I have this 1964 Triumph TR6SR Trophy that I swapped a Ducati for, with an ADV inmate. It was nicely redone/repaired by the previous owner, not 100% original but not overly modified. It looks good next to my 1969 R60, and, when I go for a street ride, it's a flip of a coin which of those two bikes I take. The main reason I sometimes choose the BMW over the Triumph is that the Trumpet just looks so new. It's just a personal thing, I like old stuff, I can't help it. The bike has new paint in the original red and gray. Due to the previous owner's preference, the colors on the fenders are reversed so it's a gray stripe on a red fender instead of a red stripe on a gray fender. The bike looks good, but it's too shiny for me and to my eye it looks too much like one of those new Triumphs. For the last year or so I've been looking for original paint tank and fenders to put on it, but so far all I've been able to find is this front fender. If I could find an original paint tank and rear fender I would put them all on the bike. In '64 the Trophy's they sent to the US were called TR6SR, which was the low pipe model like mine, and TR6SC, which was the high pipe model. Since there were only 478 SR's and 60 SC's made in 1964, the odds of me finding an original paint tank and rear fender are low, even a well used set. We are on the verge of the 50th anniversary of the 1964 ISDT, in which Steve McQueen rode a 1964 Triumph TR6 Trophy, like mine. His was probably an SC rather than an SR, I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter. So now I'm thinking I will build a 1964 ISDT tribute bike out of my Trophy, to commemorate the 50th anniversary. I say tribute rather than replica because it probably won't be a totally accurate reproduction, but built in the spirit of McQueen's bike enough that a person familiar with it would see the resemblance. Thoughts?
It should be a fairly simple project, since it's already a good running 1964 Trophy. One of the most notable feature of Steve's bike is the siamesed exhaust. That one was probably custom made in 1964, but now I think someone sells those, or at least they did for a while. One way or another I'll either need to source one or fabricate one. The muffler appears to be a stock one that has been modified. If anyone knows anything about it, please let me know. It looks like they shortened the ends so that the rear axle could be removed without fussing with the muffler. From what I've heard, ISDT riders had to repair their own flats, and if they couldn't do it in about a minute they might as well stay home. There appears to be a strategically placed dent in the muffler to provide clearance for the kickstarter. Seems easy enough to duplicate. There also appears to be a custom seat cover on it with a zipper pouch in the back. I suppose it carried spare tubes and a tool kit. There must be an upholsterer who could gin me up on of those. I'm seeing an extended sump guard on the left. I could knock something like that up, based on the pictures. That's all for now, I've got to get started cooking a fancy dinner for the wife's 49th birthday. I'll post more later. Again, any and all input is appreciated.
Thoughts?[/QUOTE] I applaud your aesthetic aversion towards "restoration". A 50 year old bike should look like a fifty year old bike.
Thanks for pointing that out. Now, since I know about it, I spot it easily on the exhibition picture. That's a great solution for the bigger stuff like cables, tubes and larger tools. Picture suggests it runs the whole length of the pillion. I may be inclined to copy that. I like your project. It will be a great tribute as you will be able to relive the rides as well. Best of luck.
I love it as is. If you want a bike that looks like a used 50-year old bike, why not start with something in poor shape closer to that? It's not like your proposing to saw the rear frame loop off and paint it BBQ black, but I wouldn't make those kind of changes to that particular Triumph. But hey, that's me - and it's your bike.
And I respect that. Like I said, the previous owner did a nice job on the bike. When he got it someone had tried to make it look like a 1969 model. You might have noticed that it still has the 1969 front end, which is good because the brakes are better. He found an original 1964 tank and badges, I think the fenders are repops, and then he got it all painted up nicely. It wasn't an original paint bike when he started. I enjoyed talking to him at his home, he gets it more than most. We have been in touch a couple of times since. I haven't emailed him about this but I think he would get what I'm doing. To answer your question, the reason I'm working on this particular bike is simply that this is the one I have. If there are any original paint '64 Trophies out they'd probably be beyond my means. Thanks for your input on this - I'm still trying to formulate the plan in my mind.
Thanks Danedg. I've seen your pictures in some /2 threads, I figured you get it. Sometimes I get on eBay just to look at pictures of old beat up gas tanks, just because I like the way they look, the story they tell. occasionally I bid on one and just put it on a shelf. My favorite is an old scratched up Yamaha dirt bike tank that some kid stuck a "Bad Boy" sticker on. You can tell he had a blast on that thing. Probly changed his life.
Feel free to put the take offs in the flea market (or PM me). I just picked up a rolling basket 1967 TR6R last week that was in my neighbor's garage since he wrecked it in '76. Once I get the titles straightened out I will begin the build and document it here. BTW- If Jack heard you callin' his stuff "bourbon", he'd twist in his grave
I'd imagine that the McQueen bike would have the quick change rear wheel. This permitted the brake and sprocket to remain on the swing arm after the wheel was removed. It was an option for many years and is illustrated in the parts books.
I'll keep you in mind if sell the fenders. I'm leaning towards keeping the shiny tank and changing the fenders. My mistake on the Jack. Most of the stuff I drink comes out of Scotland, or my garage. Jack Daniels makes nice boxes though. I always grab a couple when I'm at Costco.
Your bike is very nice... There are folks here with a lot of knowledge and another good source (the best IMO) is the Britbike Forum, I went around and around trying to get my Uncles old T100c's energy transfer ignition to work right or even to understand how it worked exactly in spite of what the factory shop manual said. Long story short it is the best (IMO) resource for Brit stuff. Here is the Triumph Page:http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=4&page=1 I get lost there because there is so much to read/learn. Good luck, I plan to stay tuned.
It was also common practice for for the ISDT riders to lay the bike in the ground chain side down and pop the tire off one side of the rim so that they could fish the tube out and patch it without pulling the wheel off the bike. Since any repairs to the bike had to be made while the bike was on the course/ out of the lock up area there was little to be gained by swapping tubes since three old one would need to be repaired while still on the course. This is the likely reason for the modified exhaust.
Ace Classics www.aceclassics.co.uk built a Steve McQueen replica, it was in a UK Classic bike mag faily recently. I just looked at their website, and apparently they are now building them to order (£16,000 !!!) Might be worth a look at their website, lots of pictures. As far as the QD rear wheels are concerned, parts should be easy to come by, I believe most UK bikes had them, while the US ones did not.
