Triumph 500 Trophy Trail / Adventurer ?

[St George]

Had the chance to look at a strange off road 500 Triumph. Never seen one before. 500 cc unit engine with distributor. Triumph / BSA looking frame ( not a road frame, higher off of the ground ). Japanese front forks with front disc brake and nice wheels. Rear wheel Japanese with disc brakes. Has a small alloy tank with a yellow stripe going in through it and some very nice alloy levers. Off road / green lane tyres.
This bike was bought as an unfinished project which is 99% done and has been done tastefully and with high quality. Registered as historic and a very nice engine and gear box. It is immaculate to look at. I could not get the frame number or see the V5 as I was dealing with a lady.
I am trying to put a price on something like this for a private sale. I have looked at the pictures of these on google by searching Triumph Adventurer. This one looks at the higher end quality wise. Will the Japanese parts devalue a great deal. I know someone who road it a couple of years ago and they had a big smile on their face. Sorry no pictures at the moment. Registered 1966 'D' Reg. Price either way please. Thanks

[steve the grease]

Unfinished project it may be , but it is not anything like a Triumph Adventurer. 1966 is FAR too early for one of these. The TR5T Adventurer was the last incarnation of the Triumph 500. built around 1971 it used a BSA Victor frame ( BSA had stopped making bikes by then) Take a Daytona engine, fit mild cams , low comp pistons and a single carb. Then chuck the engine in a BSA victor 441 frame , a conical hub on the rear ( same as a Bonnie) and a unique small conical hubbed single leading shoe brake on the front, ( which didn't really work) running in what were the forks of the time , basically Bonneville forks.

So what have you found? If it has a distributor the engine is pre 1962 ( ish), so it could be a 5TA or T100 ( some letter) A/S/P/R/C are some of the options. At this age it will have the somewhat problematic, plain main bearing on the timing side, not Edward Turners best idea. The early Triumph frame has a ' gooseneck' with a brace which supports the tank, not a great design either actually.

It is quite possible that what you have is a Japanese bike the frame, forks and wheels and brakes, with a Triumph engine fitted. To fit Japanese disk brakes to an English swinging arm , or fork leg would be quite a lot of engineering, welding and machining etc. The more I think about it the more I think that it is some Jap dirt bike with a mid sixties Triumph engine fitted. It may have been stamped with the Triumph frame number to keep it " original" , who knows ( or even cares really). I bet it will make a lovely green lane machine , the Triumph 500 is a lovely engine, I would have one tomorrow.

So what is it worth ? I simply haven't a clue, you need to join a classic bike club and get someone who knows his onions to go along with you and get a proper appraisal of what you are looking at. Then you need to all sit down and work out a fair price , but it will be a few grand ( ish)

[St George]

Thanks Steve. Hope to get it in a week or two when Probate is sorted out will update you the day it arrives. Many thanks for a decent reply.
Regards.

[steve the grease]

Hey just a thought. check out the rear brake pedal . If its a jap frame it will have been modified , so that it is on the left hand side as the Triumph is Right hand shift. If it's a British frame the left hand brake pedal will look factory original.