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.