Topic: 1970 Triumph Tiger 650

[Powderman]

Figured I would start a proper build thread for the Triumph and remove it from my XR1327 build thread.
This is what I started with. I inherited it on the untimedly passing of my brother this last April. It is a "mostly" stock 1970 Triumph Tiger 650 that has been in storage since 1976. First thing I am doing is to convert it to Kimtabs and disc brakes.


I plan on going back to pretty much stock the way it is with the exception of the wheels and the plan to black out all the chrome. The chrome on it is all in bad shape and it would be too costly to restore. Since I do powder coating for a living it just seems a no brainer to coat the parts instead. Being as I'm not a big fan of chrome, matte black is the only option IMHO.
Wheel mocked up:





Fender hardware and fender coated. Fender center stripe masked in prep for new Spring Gold (Jeep Rescue Green) paint on it.

[Stev-o]

Sounds like a good plan, subscribed.  What will you do with the motor? Is it stuck??

[Powderman]

Sounds like a good plan, subscribed.  What will you do with the motor? Is it stuck??

No, it is not stuck. I can only assume the top end was removed to swap the Tiger head with a Bonneville head as that is what was in the box of spare parts, no Tiger head and only one carb.
Plan s to restore to pretty much stock with the exception of the chrome going black and the wheel/brake package. Should look pretty cool when done.

[72 yellow]

Nice to see an occasional Britbike build here.  Mine is a 71 BSA Lightning.  Subscribed. 

[Powderman]

Fender and hardware mocked up in the forks. When I got the bike it had the wrong fender brackets on the lower legs making the fender stick up too high and not follow the tire contour, "Wonky" as I put it. I got a set of the correct brackets in the bag of parts that came with the lower legs I bought for the swap, got lucky, wasn't expecting them.

[becken]

My first ever ride on a real motorcycle was in 1970. A friend I was stationed with had a Tiger and took me for a ride one night. That one ride was what hooked me.

[simon#42]

seems a shame to spoil that triumph by fitting that ugly wheel and disc , if you want modern brakes why not buy a modern bike

[Retro Rocket]

seems a shame to spoil that triumph by fitting that ugly wheel and disc , if you want modern brakes why not buy a modern bike

I'm not showing you any of my parts then....

[Wobbly]

I'm not showing you any of my parts then....

We are still talking bikes here, right?   

[Retro Rocket]

I'm not showing you any of my parts then....

We are still talking bikes here, right?   

Absolutely.....    

[martin99]

seems a shame to spoil that triumph by fitting that ugly wheel and disc , if you want modern brakes why not buy a modern bike

Ouch!
But I do agree with you Simon. Perhaps these old bikes don't have the same reverence in the US as they do over here, it'd have to have spokes and drums if it were mine, but each to his own. I've been surprised before, looking forward to how it turns out

[simon#42]

keep your parts to yourself mick !

your right martin over here all that brake would stop is getting a good price for the bike

[Stev-o]

Seems the Brits are protective of "their" bike.

We've all seen this before, guys don't like bikes modified away from stock.

Bottom line - it's his bike and is free to do whatever he pleases.

[Retro Rocket]

keep your parts to yourself mick !

your right martin over here all that brake would stop is getting a good price for the bike

My parts could be bigger than yours Simon, so just so I don't upset you any further, I'll keep them to myself...

[martin99]

Seems the Brits are protective of "their" bike.

We've all seen this before, guys don't like bikes modified away from stock.

Bottom line - it's his bike and is free to do whatever he pleases.

If you bothered to look at my build thread you would see I am not averse to modifications. These old Triumphs weren't produced in their billions like SOHCs and are pretty sought after over here, especially original examples, so it seems a shame that's all. But you're right, he can do what he likes and as I said I'm interested to see how it turns out.

[cb650PK]

Seems the Brits are protective of "their" bike.

We've all seen this before, guys don't like bikes modified away from stock.

Bottom line - it's his bike and is free to do whatever he pleases.

Have you ever ridden stock, well set up Triumph with TLS drum? It goes as well as it looks and stops as well as it goes. Wonderfully balanced motorcycle. It's kind of painful to watch someone do this to it.

[Powderman]

I understand you purists out there, but IMHO i'm not changing anything negatively. Sure I've ridden properly set up drum brakes on a Triumph. Are they adequate, yes. Are they best that can be had, surely not. I happen to love the look of the Kimtab and think it will look great on the Tiger. I end up with "better braking", less unsprung weight, less overall weight and the look of triple discs, not to mention the beautiful snowflake rims. Everything I'm taking off will be restored and keep aside. The only mods from stock will be the addition of the brackets for the lower legs on the extra set of lower legs I bought, a welded on bracket for the rear master cylinder and the stub welded on the swing arm to locate the rear caliper bracket.

I'm loving everything about this swap:

[Powderman]

Bracket for the brake splitter completed.

[Powderman]

Painted the fender in Jeep Rescue Green. Looks pretty close to the original Spring Gold, but more modern flake, there's 7 colors in this mix. I powder coated it black first for the center stripe and powder coating is a better base than primer for paint. This was done with a rattle can.

[Retro Rocket]

That paint came up great Marc, can't wait to see the tank...

[Powderman]

That paint came up great Marc, can't wait to see the tank...

Nice before and after pic to go buy, right? Still have a couple of pounds of rust to remove from the inside of the tank before attempting any paint on it.

[Retro Rocket]

That paint came up great Marc, can't wait to see the tank...

Nice before and after pic to go buy, right?

Sure is....

[Stev-o]

That paint came up great Marc, can't wait to see the tank...

+1....nice color!

[Powderman]

Front end mods almost complete. Waiting on seals and washers and a decision on which rotor to run before welding on the caliper brackets. Love the way the color scheme is coming out. All old painted black parts are going to be high gloss black and all the chrome will be matte black for contrast.

[72 yellow]

Lookin' good...