TriMotoRevival is about two things at once: the
revival of a rather dog-eared example of the machine that launched the revival of Triumph Motorcycles. She is
an early 1991 Triumph Trophy 1200.
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| Brought home for the first time, August 2010 |
I
acquired her in August 2010 and have gradually restored this
extraordinary machine to a condition she deserves, as an example of the machine that relaunched Triumph in the 1990s. My restoration is to a standard that will allow me to enjoy riding the bike in a manner that is true to the spirit of the designers, as I understand it to have been.
I have made some modifications on the way but nothing irreversible and primarily intended to improve the robustness of finish.
This blog has been to chart my progress and experiences on the
road. I also have a 1994 Triumph Daytona 900 and from time to time you'll see me write about some jobs on that bike here too. I've owned the Daytona since 1995, bought then when she was 18 months old with 10,000 miles on the clock, and we have since travelled about 60,000 miles together in conditions fair and foul. It was those experiences that made me appreciate the extraordinary solidity of T300 Triumphs and made me want to restore one of the first as a result.
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| September 2012, just after MOT |
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| September 2012, bodywork back on again |
If
you are reading this, I hope you find echoes of the pleasure I am
experiencing in breathing life and luster into a piece of recent British
motorcycling heritage.
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After an oil leak from the cam cover in March 2014, I stripped off the fairing lowers to fix it and then decided to leave them off for a while now the weather is improving. I 'borrowed' the forks from my Daytona 900 and fairing trim panels I made up for that bike years ago. Ruby's looking good at 45000 miles !
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| March 2014, after a wet winter and fixing oil leaks from forks and cam cover |
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13 comments:
Hi LeT,
New to blogging so not sure how to contact you but I'll give it a go.
Spent last night reading all your Triumph Trophy 1200 blogs into the early hours and was completely enthralled. I've just bought a 1991 Triumph Trophy 1200 myself and I'm trying to acquire as much knowledge about it as possible and your blog has been a mine of information.
I'm currently having a few issues with either fueling or ignition and your blog has given me some ideas to try and resolve it.
So basically I wanted to say what a brilliant blog you've put together and I hope at some point we can communicate and chat about out our Trophy's.
Regards, Gray.
Welcome to you Gray. Thanks very much. I think you deserve a medal for reading all of them ...
I'd be interested to know your engine number, if you are prepared to share it with me/this blog. Also, I'd be happy to post a picture of your machine and/or you here if you like.
best
LeT
Hi LeT,
Not sure about the medal! It's your fault for producing such an interesting blog :-)
I'm happy to share the engine number but can't seem to find it on the engine and I haven't received the V5 back yet. Do I need to remove fairings to get to it?
I'd be honoured to have a picture of the old girl on your blog - how do I send it to you?
Regards, Gray.
If it helps the last six numbers on the VIN are 000232.
Thanks - your VIN is seriously early. Mine is 000544. My understanding is that Hinckley was producing about 50 bikes per week in the first year so you are looking at a machine built around the end of the second month!
The engine number is less informative. It is stamped into the front right of the crankcase, behind and above the oil cooler.
That's really interesting as I've been looking into the history of Hinckley's early days and have just ordered the 'Hinckley Triumphs: The First Generation' book. Having had a series of anonymous Japanese sports bikes I'm enjoying the 'historical' aspect of my old Trophy. Another reason I've enjoyed reading your blogs.
Of course I love riding the bike too. I found myself no longer using the 'top end' performance of sports bikes and wanted an engine that had plenty of torque and was smooth. I narrowed my choice to the Trophy or an FJ1200 but as I had never owned a British bike, despite my elder brother and father owning many Triumph's in the past, I went for the Trophy. I'm glad I did.
She's Gunmetal Grey (or is that Charcoal Grey?) has done 21k miles and has had 2 previous owners. She's pretty much standard although the fairing has been resprayed at some point and has had one silencer replaced that looks very slightly different to the other. Even has those not very useful small round mirrors that will have to go at some point!
I guess the historical aspect of Hinckley Triumphs is more accessible to us than for Japanese engineering work, splendid as that is. The David Clarke book looks good though I don't have a copy myself.
