Touring On A Meriden Bike

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NM Bonny

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I have longtime riding friends in Oregon (he teaches various motorcycle safety courses, she's an excellent rider), and would like to ride the '71 Bonny out to visit them whenever I am satisfied I've got the kinks out of this restoration and modification job. I realize it will be a challenge to select a route with minimal interstate mileage--and because it's getting late in the year, I'm thinking it'd be next Spring at the soonest.

Anyway, a couple of things.

First, I wonder if there are other Meriden bike owners who'd be interested in taking part, at least within their state? Daytonas, Tigers, Bonnys and Triples, oh my! If people who have traversed the B roads west of Albuquerque could suggest best routes to Ashland, Oregon, that'd be a plus. Or maybe a convergence at [x] spot somewhere in the middle?

Second, I stumbled across this cool Rider article about a two-up trip on a Daytona (?!) from Texas to CA many year ago. So, a solo ride aboard a 650 equipped with a 20-tooth front sprocket and competent road tires (I have Battlax BT46s fitted), seems possible. Though it'd be much preferable to have 'safety in numbers' for the ride. Frankly, I don't care if it's people on 'modern classics' or really any Triumph motorcycles.

For those who haven't seen the almost-finished product, here she is...
 

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She's a beauty. That's an ambitious plan for an old bike. I rode my 1981 Yamaha XS1100SH to Albuquerque in 1998 and had enough tools with me to smelt parts in a road side trash bin, 'just in case'. The only glitches in my whole trip was a low oil level in Tucumcari and a dead battery in Emporia, KS on the way home. Good luck with your plans.
 
She's a beauty. That's an ambitious plan for an old bike. I rode my 1981 Yamaha XS1100SH to Albuquerque in 1998 and had enough tools with me to smelt parts in a road side trash bin, 'just in case'. The only glitches in my whole trip was a low oil level in Tucumcari and a dead battery in Emporia, KS on the way home. Good luck with your plans.

Thanks. Getting there...

Well, those Japanese inline fours--and especially the DOHC models--were fairly trouble-free in my experience.

Too bad I'll be headed the opposite direction from your stomping grounds. But another trip, for sure!
 
One important aspect of the readiness exercise is the tool kit Atomsplitter mentions. I see that the usual suspects are selling an 'OEM' style tool kit that purportedly came standard on my bike. It includes:

- Pouch 60-0291
- Tommy Bar 60-3711
- Phillips Screw Driver
- Tire Valve Key 60-0974
- Spark Plug Spanner 60-1050
- Damper Unit Spanner 60-2184
- Spanner Box & Open End 1/2 inch
- Spanner Box & Open End 7/16 inch
- Box Spanner 5/8 inch & 9/16 inch 60-0971 / 60-4539

They want ~$70 with shipping. Seems to me I could just sew up a pouch with cotton duck from an old reusable shopping bag, and put equivalents for the above things in there. However, seems to me it's missing some important items.

I'm going to take a stab at what else I'll need--and only partly due to the mods to my bike. But I'd appreciate additional suggestions for what is missing in a good over-the-road tool kit. One thing I won't try is to break a bead to fix a flat, as I've got no center stand and don't want to bugger up my aluminum rims. So no tire levers...

- adjustable or box-end big enough for the rear axle nut
- additional box-ends in some of the above sizes, as (for instance) you need two 7/16" wrenches to set the rear axle chain tensioners
- needle nose pliers & cotters for the brake actuation rod
- allen wrenches to fit case fasteners & the screws I use in place of control pod OEM slotted screws
- tire gauge
- feeler gauges & whatever size wrench needed for valve adjustment
- static timing light (necessary with Boyer Bransden ignition...?)
- extra final drive master link
- spark plugs
- and...?
 
If you are on Interstate 15 through NV let me know. I am near the NV/AZ/UT border.

Hey, cool, will do... actually, HWY 550 northwest out of Bernalillo, first to El Cabezon and then up around Cuba and Regina, is going to be among my first 'shakedown' cruises. I have ridden "The Paint Shaker" out 550 to San Ysidro numerous times (see pic).

Anyway, it looks like I could turn west just shy of the Colorado border at Bloomfield, then weave my way across to Monument Valley, and from there make my way over to HWY 15...? I'd need to do some research to make sure there are gas stations at sufficient intervals (I'm hoping to get a handle on average fuel consumption before it gets too cold to ride this year).

Then, I'd have to figure out a good route north by northwest from your neck of the woods out toward Oregon...
 

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Via Monument Valley...excellent option. Beautiful ride. I would carry my Auto Club Card and a 2 ga. Fuel can as insurance and discard at top of the mtn. Drop it off at my home/shop for "big cash"!...bike inspect/adjust/service and an overnighter. Vector may join ya at
Big Water/Lake Powell as an escort ? From our home their are a couple great options regarding "soft" (off Interstate routes) that get you thru Idaho into Oregon (Go BEAVERS).
 
