Plenty of Down Time Lately

It has been a pretty uneventful few weeks since my last post.

The weather has consistently been hot and rainy, but the mornings are starting out cooler (upper 60s) with slightly lower humidity.  It's still a bit too warm for taking the bike out, but it shouldn't be too long before the motorcycle becomes my daily driver once again!

Speaking of motorcycles, I just dropped mine off at the shop on Saturday to get it's first good tune up and inspection.  It's starting to become "motorcycle season" in Florida again, and I want to make sure the bike is good to go for those long weekend trips I plan on taking.  I also requested a quote for getting my rims powder coated.  I think the bike would look good with black rims instead of the factory silver.

Other than taking the bike to the shop, I haven't been doing much else other than putting in hours at the office.  Mid-late Summer tends to become like Groundhog Day for me as I look foward to Fall.

I should be hearing from my mechanic by the end of the week.  I told him to take as long as he needs, I'm not in a rush.  When I pick up the Versys, I'll have to ask him if he's willing to look at my '76 Triumph.  I look forward to taking that bike out on the road in the future.

I hope for a great riding season this Fall.  I can't wait to be on two wheels again!

-James

Update On The Triumph Tiger

Hello, riders.

As many of you know, I have a Triumph Tiger 750 that requires love.  I had stated in a previous post, which you can read here, that I don't want this bike to be a lab rat.  I wanted to take it to a technician who knows vintage Triumphs, and who I would feel comfortable with turning wrenches on it. 

Well, my first stop was my local dealership.  I figured if anyone would have knowledge, or even access to a parts guide, it would be them.  I've had multiple conversations with their head mechanic (who also owns a couple vintage Triumphs of his own) over the past few months about my Kawasaki Versys.  When I met up with him regarding the Tiger, he told me that Triumph Motorcycle Company does not work on, or keep tabs on parts, for motorcycles over 10 years old. 

Why? Today's Triumph Motorcycle isn't our dad's Triumph.  Some guy bought the rights to the name, but that's the only thing left in common with the old Triumphs.  It's sad.  He was genuine enough to tell me that even if they could work on it, he would strongly suggest against it because my Tiger 750 is older than all of the technicians who work for him.  He gave me a couple resources that he uses (British Only being his best recommendation), and offered to give me any help I need.  There are plenty of shops around Florida that claim to know vintage motorcycles, but I was warned about them as well (I won't name them here). 

So I thought that was the end of the road as far as technicians go.  If he wouldn't let his own shop turn wrenches on his bikes, then neither will I.

Going through my dads library of guides, manuals, and such, I found 4 amazing books on Triumphs published in the 60's-80's.  Speed tuning, repair, service, and, rebuilding manuals.  I even found the original owners manual for the Tiger.  I was so excited! That's a gold mine.  If I can get the part numbers off of what I need to replace, I know I can handle the rest.  It is going to be a long process, but that will give me plenty of time to educate myself.  I can't start working on it just yet.  I don't have the space.  But I'll be sure to document my work once I start!

-J

That's One Classy Lady

My dad owned a 1976 Triumph Tiger 750 that he had been fixing up for me.  Mechanically the bike is sound (only 11,735 miles!), but it needs new brakes, tires, cables, and new wiring couldn't hurt.  The previous owner added a secondary headlight and a tail light extension....just a bunch of crap.  But my plan is to remove all of the excess and get back to classic, vintage Triumph.  A few places need to be re-chromed, but the paint is in beautiful shape.
 

 

 

Since his passing, the bike has become mine.  I honestly can't wait to get started.  With vintage Triumph's, I'm not about to start turning wrenches on it.  It doesn't need engine work, but I'll let the professionals handle replacing parts.  My dad never liked taking his bikes in, he was able to fix everything.  My dad was a grease monkey who had the skill to fix anything.  But I do not posess the knowledge this bike deserves yet.  I'd much rather have a technician do it.  I plan on learning, but I do not want this Triumph to be the lab rat. 

The motorcycle is a classic kick-start, and I'm most certainly going to keep that, but unfortunately, my knees cannot handle too much kicking. I'm going to look into an electric ignition, so the bike will more or less be a single kick start.  Go ahead, give me a hard time about it, but it's my knees that are taking the beating, not yours haha.
 

 

Keep your eyes open for more updates coming soon! In the meantime, I'm posting a link to a short YouTube video on my channel for those who want to hear what this Triumph sounds like.  The shifter is a bit sticky, so it needs some TLC, and the video shows me trying to get the bike in neutral.  She sounds sweet. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIfTtOTSDF0&list=UUGjRWJNn0sbINLx8lM0TKCg

-J

St. Augustine Beach

Good afternoon, readers!

I decided to take a ride to the beach with my dad for a mini family get together.  The weather cooperated beautifully for the 200 mile round trip adventure.  We stuck to the back roads (as any motorcyclist knows, that's the only way to do it!) and really enjoyed the drive.  This was the farthest trip I've ever taken on the DRZ and surprisingly, my ass didn't hurt until I got off the bike!  Putting 200 miles on a single cylinder motorcycle does indeed sound like quite a feat and truth be told, it really was!  But with brand new chain and sprockets, I really had a comfortable, smooth ride.  I was really enjoying myself and it felt great to share this experience with my dad.  My DRZ 400 did struggle with keeping up with his Triumph 675, but dual sports aren't built for speed.  The traffic was marginal until we hit Palatka, after that I really had to keep on my toes.  The most pleasurable part of the drive was A1A.  A great stretch of highway that runs along the coastline all down the Florida Atlantic Coast.  Speed limit wasn't more than 45 mph, but the setting of a coastal highway with all of its sunshine, coastal breeze, beach goers, and restaurants was really enjoyable.  We met up with family and friends and enjoyed a beautiful day in the surf.

After 4-5 hours at the beach, we decided to grab some lunch before heading back home.  This is Florida, and there's no guarantee that it won't rain on you.  Leaving the beach was quite an experience.  I was on a dual sport and even I struggled in some of the areas of soft sand.  My dad had an even more difficult time on his Triumph.  We never lost control, but the transit back to pavement seemed to take forever.  We had lunch at the World Famous Oasis Restaurant.  If you haven't been there, make it a point to!  Amazing food and a great menu selection.

The weather had turned sour, but luckily for us we managed to stay behind the storms as the passed through, so only the roads were wet.  We never got rained on directly.  Typical of Florida, once we returned home the sun began to shine again.  I stripped out of my sweaty, sand-filled clothes and proceeded to wash down the motorcycle (and myself).  So much sand everywhere but it was certainly worth it.  I forgot how much fun the beach can be, especially if you enjoy it on a motorcycle.  For me, the journey was just as enjoyable as the destination.  I will certainly be making that trip again.