68C

Touring motors seem to be getting bigger, sports motors smaller. There were a lot of 1000cc V twins around before the second world war, took another fifty years for them to come back. Cost of a V twin construction killed them in the first instance. Difficulty in getting real power from them now is the limitation. Ok, Aprilia can do it but with motors that are a little fragile. A friend bought a wrecked Tuono motor to strip for spares, a rod had gone, everything was useless, both heads smashed valves, the rod even punched a hole into the gearbox to chew on the gears. To be fair the clutch would have been usable but oddly it did not come with the motor.

Still very confused how a V11 crossover works. The two down pipes are different lengths, the four stroke 90' V twin exhaust timing is not even. I understand how a parallel 360' crank can have even length down pipes and by merging at the correct point can make use of the scavenge effect from the other cylinder, albeit probably really effective at one throttle opening and one rpm. But how all that uneven scavenging would help a V twin I cannot work out. In my confusion I did once draw out the V twin exhaust timing as a graph, did not help, perhaps if one cylinder had a much longer down pipe. Looking at the HD 45' V twin layout made even less sense, yet loads of clever exhaust systems on the market. Then throw in that other thread with the dented down pipes.......

Riding too close.

My Dad lived on a farm in Dorset as a lad, he often spoke of seeing and hearing Lawence and his Brough riding along the main road near Blandford army camp. It was rumoured locally he would go through a set of tyres in a two week leave. Dad also told a story about Geoff Duke racing at Blandford Camp, he came to a bend and saw a rider laying in the track. Sadly he was dead, at the inquest Duke was asked how he avoided hitting him, 'Oh, I just laid the bike down and slid to a stop.'.

Well, I suppose I stand corrected. Assuming its not a spoof video.

So if both both pipes have flats there must me a restriction in the pipes at that point. Looks like a case of Form over Function.

Does not need any deep thought this one, they do not want want folk speeding along and only slowing down at the speed cameras. They want us to obey the speed limits, either because we agree it is the right thing to do or because we are scared of being caught in 'unknown ' speed traps.

The youngest Rosso Corsa you can find. Has full Ohlin suspension, the latest fuel map, no gearcase cracking problem, and of course it is red.

Found this and just had to post it, I cannot think of a better comment than Peanut's.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not in mine though.

Tried the speed bleeders many years ago, good idea in theory. After a time it is common for bleed nipples to become tight and difficult to remove, the problem with these is they seem to be weaker than standard nipples and shear off easily. This is probably due to the larger hole needed to accommodate the valve. Once sheared off difficult to remove as the hardened valve spindle makes it difficult to drill accurately for an eezy out stud remover.

Your mum's old electric kettle was chromed to keep the heat in. We all know a matt black surface will give off heat well, a polished surface will help to keep it in so not so good for an aircooled engined. I have to admit I have polished my 850T3 covers, the look lovely and have caused no problem.

What is that 'L' shaped part for?

Just goes to show an engine has no idea what it is bolted into, it just wants air, fuel and somewhere to send its exhaust. Well, I think that indicates how easy an engine swop is!

Heat is the answer, it softens Loctite. A large soldering iron will do the job, I always use that trick to remove brake rotor fasteners.

Nice looking bike. Obviously not an ideal time to sell a bike unless needs must. And being seen with a bike on a trailer at the moment, " Is this a necessary journey Sir?", followed by a fine.

Sadly, some say the 90's Hinkley Triumphs were the best in that they were over engineered as they had to succeed or the project would have foundered. They were also modular bikes so bits could be swopped around, knowledge of them grew and used spares easy. The later bikes come under the Accountants scrutiny with all the slack taken out. Regular model changes mean they are now just another bike, but importantly from a viable company. I do wish John Bloor had the confidence to start the company under a new name without the recycled old Triumph models. By now it would still be successful and not have the stigma some give it as an old fashioned product. They also need to build entry level bikes so youngsters who have never heard of Triumph can develop a brand loyalty.

Crankshaft sludge traps work well by centrifugally trapping fine particles inside the crankshaft. The problem comes if the bike is stood for many years, twenty or so. The sludge hardens then loosens., if not cleared out during a bike rebuild it will block the oilways and trash the motor. Happened to many old Brit parallel twins, the new owner buys a barn find bike, does the minimal to get it running, spends time and money on cosmetics but blows the motor on its first long run.

All our best wishes, Paul is a good member of our motorcycle forum. Look after yourself as well as Paul. Bob.

Our Driver Vehicle Licencing Authority are up to all sorts of tricks, folk send off their driving licence for an update, address change etc and find they have cancelled their bike licence, takes weeks and you have to prove you really did pass the test twenty years before, hopefully you kept a photocopy. Take the annual road tax for a motorhome/RV. Under 3500Kg it is around £265, yet for a motorhome over 3500Kg it is around £165. I suppose their logic is heavy vehicles do less damage to the road! Or the guy who runs the DVLA has a heavy motorhome.

We have income tax at 20% anything over about £12,000 per annum , National Insurance about 12%, VAT/ sales tax at 20%. High tax on motor fuel, alcohol and cigarettes. Do not mind the National Insurance as that helps fund our excellent National Health Service. Perhaps saving £8 a month on my bike tax is not such a good deal.

In the words of the King, "I thank you".

How about a slidehammer for releasing stubborn screws, bolts etc. With the correct tip attached works the other way round than other slide hammers. Throw the weight downwards, it imparts a LH twist. Similar to an impact driver.

You can't get much past Docc.

Put the bike on SORN as not allowed to use it at present. Don't want to use it to just go one mile to the shops as it won't warm up properly. Translation: Statutory Off Road Notice, UK method of advising authority you have taken the vehicle off the road and so do not pay any Vehicle Excise Duty/road tax for any complete months it is off road.