Help & FAQs    Search BCF    Members    Groups    Events Calendar
Resend my activation email : Register : Log in 
BCF: Bike Chat Forums


Triumphs new hipster bike

 Reply to topic
Bike Chat Forums Index -> Biking News & Rumours Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3
View previous topic : View next topic  
Author Message

Azoth
Brolly Dolly



Joined: 07 Jul 2016
Karma :
PostPosted: 23:04 - 23 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
G wrote:
To get a better picture, you should probably establish what bike it is first, the tyres on it etc - further, it seems the previous state of the rear suspension was 'not good'.


Good point. I did a quick search of his old posts and I think he's talking about a heavily bodged 1976 MZ, probably a TS250.
____________________
Safety in numbers
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

lingeringstin...
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 01 May 2014
Karma :
PostPosted: 12:49 - 24 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tawny wrote:

How does it handle? Could you take a corner as fast as you could when you had rear shocks? Is there anything you have to do differently with a hardtail/bobber, for example rolling off the throttle if you hit a bump or lose traction?



Here's the poop on mine (should probably be a different thread though).

I've had other hardtails going back to the late 1970's but the one in question here started out as a miserable 1976 MZ TS250 that I bought like 25 years ago in completely standard trim. It was four speed, 6v and was by far the worst bike I have ever owned in my life.

Fast forward a couple of decades and I'd changed everything I didn't like about the original bike. Now the only original part left is the frame and even parts of that are missing.

On my bike it was a terribly short frame as standard and felt really twitchy at highway speeds. Hardtailing it lowered it's centre of gravity and did away with the horrible, long boingy shocks they have as standard. Putting GS750 forks on it lengthened the wheelbase by like two inches because of where the spindle goes but even that little bit made a noticeable improvement in handling.

I'm running 16" wheels front and back and by using a bottom yoke as a top yoke I can now adjust the forks up or down to my liking which you couldn't do with the standard MZ shite.

The dead straight handlebars took some getting used to and the standard footpegs are a bit high but the riding position actually suits me very well now and I find it comfortable even on long distances. It's a pretty small bike and I'm about 5' 7" so not really tall.

The weight of my bike is distributed more forward now than as stock and that helps a lot. It actually feels very planted on the road Much safer feeling and I do occasionally scrape the exhaust if I'm being a bit careless but I figure if I'm leaning over that far then I'm leaning over too damn far for my own good really so I just live with it being that low.

Braking is safer now. When it had shocks if you ever had to slam on the rear brakes (I was a courier for years) the back end would fishtail, but now if you cram on the stoppers it just locks up and skids in a straight line. You can do it on purpose now and not be in danger of being flung off it.

The rear tyre is usually a 110/90 at like 15psi or something but that's a skinnier 3.50-16 on a cast wheel in the picture below, not much difference. A 110/90 is about as fat a tyre as I can easily stuff in there but I'm used to it. A bigger tyre would mean more comfortable squish but also more wallow around corners and things.

So after all that yes it does handle WAY better than it used to, but that's not saying much. You get used to it after a while and riding along avoiding potholes and things becomes instinctive. Of all the hardtails I've ever had it actually handles best, but then all my other hardtails were more fashionable than functional.



Behold the abomination:

https://i67.tinypic.com/969q41.jpg

Last edited by lingeringstink on 13:02 - 24 Oct 2016; edited 1 time in total
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist



Joined: 12 Jul 2004
Karma :
PostPosted: 12:59 - 24 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
Polarbear wrote:
G, serious question. Why did you comment on the side the chain is? I can't see any reason for one side or the other.


Only downside I see is that chain lube tends to drip all over the back tyre when it's parked on the sidestand with a right hand chain.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

G
The Voice of Reason



Joined: 02 Feb 2002
Karma :
PostPosted: 14:43 - 24 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
stinkwheel wrote:

Only downside I see is that chain lube tends to drip all over the back tyre when it's parked on the sidestand with a right hand chain.

That; it's a minor point to be fair and can be mitigated by ensuring your lube doesn't drip. It looks like these have separate gearboxes or something, which I presume is the 'reason'.

Another one, actually; is that if you take a loose wheel in, they may well fit the tyre the wrong way around. Ok, I've only had that on an SM wheel which didn't have direction indicators and didn't bother me anyway.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

nitrosurf
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 18 Jun 2010
Karma :
PostPosted: 20:03 - 24 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tawny wrote:





Behold the abomination:

https://i67.tinypic.com/969q41.jpg


Don't think I've ever seen an MZ modified in that fashion, apart from the fact it's weird seeing a 'chop' (sorry) without a front frame down tube I kind of like it...


🏍
____________________
"Multiple exclamation marks," he went on, shaking his head, "are a sure sign of a diseased mind."
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

lingeringstin...
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 01 May 2014
Karma :
PostPosted: 15:18 - 25 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes it's an odd way to make a bike. It just doesn't look right, it's like the engine's about to fall off onto the ground or something. It makes the frame very minimal so there's actually not much weight apart from the engine itself.

The biggest problem is that there isn't much else you can put in there for an engine very easily. No down tube makes the frame really short and there's not much in the way of engine mounts either so you're really limited as to what else you could use in that frame.

It's actually a really small squatty bike. It's got the footprint of like a 100cc something. That's a BSA Bantam 2 gallon tank on it, so it's about Bantam sized really and now that I've lowered it even more it creeps around in traffic like some kind of mumbling hunchback ogre looking for the bog roll. But it's "an adventure" to ride, which is fun.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

Polarbear
Super Spammer



Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Karma :
PostPosted: 16:11 - 25 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
lingeringstink wrote:


https://i67.tinypic.com/969q41.jpg


That's as ugly as sin. Love it Laughing Thumbs Up
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

stevo as b4
World Chat Champion



Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Karma :
PostPosted: 18:26 - 25 Oct 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's the un conventional and shouldn't really work SU carb that I like about this bike most.

As far as strokers go, I've never really liked MZ's or simple piston ported machinery that much overall.

I like my strokers to be race developed and torque inducted etc, and the more acronyms after the name the better!

An ATAC'd, slingshot, RRIS, energy induction, SAPC, RAVE with some KIPS etc, is more my thing, but I guess none of these are real strokers. Laughing
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts
Old Thread Alert!

The last post was made 7 years, 184 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful?
  Display posts from previous:   
This page may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bike Chat Forums Index -> Biking News & Rumours All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3
Page 3 of 3

 
 You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Read the Terms of Use! - Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group
 
Debug Mode: ON - Server: birks (www) - Page Generation Time: 0.07 Sec - Server Load: 0.76 - MySQL Queries: 17 - Page Size: 63.76 Kb