SENSITIVELY LUBRICATED

Categories: Miscellaneous

An early article: this was an examination of the popular wisdom surrounding the Triumph twin oil-in frame motorcycle. This popular ‘bike is the subject of many owner improvements and, as there is a social grouping around certain marques, an endless source of discussion. It concentrates on the lubrication system, which can be amended by the addition of oil cooler, upgraded pump, filters and adaptions to control the breathing and leakage.

Dividing the lubrication problems in turn, cooling, filtering and stopping it from coming out when we do not want it to, a more informed picture emerges of what adaptations are worthy and what their limitations are. To some extent, they depend on each other and should not be dictated by popular wisdom and sales pitch.

The Triumph twin was the last motorcycle designed in a way that allowed owners to service their own machines and, inevitably, to adapt them. Although radical customisation still occurs with modern machines, this article is a celebration of a culture of modification by ordinary owners that, to be fair, often produced an improved version of the ‘bike that rolled out of a struggling midlands factory.

 

British Bike Magazine, December 1993

 

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