brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107 
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Hi All! I've been without a bike since I moved back to the states, after some Vespa and Speed Triple 955i action for years in England. I loved the Speed Triple, but I always wanted something older. In the Triple's defense, it was VERY green and very fun. I just couldn't really justify it as I rode the Triple most days and had at least 2 car projects on the go. My brother is also into his bikes, lives in California, has track bikes and dailies a street triple R. He also has rebuilt a T120 into some sort of mild cafe racer.  He has, frankly in equal parts generosity and stupidity, gifted me the T120. It arrived on Monday. It has going for it - upgraded electrical system - some solid state thingamagig Disk front end, replacing the conical drum- the conical drum looks MUCH cooler, but stops less Drop bars I'm sort of learning this one as I go, so any information would be helpful. So far I've fixed loose bars, a few wiring issues, ordered a horn (missing) and headlight bulb (burned out), loose exhaust It has a pretty significant oil leak from between the top of the barrel (LHS) and the head. I can see bubbling from between the two if I rev the engine at all, and some significant oil smoke from the LHS exhaust when cold. My brother rebuilt the engine, about 4 years ago and had not put too many miles on it. I'm thinking it's either Head gasket - or maybe just head bolts loose, as he said he did not use any thread lock on them. I think the Oil itself may be pushrod tubes. Anyone have any ideas? I guess I will have to take the tank off and see what is what. |
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Last Edit: Nov 4, 2020 14:31:06 GMT by brc76
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Lovely bike, never owned anything that old, I would go back to basics, strip the top end and check everything and rebuild with new gaskets.
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Bicycle x1
Alfa Giulietta (now wife's)
Alfa 156
BMW 630i
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,101
Club RR Member Number: 64
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1971 Triumph T120 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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Nov 13, 2020 22:11:57 GMT
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I’ve no experience with Triumph twins at all, but it looks a worthwhile project and I look forward to following your progress with it. 👍
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Nov 13, 2020 22:27:13 GMT
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I've now got plates on it and a quick ride around the block went badly!
I found my old gunston's colourtune and I have one cylinder very rich, the other very lean.... oh dear. No twiddling with the pilot jet on the lean cylinder had any effect on running. I think its blocked, so will whip that off soonish.
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Ugh. Last night I pulled the lh side carb.
Couldn't see any blockage or indeed even much sediment. Put it all back together.
Ran it up this afternoon. Still missing. At idle there is no combustion on that left cylinder. Off idle I can get a nice orange (rich) and can even adjust the mixture to blue (ideal). Add choke I get combustion too.
Adjusting the mixture on that left cylinder gives me no change to running at idle.
More reading on amal 930 concentric carbs needed!
I should also check valve clearances I think.
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Nov 17, 2020 14:36:06 GMT
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Pulled the LH side carb off and looked at the pilot / idle setting and pathways.
I could see light through the pilot jet flushed it all out with carb cleaner, but after putting it all back together, it's the same.
Internet tells me that the pilot should be a 0.406mm hole. I checked with a piece of wire 0.30mm. it barely fits through and is quite tight when it does. OK, order a #78 drill bit.
Also the terrible missing and falling on it's face off slight throttle.... So when checking throttle openings and the idle stops. I realized that despite what I was told from the "knowledgeable" guy who dropped the bike off, that choke is the complete opposite in reality. So what I thought was choke off was actually fully on. Well, that's embarrassing. I guess it does explain why it was such a pig but would run at slight throttle OK but not anything more. Really, I just have a blocked pilot and an oil leak.
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,101
Club RR Member Number: 64
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1971 Triumph T120 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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Nov 17, 2020 16:16:18 GMT
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I’m sure you’re not the first person that it’s caught out.
Hopefully the pilot jet will sort things. 👍
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Nov 17, 2020 16:19:31 GMT
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I’m sure you’re not the first person that it’s caught out. Hopefully the pilot jet will sort things. 👍 oh, the shame, the shame. |
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goldnrust
West Midlands
Minimalist
Posts: 1,872
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Nov 17, 2020 20:03:54 GMT
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That’s a cool bike  Sounds like a nice little project to get it sorted out. Old bikes are so much fun, you’re so far from the limits of a modern bike on the roads, with an old bike you’re closer to the limits at sensible speeds Can I suggest buying a new jet rather than drilling the other one? Jets are fairly cheap and drilling them is so inconsistent. |
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Last Edit: Nov 17, 2020 20:10:20 GMT by goldnrust
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Nov 17, 2020 22:03:45 GMT
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It may well be on the cards, but soon it will be cold and, more crucially, snowy enough that I won't be able to ride it here. I'm planning on engine out and regasket it over winter.
I'm supposed to have it MOT'd ( or locally known as inspected) within 10 days of registration, fines are $50 per time offence, so I'd like to get that done this week.
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Nov 18, 2020 13:48:36 GMT
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No need to drill it out, with a good light on the bench last night, I could see that it is not blocked from either side. The problem must be elsewhere.....
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,101
Club RR Member Number: 64
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1971 Triumph T120 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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Nov 18, 2020 14:03:59 GMT
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It could still be the wrong size.
Do you have any idea when it was last in use/running right?
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Nov 18, 2020 15:44:09 GMT
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No, Although I'm hoping that when my brother last rode it 3 weeks before I put hands on it that he would noticed, but he says nothing untoward was afoot. He did say it was running very rich and that would need to be addressed. I think the idle circuit not working was not 3 weeks, but as this is my first foray into Amal 930 carbs, I'm having to reason this out as I go.
He rode it something like 500-1000 miles in 6 years on it. All his normal riding/commuting is a modern street triple R or track bikes. Part of the reason he sent it to me was that it was not getting used at all.
It's just a shame that it's almost winter here. High of 1'C here today. Tonight a Low of -9'C. BRRR.
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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May 29, 2023 13:56:51 GMT
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Many apologies, long time not online or doing something other than working on my house or actual job! Ended up sending the bike off to be looked at by a vintage bike place that is not a harley only type of establishment www.novamotorcycles.com/Nothing but good things to be said about these guys. We found that the carbs were running on blocked mains, that there was a ridge of rust in the LH cylinder bore at the bottom of the piston travel. This had been missed when the engine was previously apart. There was also an issue with the electronic ignition box. The engine is now a 750, as it was as expensive to purchase a decent kit vs reline / machine the existing barrels. I can now start the bike easily, hot and cold. Now I can ride it, I've reset the controls to fit me, found that the key switch is faulty (yet to be replaced) (this may also be why the elec ign box died) and now the extra power is causing the clutch to slip at higher rpm / power (yet to address). So to do, New key switch (or repair old) Adjust clutch to see if adjust or repair Fix oil leak on clutch cover side (haha) |
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,101
Club RR Member Number: 64
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1971 Triumph T120 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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May 29, 2023 14:49:22 GMT
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Great stuff. Thanks for the update. 😃👍
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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16grit
Part of things
Posts: 213
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May 29, 2023 15:03:55 GMT
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Nice to see a Trumpet with an enthusiastic owner. Here's my last 500 highpipe, few years ago now.  I'm all in favour of heresy, which with your bike would mean a Mikuni carb conversion and an Electrex World digital ignition. Sorting fuel and spark out early in your ownership journey will then leave plenty of time to deal with all of the other issues the bike will throw at you. Stick at it. |
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Sounds like a nice little project to get it sorted out. Old bikes are so much fun, you’re so far from the limits of a modern bike on the roads, with an old bike you’re closer to the limits at sensible speeds 