Triumph Twentyone

Devon · Sep 11, 2013

I picked this up last night, A Bideford/Barnstaple M/C of 1959 vintage. It was owned by a guy who lived around the corner from where I grew up in 1967.

It has been laid up in a Family's garage for 17 years and when they decided to sell it was agreed it had to stay local and go to a good home. So I am honoured.
It was stored carefully and covered in oil which helped stop a lot of corrosion.

It seems to be all there including all the tinware which is the important bit because it's as rare as rocking horse shite apparently as a lot of owners took it off and threw it away.

Very much the poor relation in the Triumph glamour stakes and not everyone's cup of tea but I like it and the fact it has spent half a century in my home town adds to the pleasure of the bike. It has scrubbed up well and now I have another winter project

Lord Snooty · Sep 11, 2013

Aaah the Triumph bath tub, enjoy the bike Andy, I'm sure when you have finished with it it will be as good as new.

oblertone · Sep 11, 2013

Very nice ...

... it's even got the rack to catch your nads when the brakes prove less than adequate and you smite something solid :blast

Devon · Sep 11, 2013

Lord Snooty said:
Aaah the Triumph bath tub, enjoy the bike Andy, I'm sure when you have finished with it it will be as good as new.

Cheers LS. I hope to finish the R27 next week and I'm looking forward to hearing it running for the first time in many years :beerjug:

Devon · Sep 11, 2013

oblertone said:
... it's even got the rack to catch your nads when the brakes prove less than adequate and you smite something solid

Another reason to proceed cautiously

As it's 1959 it no longer requires MOTing which means I don't have to worry about brakes or lights etc either :augie

Deleted account 211025001 · Sep 11, 2013

I love the old Bathtubs and that looks to be a real find - nice one

Andres

peterh · Sep 11, 2013

That is the twin of the first real bike I had. It wouldn't set the world on fire but it got me and my fiancee where we wanted to go. I've still got some bits of its clutch in amongst things I kept - just in case, you understand ...

patzx12 · Sep 11, 2013

Nice buy, i bought a Thundebird when i was a teenager. The first thing i did was throw away the bathtub, headlight cowl and the 1" handlebars.

Deak · Sep 11, 2013

First dibs on the reg number

I was born in 62 and my Sons call me Bod :thumb2

Devon · Sep 11, 2013

Deak said:
First dibs on the reg number

I was born in 62 and my Sons call me Bod

I never sell the plates on old bikes as it spoils some of the history of the bike imho plus BOD is a local reg. :beerjug:

Micky · Sep 11, 2013

Yup ... the tin ware was thrown away in the sixties to make the bike's look like café racers :nenau

Good find, great bike ... enjoy

Nice 'n' Fat · Sep 11, 2013

What a fantastic find

My Dad bought a 3TA in 77 for £60. He restored it and then did a total of 6 miles on it over the next 30 years. It now lives in a privately owned Triumph collection in Germany

(RIP) andrewgsadv · Sep 11, 2013

My neighbour Paul was given one of these 20years ago. We rebuilt it ,re sprayed ,a thing of beauty. The old boy who gave it to Paul saw it and bought it back off him. Still running today. :thumby:

(RIP) Kaister · Sep 11, 2013

Devon said:
...... It has scrubbed up well and now I have another winter project

i'd be inclined to leave it unrestored....

Micky · Sep 11, 2013

Kaister said:
i'd be inclined to leave it unrestored....

Yup ... have to agree

Go through the mechanics, make it a runner, but keep it O R I G I N A L

:beerjug:

Paul Rochdale · Sep 12, 2013

I once owned a 1959 Triumph 5TA Speed Twin, the 500cc version. Yes, my tinware was chucked before I bought it but your bike looks great. Mine went quite well even if it did leak oil quite badly. The engine was put together by a professional, I ran it in at a steady 50mph all the way to Liverpool Docks (new bigend bearings), as I was in the Army at the time, and even though I was very careful with lots of oil changes, she still leaked badly. When I left Lisburn, I rode her to the Belfast docks and upon reaching Liverpool stuck her in the guards van (remember those?) and got off at London, riding the last hour or so to home. Happy days.

MikeO · Sep 12, 2013

oblertone said:
... it's even got the rack to catch your nads when the brakes prove less than adequate and you smite something solid

I'd take it off and put it on a shelf.

The first time I came across the medical term 'de-gloving' was dealing with an RTA where the rider of a Triumph with one of those racks got injured in a minor collision...

Mike

JohnnyBoxer · Sep 12, 2013

Wapping will be pleased to see that reg no

He loves a BOD

Is it north Devon?

We had TT & TA down in south Devon

Devon · Sep 12, 2013

Kaister said:
i'd be inclined to leave it unrestored....

Micky said:
Yup ... have to agree

Go through the mechanics, make it a runner, but keep it O R I G I N A L

I did consider just going through the engine and leaving it as it is but I have a mate who will paint the tin for a couple of hundred quid and Doug at Devon Rims always looks after my wheel rebuilds because I do a bit of building for him so for what it will cost me I might as well have a stunning looking bike as one with rust about it.

JohnnyBoxer said:
Wapping will be pleased to see that reg no
He loves a BOD

Is it north Devon?

We had TT & TA down in south Devon

It is a Devonshire number plate JB. 621 BOD The OD being the Devon area code before 1963. It was registered new to a Peter James Lynch of Barnstaple, 3rd July 1959. It then had one other owner in Barnstaple before being sold to a guy in 1967 who lived 200yds from where I grew up in Bideford and the bike has been in Bideford ever since. He is still about so I will ask him about it next time I see him.

Micky · Sep 12, 2013

Devon said:
I did consider just going through the engine and leaving it as it is but I have a mate who will paint the tin for a couple of hundred quid and Doug at Devon Rims always looks after my wheel rebuilds because I do a bit of building for him so for what it will cost me I might as well have a stunning looking bike as one with rust about it.

Nooooooo it'll look shite :blast

Keep it original .... it's not a question of cost :rob

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