I think the T300s offer a unique and satisfying feel compared to other bikes of their generation. I'm not about to say that this feel is superior to all others. It is necessary to pilot these bikes - autopilot is not an option and I wouldn't want it to be. As you have no doubt deduced from my writings, it is the quality and solidity of the experience that I find so appealing, added to by a sense of reassurance given by the engineering integrity of these motorcycles. Altogether, they offer an unadorned versatility that is special to me, particularly for the initial versions.
My bike has 11 (yes, eleven) previous owners so I think lead a rather more unsettled life before passing into my hands. Sounds like yours has been treasured by someone. Most of the bikes I have seen have scratched fairing lowers. I imagine the top-heavy weight distribution catches people out at first. Or that those owners endowed with more compact dimensions struggle with paddling about in car parks.
I agree it certainly offers a unique ride and certainly needs piloting as you say but for me the engine is the star of the show. My old '94 ZX9R was probably (over)engineered on a similar scale to the Trophy but that was sadly lacking that elusive character that some bikes possess due in part I think to it's revvy nature. My first ride on the Trophy gave me the impression of immense torque and smoothness as if it were powered by some sort of massive steam engine - lovely.
Well my ZX9R had 17 owners in it's 19 year life (it's now been dismantled and sold for spares) and it showed! You just know that amongst those 17 owners at least some probably weren't that sympathetic mechanically and that used to concern me. After reading through your blogs I'm sure your Trophy is now one of the most cared for bikes out there.
Yes the top heavy feel of the bike has nearly caught me out a few times but luckily I'm reasonably tall and also I'm used to riding a pre Diversion XJ600 which had an incredibly high seat and was even harder to maneuver around than the Trophy. I can imagine it catching out less tall riders quite easily.
What's your view on making modifications to the bike? I'm sort of caught between keeping it as standard as possible and making modifications to improve the riding experience such as changing the radiator as you have done. I'm really struggling with the stock mirrors and would prefer the later rectangular ones. I'm also considering the later lower footpegs as my legs are a little cramped at the moment. Maybe even fitting the three spoke wheels with the 17" rear wheel and wider tyre might be an option along with the floating front discs and later calipers. But then I guess it would no longer be a genuine example of a 1st generation Hinckley Trophy?
I was given a red tinted flip touring screen with my bike which I didn't think went well with the grey scheme on mine but thought it might look good on yours? You're welcome to have it if you'd like to give it a try?
Modifications are a personal thing. You could look at it as if you are a custodian of an historic machine but I think it is about how you feel. If you swap parts and keep the originals, you can always swap them back again. I was sure I wanted to find out what the original undiluted experience was like. I have made some modest modifications that I don't think have altered the spirit of the bike. I'll post on them specifically, to list them all in one place, though they have all been the subject of earlier posts.
I knew I didn't want to chop any of the original parts about and so I have stuck to making strictly reversible changes. The modularity of the range means it is possible to do a lot using factory parts. Also, I have two T300s and I have decided to restrict my more adventurous changes to the Daytona. It is nowhere near as rare as the 1991 Trophy 1200 and I have already tried quite a few different things with it.
If your garage is sufficiently accommodating, you could always get a second T300 for modding ...
Thanks - I'd like to try a flip screen. And the red might work well with my Lancaster Red.
Just send me your address to stroudgray@virginmedia.com and I'll pop the screen in the post to you.
Yes it does feel as if it's some historical machine that should be preserved as well as possible and it's left me quite confused as to what to do with it. The temptation is to modify it to how I want, mechanically and visually, which is what I usually do with my motorcycles but it somehow doesn't seem right. I've even considered selling it to an enthusiast like yourself who will keep it in a more original state. Mind you, reading through your 'modifcations in review' blog has given me many ideas to work with should I decide to keep it.
Another option I suppose is to go down the 'Quadrent' or 'Speed Quadruple' route which would allow me to mod to my heart's content but still keep it's Triumphness. I think what I really need to do is get out and put some miles on the old girl and see what happens. I had a quick run out today and she felt fantastic. Maybe I should do that trip I've promised myself and visit The National Motorcycle Museum. I believe they have a Grey '91 Trophy 1200 on display and that may inspire me to decide what to do next.
It would be nice to have another bike, as you have with your Daytona, to satisfy the urge to modify and keep one for Sunday best. I don't think my better half would go for the idea though :-(
I've just emailed you. It's great to here your bike is running well now. A trip to the National Motorcycle Museum is well worth while. They have a good book shop and cafe as well as lots of shiny bikes.
cheers
LeT
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