Topic: Triumph Bonneville TT Special

[emlupi]

I literally had this bike fall into my lap and couldn’t pass it up. It’s a 1967 Triumph Bonneville TT Special. It needs some TLC for sure but it’s mostly all there and original. The motor turns and the clutch is free. I’m going to squirrel this one away and restore it.

[WideAWAKE]

Love it!!!

It’s been my experience that letting bikes find me often brings the best results and joy. Delightful surprises I wasn’t looking for.

[Just John]

One of my oldest friends had a 66.  His was white with the orange stripes and was fitted with a Bates headlight and taillight.  He was a member of a 1% club at the time and they switched to Harleys.  He traded the Triumph for a clapped out Panhead.  I could have built him a better Harley for about $300 (70s price) at the time and I thought it was a stupid trade. 

[emlupi]

Like this one, very nice. I agree that it was a bad trade.

[Stev-o]

Cool bike!  Should make a great project.

Always wanted a vintage Triumph...

[MauiK3]

Great project
Can you get original type silencers?

[Stev-o]

Great project
Can you get original type silencers?

Cocktail shakers?

https://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/products/emgo-cocktail-shaker-mufflers-fits-exhaust-from-1-1-2-up-to-1-3-4-inch?variant=31146686152751&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=CjwKCAjwmJeYBhAwEiwAXlg0AftRqm_RqylluIuRrufuVNeEsINaXWP44dsY9z0dIqyYSzD3oJBO5xoCecMQAvD_BwE

[seanbarney41]

uh uh guys...no silencers involved for a correct TT Special.  Was not meant to be a street bike.

[Stev-o]

uh uh guys...no silencers involved for a correct TT Special.  Was not meant to be a street bike.

Interesting, had no idea.  Imagine the sound...

[MauiK3]

I bet it would wake up the neighbors

[seanbarney41]

uh uh guys...no silencers involved for a correct TT Special.  Was not meant to be a street bike.

Interesting, had no idea.  Imagine the sound...

...so the TT Special is different from other Bonnievilles because it was a factory race bike that was "nominally" available to the public.  I say nominally because it was not easy to just go out and buy one.  You probably would need a factory connection or at least some kind of special Triumph dealership connection as only something less than 200? were produced a year for certain model years.  I read all this in a magazine article years ago and don't remember what all years they were produced.  It was not really meant as a finished jump on and ride product.  You got the engine including stronger internals, high compression, and special cams and they basically just shipped it with most of the rest of a standard Bonnie attached.  Leaving it up to whatever race team, tuner, etc. thought was necessary to build a competitive race bike for whatever brand of racing they were involved in.  So no, very few old ladies and children were ever startled by them...unless they were expecting a quiet picnic at the local race track.

[Stev-o]

uh uh guys...no silencers involved for a correct TT Special.  Was not meant to be a street bike.

Interesting, had no idea.  Imagine the sound...

...so the TT Special is different from other Bonnievilles because it was a factory race bike that was "nominally" available to the public.  I say nominally because it was not easy to just go out and buy one.  You probably would need a factory connection or at least some kind of special Triumph dealership connection as only something less than 200? were produced a year for certain model years.  I read all this in a magazine article years ago and don't remember what all years they were produced.  It was not really meant as a finished jump on and ride product.  You got the engine including stronger internals, high compression, and special cams and they basically just shipped it with most of the rest of a standard Bonnie attached.  Leaving it up to whatever race team, tuner, etc. thought was necessary to build a competitive race bike for whatever brand of racing they were involved in.  So no, very few old ladies and children were ever startled by them...unless they were expecting a quiet picnic at the local race track.

Hi Sean...wow, great info. Sounds like a super collectable bike, def worthy of a restoration, wish it was mine!

Hey emlupi..wanna sell?!

[emlupi]

Seanbarney has it mostly correct. Here’s the “real” story:

https://www.triumph-t120c-tt-special.com/single-post/2015-7-22--tt-special-the-true-story

My bike is a 1967, the last year it was produced. It was built in September 1966 and was one of the first batch of TT Specials built for that model year. It was shipped to Tri-Cor, Triumph’s east coast distributor in late September 1966. It left the factory with the early Aubergine and Gold paint.
It would have appeared as in the photo. The silencers are slip-ons. I’m not sure if the pipes are the originals or not.

 I bought it from the widow of the second owner. I have the title dated February 1968. She told me that her late husband bought it from a friend of his who only owned it for one year. I intend to restore it but it will take some time. I am still doing research to see if I can find out where it went from Tri-Cor and how it ended up sitting in a garage two miles from my house for 43 years.

[grcamna2]

Yeah Man ! 

[emlupi]

Also, the TT Special was built without any lights. They had an AC energy transfer ignition and no battery. There was wiring  on the alternator for lighting  and a light kit could be bought from the dealer, as shown in the photo above of the ‘66 model as well as on my bike. So, although it was a stripped down version of the Bonneville intended for racing , some of them did make it to the streets of America.