Front stop lamp switch and handlebar switches

There are 2 wiring diagrams in the workshop manual, which show different arrangements of handlebar switches.  And I had 2 switches with the bike, neither of which matched either diagram.  So I set about getting the stop lamp switch and switches on the RH assy working with the switches I had. 

Triumph, in their infinite wisdom, had a policy of making the smallest changes possible from year to year.  When they switched from drum front brake to disk, they could have also used a hydraulic front stop lamp switch.  But, oh no, that would have been too many changes in one go ...
So they stayed with this little bugger:

	The little nylon pin coming out the top of the micro-switch needs to line up in the handlebar assembly. Except that it should be in the centre, because it needs to line up with the little adjusting screw in the front brake lever.
	Well, it only took 2 days the get the little bugger lined up, during which time the wires needed resoldering.  Then I visited Jaye Strait, who let me have another couple of handlebar switches to see if either matched the wiring diagram.  Turns out that these were the correct switches that matched the book.  So back to the drawing board I went, to re-solder the new switches with the stop light switch.  All's well that ends well;  I now have 2 reliably wired handlebar switches that are original and match the workshop manual. For the record, LH Indicator switch, Kill button and a RW unused button RH Dipswitch, Horn, Flash

I've decided to go with British style handlebars, rather than those high, wider US ones. Which is handy, because I had to trim some ends of the handlebar switch wires. With the British handlebars, there's plenty of spare wire at the headlight end, which I'll trim later. I still have the original handlebars, so if I ever want to revert to the original bars, I'll need to rewire.  Shouldn't be a problem since Auto Electric Supplies sell the Lucas colour coded wires.

Installing centre stand and spring

Haven't blogged for a while, but there has been a little more progress on the bike.  The first part of re-assembling the frame components was to install the centre stand and spring.  The spring is pretty strong, and I guess I'm getting weak, so I devised a technique for installing it.  Here's a video: Installing Centre stand spring.

The swinging arm bushes were in great shape.  The sleeves were a little pitted, so they've been replaced:
	The forks have been all cleaned up, and new stanchions installed.
Both wheels have been cleaned up and new bearings installed and new tyres.  The front brake caliper looks new, so with a new disk rotor and master cylinder, the front brake is in good shape. With new shoes on the rear, I should be able to stop pretty well.

The fork gaiters are non-standard - but they look so much nicer, imho, and look like they'll do a much better job of keeping the dirt out. 

There's been slow progress on the bike over the past few months, and even slower progress on the blog.  Hopefully that is about to change ...

The Frame, and various black bits and pieces have been powder coated by Competitive Edge Coatings in South Windsor, CT.  They did a really nice job.

Unfortunately, the nuts and bolts no longer match the nice frame:

So I got them cleaned up a little and cadmium plated.  (Click on photos to expand).

I’ve stripped the forks down, cleaned everything up, replaced the stanchions and damper tubes, polished and reassembled with new seals etc.  

So I’m finally ready to start rebuilding the frame. 

Oil in Frame reinforcement

Oil in Frame twins were introduced in 1971.  The oil was now carried inside the frame and early models were prone to fractures where the swingarm bush tubes were welded to the downtube:

Everything I've read indicates that the problems were solved in later models such as 1973 bikes with front disk brake.  However, mud sticks and OIF bikes still have a reputation for cracks.  I tested mine by filling the tube with parafin/kerosene which will seep through any cracks.  After 24 hours, no seepage, so I'm quite sure I don't have any cracks.

However, since the frame is about to be sent off for stripping and powder coating, now seems to be a good time to add some reinforcement, just to be extra sure of no future problems.

So I've made a couple of brackets which I'll get welded in place prior to powder coating.  These should provide additional support for the swingarm tube, and I'm hoping won't be visible.

We'll see ...

Matching Engine and Frame numbers

The Engine Number is pretty clear:

The Frame Number less so. 

But they do in fact match.  The challenge will be ensuring the frame number is still visible after powder coating the frame. 

TR7RVNH16183. 

TR7RV - Triumph 750cc Tiger (5 speed)
N - Manufactured in October
H - Manufactured in 1973

Restoration of a 1973 Triumph TR7 750 Twin

Well I went and bought a 1973 Triumph TR7 750 Twin.  Here's a photo:

Oh wait, that's the wrong photo.  Here's  mine:

She needs a little work.  I bought her from Jaye Strait at Britech New England.  He's just up the road (about 40 miles), from me in Manchester CT.  As you can see from his Facebook page, he builds absolutely beautiful classic bikes, is passionate about classic bikes and has already given me some excellent advice on what I'm facing with this project.  My brother-in-law Mike who has 2 bikes, (a 1970 Bonnie and a 500 twin) is also proving very knowledgeable, so it looks like I'm not going to be short of help.

Here are Mike's bikes:

Between the two of them, the bar's been set pretty high!

Anyway, back to my bike ...  The frame is already pretty much stripped down.  The first part of the plan is to strip it down completely, and send it and most other black parts off to be powder coated.  Then the forks, swinging arms and shocks with be refurbished and assembled to form a very good basis on which to build everything else.

I'm hoping to rebuild the engine to Jaye's specs and with his help.  Typically his engines vibrate less, leak oil less and perform better than the original factory engines, thanks largely to modern technology, and his and others experience over the past 40 years.  See some of the videos at the bottom of his Britech page for more details if you're interested.

For phase 1, I'll try to re-use whatever I can from the rest of the parts.  This may not result in a show quality bike, but it should produce a very solid, reliable and high performing bike for the least $$$.  And this strategy should allow the bike to be restored to factory (show) condition in the future if $$$ and time permit.

Well, that's the plan.  Stay tuned for progress reports.