Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge The Triumph of Hope over Experience

So,after a few beers recently my friend Clive and I hatched the plan.
We both ride TBA's ( OK, he's on a Speedy but we don't hold that against him).
We both rode Meriden Triumphs in our younger days.
So, why not do so again?
So the plan is to add a a couple ofT140's ....or better still TR7'sto the fleet.
Slight snag....something has to go to make way.....He's parting with a very nice early Yamaha XT500...and I with my HD Switchback.........
Except I've ebayed it twice so far.....1st time I spotted a sticky brake light switch and pulled the auction to fix it.....and now it's failed to make its reserve.......drat...fair reserve too.
Oh well, try again....
Although the thought occurred to me......in a couple of weekends we're doing a 500 mile round trip to Devon.....not anticipating any dramas with our current bikes.....only we used to make this trip also way back in the 1970's on Meriden machinery......with a bag of spanners, spares and the patience of saints( no pun intended.)
Vividly recall hitting the motorway on my chopped 1961 6T( sorry, I was young and foolish) and having the rocker caps vibrate off one by one....
Do I want a return to such character building dramas?
Probably.
We'll find out.....
Anyone else still regularly running Meriden bikes as the makers intended?

I ride my '69 Daytona quite a bit, and yes it does require extra maintenance to make sure nothing rattles off! I had one of my carbs shake loose at the intake last summer, going down the road and it started running really rough, pull over and start checking it out to see the nut had backed almost all the way off the stud. Right now I have a stack of gaskets that I need to get installed on it to try and slow down some of the oil leaks, and I need to adjust the clutch, but that's about it

I run a 58 T-110 and a 66 TR6C but not often anymore. The caps will not vibrate off if you have the rocker boxes with the spring retainers. ( UI have had it happen too.) I carry a complete ignition plate with points already on it in an Altoids tin wrapped in a rag. I carry my timing tools, sparkplugs (AC R45XLS, they will burn dirt!), gapping tool,zi[p ties, duct tape wrapped around a pencil, some wire, pliers, cutters stubby ratchet and sockets, adjustable wrench, and a few other odds and ends. I also carry a clamp on cable barrel incase a cable breaks and my chain breaker with a couple links and master links.

(I don't ride my 54 T-110 or the others I have)

I rode my 66 TR6C all over the country. I live in north east Pennsylvania and rode that bike straight through to Wyoming in 36 hours! That was something like 1,300 miles or so. Also Madi Gras in Louisiana and Daytona Florida, Florida Keys another time, Laconia New Hampshire etc... and if you saw me anywhere on that bike I rode it there, and it is a chopper.


The engine , head, and carbs I fully polished when I built it. I polished it all by hand too starting with coarse sand paper until it was mirror finish.

Nice looking bike.

Hmmmm, I sold one just about like that to some fellas from the "east" quite a few years back. I had picked up two bikes from a "barn find", a stock 69 Bonneville and the chopper. I sold the chopper (through my dealer) to pay for the parts to restore the 69. If I remember right, the chopper motor was a 69 also.

I built mine because that was what I always wanted, forward controls, side plate/tail light, long springer, hardtail, double over under little round headlights. Doesn't look like that anymore it is completely worn out and needs to be redone.

Well,my friend Clive is a step ahead.....just bought himself a T 140 today.....
Drat.