Another Triumph Custom

[jhwalker]

http://www.bikeexif.com/custom-triumph-scramber

I really like the exhaust on this. No real info on weight savings. The light looks too small to me, otherwise I like it.

I keep finding these cool customs.

[Tetge]

My brother has a vintage Triumph 500 Daytona (with the big (for the Brits) double leading shoe brake and the twin carbs). He rides it a lot as he says that it is like a Honda as far as reliability for a Brit bike goes. It is compact and fairly light, and, when he rode with Brakelate and me with us on out SM's, the Daytona performed nicely even on the Old Ridge Route. I realize that there is a new movement out there to create the vintage look using more modern platforms, but, they tend to be heavy, compared to the real deals. A stripped down, flat tracker, or dirt oriented vintage Triumph 500 would be about 350 pounds, fueled, I am guessing. There is no way that the modern twin could get anywhere near this, since they are very heavy, for a dirt bike, to begin with at 506 pounds wet weight according to the Triumph web site.

Just saying that given the general reliability of the old vintage Triumphs, it would make more sense to use one of them as the basis for a custom dirt bike, and, in fact, I am sure that there still are tons of them around as they were one of the most popular rides back in the day.

[jhwalker]

My brother has a vintage Triumph 500 Daytona (with the big (for the Brits) double leading shoe brake and the twin carbs). He rides it a lot as he says that it is like a Honda as far as reliability for a Brit bike goes. It is compact and fairly light, and, when he rode with Brakelate and me with us on out SM's, the Daytona performed nicely even on the Old Ridge Route. I realize that there is a new movement out there to create the vintage look using more modern platforms, but, they tend to be heavy, compared to the real deals. A stripped down, flat tracker, or dirt oriented vintage Triumph 500 would be about 350 pounds, fueled, I am guessing. There is no way that the modern twin could get anywhere near this, since they are very heavy, for a dirt bike, to begin with at 506 pounds wet weight according to the Triumph web site.

Just saying that given the general reliability of the old vintage Triumphs, it would make more sense to use one of them as the basis for a custom dirt bike, and, in fact, I am sure that there still are tons of them around as they were one of the most popular rides back in the day.

I don't see any Triumphs around San Miguel. And for sure my "last bike" will not be a vintage Triumph. I still have nightmares from my 1st Triumph twin (admittedly 50 years ago).
I have enough dirt bikes, I just want something neat for screwing around, legal Mexican bike, able to handle a little dirt road stuff, day trips that will let me take Terri along. Which takes me back to the Ducati Scrambler.

[xbacksideslider]

When I rode dirt with the BSA club at Cal City a while back there were two 500 Triumph based dirt bikes with plates and the owners said they were 250ish. That one is over 600cc and is lightened to about 230 with a lot of titanium nuts and bolts.

[jhwalker]

BSA OC - Cal City 10-26-2014 012 (640x480).jpg

When I rode dirt with the BSA club at Cal City a while back there were two 500 Triumph based dirt bikes with plates and the owners said they were 250ish. That one is over 600cc and is lightened to about 230 with a lot of titanium nuts and bolts.

They sound great. But those would be replacements for the DRZs, not the new "mostly paved road" but dirt road capable bike to have Terri ride 150-200 miles behind me on a day trip. Mexican legal (giant PIA), tagged, insured.

[Tetge]

BSA OC - Cal City 10-26-2014 012 (640x480).jpg

When I rode dirt with the BSA club at Cal City a while back there were two 500 Triumph based dirt bikes with plates and the owners said they were 250ish. That one is over 600cc and is lightened to about 230 with a lot of titanium nuts and bolts.

Those are some really light weights. I looked up the bike and the T100R was 371 wet. Apparently the T100C scrambler was about 350:

Cycle magazine took a 1968 T100C onto their off-road test track, and after dealing with some uncharacteristic stiction in the fork, they found the high-piper would handle narrow bumpy trails and deep sand equally handily, although the tester noted that the handlebars fitted were too narrow for real enduro work. However, by shedding the battery, toolbox and other unnecessary items, the T100C’s street weight could be stripped from 350 pounds to a very respectable 290 pounds.

[jhwalker]

I don't know if anyone down here is making nice customs. Well actually I do, but he only likes to make high-end customs. Working on a Ducati right now.

[jhwalker]

These Triumphs have generated a modest urge to have a custom "off-road" Triumph. No way can I share that thought with Terri. But the thought of 200 lb bikes with 70 hp --- But for real, the thought of thumping around on a downpipe Trumpet. Maybe 2016??? Need to finish (again) the SPF, get that 72nd birthday bike mid-2015, and then what the hell will I have to look forward to...