revtothelimit - motorbike forum

I thought I'd start a thread about my T140. It's a 1976 oil in frame model 750cc pushrod twin with about 50 bhp (on a good day), it's rattly, vibey and not really happy above 80mph, yet it's probably my favourite of the 4 bikes I have





It's been on a few DGRs as well as holding its own against more modern Triumphs on 150+ mile ride outs with the TOMCC




But as is the way with old Brit twins, there's a fair amount of "involvement" required to keep them running optimally. The latest issue is (yet another) oil leak from the pushrod tubes. Having replaced the O rings that sit inside the chrome tubes previously to limited effect, I have now taken the next step which involved driving the tappet guide blocks from the barrel and replace the O ring that sits inside. First off this involves buying a new tool- a tappet guide block drift:



Before the process of head and barrel removal (tank, pipes, carbs, and rocker boxes need removing first)





So far all looks good inside and the bottom end feels good. The tappet blocks came out without too much of a fight and the cam followers look good (along with the pushrods they are kept in their original orientation and position by pushing them through a piece of card. More to follow as I nail it back together at the weekend

Some people find those pancake air filters restrictive. Might not matter if you go slow.

If you're offering out test rides, i'd LOVE a go !

weeksy wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 1:31 pm If you're offering out test rides, i'd LOVE a go !

Sure no problem- will let you know when it's all up together and we can meet at Premier again sometime

I was going to warn Weeksy about the right hand gear change... but it's on the left!

Are you sure that's a proper British bike

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:07 pm I was going to warn Weeksy about the right hand gear change... but it's on the left!

Are you sure that's a proper British bike

Well it is leaking oil.....


They switched to left hand shift in 1975 to comply with US regulations

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:07 pm I was going to warn Weeksy about the right hand gear change... but it's on the left!

Are you sure that's a proper British bike

phew !!! Not sure i'd have had the balls to try it !

If there was ever a more graphical example of why people should wear full face lids I'd be surprised.

derek badger wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:46 pm If there was ever a more graphical example of why people should wear full face lids I'd be surprised.

Yeah, that nose is too short to split the wind.

derek badger wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:46 pm If there was ever a more graphical example of why people should wear full face lids I'd be surprised.

JackyJoll wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:53 pm
Yeah, that nose is too short to split the wind.

Is that an actual saying???

Huge amounts of coolness with that bike....

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:07 pm I was going to warn Weeksy about the right hand gear change... but it's on the left!

Are you sure that's a proper British bike

On my Bonnie the gears are on the right and they go the other way.

It's also currently sans head due to a valve guide failure. Nidge - where do you buy all your seals etc?

I heard that police stopped Nidge and made him wear a dark visor

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:10 pm

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:07 pm I was going to warn Weeksy about the right hand gear change... but it's on the left!

Are you sure that's a proper British bike

On my Bonnie the gears are on the right and they go the other way.

It's also currently sans head due to a valve guide failure. Nidge - where do you buy all your seals etc?

There are loads really- I like LP Williams or Norman Hyde, both really knowledgeable and carry good amounts of stock. Also Burton Bike Bits and Shropshire Classic Motorcycles, Feked and Grin Triumph are good. There's a Chap called Ian Blake on the classic Facebook pages who seems to have a lot of Reg Allen's new old stock - I've just bought a genuine seat off him at good money

Nidge wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:59 pm

derek badger wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:46 pm If there was ever a more graphical example of why people should wear full face lids I'd be surprised.

JackyJoll wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 2:53 pm
Yeah, that nose is too short to split the wind.

Is that an actual saying???

Strictly speaking, it’s fluid dynamics.

Cool as,young Nidge.

Nice!
Makes me think I should drag some of Dads bikes out again.

As far as usable classics go, I reckon it's just about perfect.

Front disc, so there's actually a chance it will stop.

Left hand gear change, so you don't break your toes trying to change up a gear on the rear brake.

Old enough to be tax and MOT exempt...and a black numberplate!

How much maintenance would one need if you did 3k a year for pleasure?

To be fair, in my so far limited experience the Triumph front drum isn't actually too bad. It's the skinny front tyre which lets go first:p

Right hand gear change isn't an issue for me, the bike is so different to everything else I ride I never forget I'm on the old girl.

I don't think I've yet had a journey where something didn't need fixing/adjusting/whatever.

To be honest, the merest hint of rain and I wish I had drum brakes.. Triumph seem to have managed to find a special chrome for their discs which not only has all the properties of Teflon in the wet but some how allows rust to form on the surface... (the one thing the plating is meant to do is stop rust...) .

As far as maintenance IME these classics respond better to being used regularly. Of course it helps to start with a good one and you have to remember at one point in its life it was a performance bike and treated as such, at another point it was a £500 shitter and treated as such, and at some point it was left in a garage/shed/garden etc so there’s usually a history of neglect to redress

Once I had sorted 40 years of neglect and ham fistedness mines been pretty good (current oil leak notwithstanding). To do 3000 miles a year I’d be changing the “tea strainer “ oil filter (mine has an aftermarket external filter), and be prepared to do an annual oil change, valve clearances and regular general tightening of nuts, checking for leaks etc. Electrics are another area that potentially will require attention. I’ve replaced the points with a Boyer electronic ignition, and instead of zener diode I have a Boyer powerbox reg/rectifier but 50 year old wires and connectors can be troublesome initially, but these days I am genuinely surprised if something needs attention after a 100 mile ride out, but of course these bikes come from an era where preventative maintenance was expected