Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes Parts For Older Motors?

I've located a chopper that I like, and the price is right. Unfortunately, it's not street ready, mostly due to the condition of the motor. It's a '67, and what I know so far is that it's got a pretty bad oil leak, probably from the cases, and it needs a valve job. What's the situation with parts for these older motors? Are NOS/repro items like valves, seals and gaskets still available?

Everything is easily available. They are easy to work on with a few service tools. Few things you really need to know before working on certain parts so never just dive in if you don't know. I forget what year they changed the timing but I think 67 you need the degree wheel to time it, later models have 2 holes drilled in the crank. TDC and fully adv. firing position. The latter are simple to time the former are not bad just more steps. Valves are easy on those too. There are no valve seals and watch where the other seals are made there are some cheap junky ones out there. Lucas also makes a new ignition plate that is much better than the original. They also make a Typanium unit that looks like the Zener heat sink and mounts in it's place.

And as far as the oil leaking, and Ian might correct me here , don't get on old Trumpet if you don't want a little oil leaking. The tolerances on the cases and valve covers, (and every thing else, for that matter), are not like todays Japaneese exacting standards. I have and regularly ride old Trumpets, and a SMALL amount of oil leaking is acceptable. I had a friend, years ago, who vowed to stop all the little oil spots he encountered. He ground, planed, sanded, double gasketed and gooped the devil out of an old 650. I think he succeeded, for a while.

Next to Harley, (you can get enough repop parts to build a new '36 Knucklehead from scratch) Triumph parts are the most available in the world.
They didn't have the computer design systems they have now, so motorcycle engines made in those days with cases that split vertically are almost sure to leak at least a little. Note that, through the early 60's, the HD spec for oil consumption was 250 miles or better to a quart. When calculating by sliderule, it just wasn't possible to fully compensate for heat distribution and expansion. That's why Japan.inc started splitting cases horizontally even though that greatly weakens bearing support and BMW's (Maybe Sunbeam too, can't remember) added a sump at the bottom of the engine.

Parts were pretty easy to find when I built a 650 in the late 80s. I never got to play with a pre-unit so I don't know about availability there. But Norton pieces were few and far between. I gave up on a Commando motor due to the cost of having to buy a whole bike to get a few internal replacements. Of course I was living in Alabama and there was no internet at the time... may be easier to go Norton now with a much wider search net.

+1 on vertically split cases being stronger... and leakier.

www.britcycle.com in nova scotia will have anything you need.

There are quite a few places to get all the parts you need. Some pre-unit parts are hard to impossible to get depending on what you want but the chopper pictured above is unit so that won't be an issue. They stopped making mag and generator parts in the early 60s so those can be tough if you don't know where to look. (I do) I even know a place that will rebuild them and remagnatize the mag for you. The pre-unit Lucas mags had the condenser inside the armature so it was nesessary to rewind the armature to change the condenser. Good thing was, those units tended to work for 50 years before that was needed. Those unit construction Triumphs did tend to leak, some more than others. I always figured it depended what day of the week it was made. My 66 hardly leaked at all and my 72 leaked so bad I started running SAE 90 in the tranny to try and slow it down.

Baxter cycle,Marne Iowa,712 781 2351

Well, I'm not allergic to some oil on the garage floor. OTOH, I wonder if it might be possible to eliminate the case leaks by cleaning really well and bolting together with silicone adhesive. That wasn't widely used or available in the '60s and '70s. Corning even makes a variety now that doesn't contain acetic acid (no vinegar smell) and won't corrode metals. It's expensive, but its sealing properties are somewhat better than the Home Depot variety.

Thanks for the info on parts. Not sure how much of the up-front work I would do myself, just wanna be sure I'm not gettin' into one of those swapmeet-only situations just by buying something like this. I swore off those vehicles (and swore at 'em and on 'em) about 20 years ago.

British Cycle Supply, Rask Cycle, British only,Moore cycle, etc. No shortage of parts suppliers.
I have built many of the old meriden Triumphs, no trouble finding any parts, new, used, or custom.
I've never run into case leaks but many other leaks due to the inability of the engines to breathe. Edward Turner (the man who designed these engines) said..."these engines were never designed to be any bigger then 350cc of displacement". As size grew, so too did crankcsae pressure. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
I hate leaks, I love my Speedmaster.

I love my SM too but it just doesn't have the same soul my old stuff did. Doesn't have that heartbeat like thump when running.

1972 T120RV owner here...Bike had been in the woods for 2 decades...all major / easily removed parts were taken. Between e-bay, M.A.P cycles in Florida, and a local place, along with about $1600, I was able to resurrect it. Had cylinders bored .020, new pistons and rings, valve job, gasket sets, even applied sewing thread to case halves, like we do to aircraft engines, no help, still have minor leaks from case halves...and gearbox. Lots of fun to ride and show off.....