strutting his stuff. Rosie is wheeled in and it was a match made in heaven. I made mention to the owner that I had been searching for a good T160 for nearly 2 years and he said this one is for sale. How much I ask? The answer floored me, I politely advised it was WAY out of my league and crawled back in my box being thankful as a mere mortal I could afford dinner that night.
Fast forward a week and said owner phones me after tracking me down via the club and asks me how much do I want to pay for it. I replied that I would have to do some serious grovelling to the missus, raid the kids bank accounts and sell my soul to the highest bidder before being able to put a figure on it. An invite was extended to view this beauty the next weekend.
I turn up the next weekend and there she is sparkling in the sun with a horde of spares, original manuals, technical bulletins and lots more sitting on a table beside her. I was a gonner!
Well she came inside budget (just) and was ready for her new home snuggled up beside Boris.
Rides very well, however still running her in.....its a new old bike!

 

[boofhead]

Very nice pair there mate

 

[otherwise]

:goodpost:

Your life couldn't get any better.
Congratulations, now when I come to stay with you we'll both have a bike to ride, I'm just not sure if I'll take Rosie or Boris out first.

 

[Shuffle]

My son wants her. Will keep an eye out for one, though yours is pristine.

 

[Sea Dog]

:goodpost:

Your life couldn't get any better.
Congratulations, now when I come to stay with you we'll both have a bike to ride, I'm just not sure if I'll take Rosie or Boris out first.

If you like your inner animal out there at the get go, Boris is it. Rosie will give you a gentle, seductive start, however her finish is yet to be explored.

Now how's the Street Triple R in the dirt and mud....Cup Cake (T800) likes it dirty.

BTW....my daughter named the bikes and Cup Cake stuck after I rammed a cow up the rear end with her.

 

[otherwise]

If you like your inner animal out there at the get go, Boris is it. Rosie will give you a gentle, seductive start, however her finish is yet to be explored.

Now how's the Street Triple R in the dirt and mud....Cup Cake (T800) likes it dirty.

BTW....my daughter named the bikes and Cup Cake stuck after I rammed a cow up the rear end with her.

T150's, T160's and BSA R111's are OK but it's at the finishing end of the rev range that they start to sing the song properly, they just love the revs. I've owned a couple and ridden with many and they can do the business.

 

[DaveM]

Wow, what a find stuff like this does not come around often. Take about being in the right place at the right time, congratulations.

 

[otherwise]

As previously stated by me, I'm



but if I was offered the choice between those two bikes I think I'd take ...hmmm... the TSS please, smaller, lighter but still with get up and go.

 

[hemibee]

Sweet bike. Boris must be a happy feller.


Posting with Tapatalk for iPhone.

 

[Sea Dog]

As previously stated by me, I'm



but if I was offered the choice between those two bikes I think I'd take ...hmmm... the TSS please, smaller, lighter but still with get up and go.

Good point Kevin and you are on the money. The TSS is also far more comfortable with its Marzocchi rear shocks, progressive springs up front and thicker padded seat.

Horse power wise the T160 and TSS have the same. 58hp. The T160 is quite strangled compared to the T150. The twin front discs on the lighter TSS are more effective as well.

Being sold in September 1977 for $AU2545.00, it could possibly be the last one sold new in Australia. Will need some research on that point.

I'm sure it has many more tales to tell.

 

[Sea Dog]

Sweet bike. Boris must be a happy feller.


Posting with Tapatalk for iPhone.

He's got a Rosie tinted headlight !

 

[devo]

sweet looking bike Bryce
congratulations on a great find.

 

[CarlS]

Bryce, what an awesome find. I am drooling all over my keyboard. That bike is gorgeous!! Congratulations.

 

[Sea Dog]

As weird as it may sound, this bike found me.

Have a couple of small oil weeps to fix at some stage.....warranty jobs

One of the service bulletins is to fix the oil leak from the head gasket, which mine has. Remove copper head gasket, anneal and replace using high temp silicone around the 4 dowels in the barrels.

Also have minor weeps from the fork seals and gearbox final drive seal. Will get onto those once I have run her in as I'm sure other small leaks will surface.

The tri spark ignition fitted is excellent. Engine starts easily and idles reliably at about 500 rpm. Still have the original points ignition set up wrapped up in a plastic bag. Even have the original Lucas battery, which was never filled with electrolyte and put into service. Original tools are there in their bag in pristine condition.

Brake master cylinders have had new seals installed and brake hoses replaced. Even the pads were replaced. The originals are in a plastic bag in new condition. Why....I don't know.

Previous owner fitted an engine oil pressure gauge. When hot the oil pressure sits at 90 psi at a cruising speed of 100 km/hr which is 4,000 rpm.

The specialist who set the bike up for its first start in 35 years did a great job. The engine runs a treat.

 

[otherwise]

As weird as it may sound, this bike found me.

Have a couple of small oil weeps to fix at some stage.....warranty jobs

That cracked me up.








I think without trying to even guess what the PO asked and what you paid, the PO burnt big $$$ by riding the bike away from 000.0 miles. Now you have it with some miles on the clock ride and enjoy it, but keep them low and it will hold good value. Put up with a few oil weeps, don't take the head off, which will devalue it, just clean it after those occasional rides.

 

[CarlS]

Wow! you truly have jewel with all those original items. Kevin's advice is spot on.

 

[Sea Dog]

That cracked me up.








I think without trying to even guess what the PO asked and what you paid, the PO burnt big $$$ by riding the bike away from 000.0 miles. Now you have it with some miles on the clock ride and enjoy it, but keep them low and it will hold good value. Put up with a few oil weeps, don't take the head off, which will devalue it, just clean it after those occasional rides.

That's great advise. With two classics to share the rides, the miles on both of them will remain low. Now there's an idea. A few more in the shed will really keep the miles down.

 

[hemibee]

A few more in the shed will really keep the miles down.

Now you are on to something.


Posting with Tapatalk for iPhone.

 

[DaveM]

I think those few small oil leaks will also just add to the character of what those bikes were about back then

 

[mikechev]

You must be a good person to receive such good fortune