Via Monument Valley...excellent option. Beautiful ride. I would carry my Auto Club Card and a 2 ga. Fuel can as insurance and discard at top of the mtn. Drop it off at my home/shop for "big cash"!...bike inspect/adjust/service and an overnighter. Vector may join ya at
Big Water/Lake Powell as an escort ? From our home their are a couple great options regarding "soft" (off Interstate routes) that get you thru Idaho into Oregon (Go BEAVERS).

Sounds good, thank you! I would love to have local riders join in wherever is convenient and desirable. Safety/visibility in numbers and neat to have people who know point to the best sights and eats.

Please stay tuned to this thread, as I'll be starting my 'shake-down' cruises in October, and intend to spend the winter beginning to nail down the route in earnest. I remember hiking along the Salmon River in the Sawtooth Mountains watching the salmon run in the '60s.

Also need to get more fluent with the GoPro and 35mm digital camera...
 
Tube repair kit and tire spoons for the tire removal. Small compressor, too.

Well, I could see breaking a bead and wiggling the tube out for repair. But actually R&Ring the tire with these shiny aluminum rims would be a task without gouging them up...

Regardless, yes to all items (thank you), though I may opt for a good bicycle pump rather than compressor, depending on how well the 3-phase alternator I've installed would handle the motor. I need to do some research and test its output. I'd hate to kill the battery fixing a tire.
 
Did the bike best looking motor ever! Cool ride.

I agree, it's a iconic engine.

Mine's a little different than a normal Panhead, as it's got '66 Shovel heads fitted to the OEM bottom end, which I then equipped with roller rockers all machined to .008" end play (no shims). They breathe better, run cooler, and are more oil tight than the OEM '51 Pinheads. They called it a 'Pan-Shovel' back in the day...
 
dude, its been almost 50 years since i took my 1972 bonneville from oklahoma to colorado, down to arizona, and back through new mexico, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. i think it was 2500 miles with no problems except a lost fuel cap somewhere in kansas.

youre in one of the most beautiful places on earth. you dont need a route. anywhere you go from where you are is spectacular.

your bike looks very, very good.
 
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I agree, it's a iconic engine.

Mine's a little different than a normal Panhead, as it's got '66 Shovel heads fitted to the OEM bottom end, which I then equipped with roller rockers all machined to .008" end play (no shims). They breathe better, run cooler, and are more oil tight than the OEM '51 Pinheads. They called it a 'Pan-Shovel' back in the day...
Pan Shovel beginnings came from our Pans needing a hotter top end....In our old club days, we just stole a few Shovels and swapped heads. in 1969 a couple states were hunting down stollen shovel engines, this remedied that. Number Jobs were prevalent UNTIL Highway Patrol and DMV would impound and XRAY our number blocks lookin for welds and other touch up. Then I grew up! My first Harley build in High School 1966. Remember....Pans were not really known for strong lower ends and when pushed to limits....they started comin apart.
 
dude, its been almost 50 years since i took my 1972 bonneville from oklahoma to colorado, down to arizona, and back through new mexico, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. i think it was 2500 miles with no problems except a lost fuel cap somewhere in kansas.

youre in one of the most beautiful places on earth. you dont need a route. anywhere you go from where you are is spectacular.

your bike looks very, very good.

Thank you for that. I've been working pretty hard to get it copasetic, and I appreciate the kind words.

Oklahoma has a special place in my heart; my first (and last) bride was from just outside OKC and we got married in the botanical gardens. I sang "Young at Heart" to her and her maternal grandmother who hailed from Florence, TX (rest her soul), with some members of the OK Philharmonic my sister knew accompanying me. But I digress...

Wow, that's quite a trip! I feel a little more reassured now--and I'll try to keep track of my fuel cap... :cool:

I agree that NM's beautiful. Here's a spot where we stopped for lunch up in the Valles Calderas in 2022. Moments after I took this shot as we descended the mountain (in the 4x4), the most violent electrical storm I'd ever been in, sideways hail and driving rain, broke out. Really frightening.

The route thing is just so I don't run out of gas. As you surely found out, there are some l-o-n-g stretches of lonely highway hereabouts, and I confess that I haven't ridden too many of them.
 

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Pan Shovel beginnings came from our Pans needing a hotter top end....In our old club days, we just stole a few Shovels and swapped heads. in 1969 a couple states were hunting down stollen shovel engines, this remedied that. Number Jobs were prevalent UNTIL Highway Patrol and DMV would impound and XRAY our number blocks lookin for welds and other touch up. Then I grew up! My first Harley build in High School 1966. Remember....Pans were not really known for strong lower ends and when pushed to limits....they started comin apart.

Yeah, right on! Exactly what my neighbor--the retired pipe fitter and ex-biker who sold me The Paint Shaker--told me. Well, he didn't say anything about the, um, 'origins' of this particular engine and unmolested frame, but MVD didn't say anything when I transferred the title, so it's mine!

As for the bottom end, I suspect I've been a little hard on the old girl over the past couple of years. When I bought it (not running), I pulled the heads and jugs, mic'd them, and checked the up/down movement (near zero) and side-to-side 'shake' (within spec). So just honed the cylinders, fit new rings, rebuilt the heads (recut the seats and installed new valves) and put the thing together. (see pics). Went like stink.

But recently it's been making rumbling noises from the bottom end. So now that this Bonny is almost on the road, I'm going to tear the FL down to the crank and see what's what. Then she'll be good for another few decades...
 

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Pan Shovel beginnings came from our Pans needing a hotter top end....In our old club days, we just stole a few Shovels and swapped heads. in 1969 a couple states were hunting down stollen shovel engines, this remedied that. Number Jobs were prevalent UNTIL Highway Patrol and DMV would impound and XRAY our number blocks lookin for welds and other touch up. Then I grew up! My first Harley build in High School 1966. Remember....Pans were not really known for strong lower ends and when pushed to limits....they started comin apart.
Yup, I’ve seen more than a few Pan/Shovels
 
Yeah, right on! Exactly what my neighbor--the retired pipe fitter and ex-biker who sold me The Paint Shaker--told me. Well, he didn't say anything about the, um, 'origins' of this particular engine and unmolested frame, but MVD didn't say anything when I transferred the title, so it's mine!

As for the bottom end, I suspect I've been a little hard on the old girl over the past couple of years. When I bought it (not running), I pulled the heads and jugs, mic'd them, and checked the up/down movement (near zero) and side-to-side 'shake' (within spec). So just honed the cylinders, fit new rings, rebuilt the heads (recut the seats and installed new valves) and put the thing together. (see pics). Went like stink.

But recently it's been making rumbling noises from the bottom end. So now that this Bonny is almost on the road, I'm going to tear the FL down to the crank and see what's what. Then she'll be good for another few decades...
I’d rather own that bike than a new HD.
 
I’d rather own that bike than a new HD.

Every day of the week - which brings me back to my anticipation for how this modified '71 OIF Triumph will work out for sport touring.

Meriden bike owners may be surprised to learn that mechanically the '51 FL is similar in several ways to the '71 Bonny. Both are overhead valve, pushrod twins with cast iron barrels and aluminum heads, dry sumps and wet multi-plate clutches. Maintenance is dead simple on both bikes, with the Harley slightly easier to perform valve adjustments and oil changes on (partly due to my spin-on oil filter mod).

The Triumph, however, makes 46 hp and 38 ft. lbs. of torque, while the Harley is over-square for torque: it makes 50 hp and 62 ft. lbs. of torque... but that's from a 74 CID engine, whereas the Triumph is just 40 CID. So, the Bonny is much more efficient than the Hog as to horsepower.

More obviously, the '51 FL is 565 lbs (mine is somewhat lighter due to loss of OEM sheet metal and fat front wheel), whereas the '71 Bonny is 423 wet (please check me on that). So, the power-to-weight ratio is much better with the Meriden twin: 11.3 lb. per hp versus 9.2 lb. per hp.

Finally, the riding position as you can see from the photo has been 'corrected,' if you will: the Bonny's foot pegs are directly under the front of the seat, while the FL's footboards are roughly where the Bonny's foot pegs used to reside--way out front like an easy chair. Comfortable enough for cruising at modest speeds, but in my experience tiring on the arms, hands, and low back at anything above 60 mph for more than an hour with the wind kicking you in the chest. It feels like you're rowing a boat to keep from being blown off the seat.

The '70s Ducati-style, frame-mounted fairing looks cool, for sure, but my practical aims were to streamline and help stabilize the bike in crosswinds (BMW applied this lesson in the '70s to the R100RS), and to reduce overall frontal exposure while retaining some wind pressure on my upper torso. The idea being to use the wind to reduce pressure on my hands from the forward-canted seating posture.

What I intend to do with the first few half-day 'shakedown' cruises is test that theory out. If the bar height doesn't net the ideal balance discussed above, I'll raise it (and trim the fairing's uppers and windscreen accordingly) until it does. Or, as I've discussed, keep the Bonny 'as is' for within-NM cruises and sell the FL to buy a '70s or early '80s BMW R100S or RS for interstate touring.

Let's find out!
 
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