Bonneville: this blog is named after this shrine of speed; also used for Triumph’s superlative moto of the mid twentieth century. Here’s Salt Flat photographer Eric Rickman using a Triumph Tiger Cub as ‘pit bike’ to whizz from point to point capturing the hot rods, rocket cars and Burt Munro type characters. His Hasselblad medium format camera assuredly caught some impressive high horse powered streamlined beasts! He hung out with some pretty cool dudes too!
I duuno how you’d get an engine THIS clean! It’s like some silversmiths handiwork with finely polished tubes, pipes, covers, and fins. Mine will start clean, though not polished, then attain a runned, oil smeared patina of an engine used. Something more like this…
A motorcyclists engine, gets t’job done!
Clean, clean, clean; that’s what this Cubbies engine looks especially when photographed by the esteemed motorcycle portrait photographer Daniel Peirce.
It is an illuminating capture of the simple single: sinuous pipe wrapping lazily over the egg-shaped timing case, kicker and gear changing levers await action, and the cooling fins hatch comb-like across the barrel. There’s even a frame mounted hand-pump peeping at the top heralding in golden script: “Made in England”.
An engine IS art!
Only a couple of hundred ceecee’s of capacity but a stern grimace nonetheless. I’m sure fun can be had on this little baby though: “it’s more enjoyable to go fast on a slow bike than to go slow on a fast one”.
The Cubs fork steering head cleaned up nicely with the three coats of paint removed over the past few evenings. I kinda like the raw steel appearance of ’em. However I’ll may go down the typical gloss black. Or….. Racing Green?
A frequent glamour model for The Sun’s third page pinup was the curvy Samantha Fox. The British tradition in the late Twentieth Century of adorning the tabloids with young nubile girls to maintain a ‘phwoar’ for the working male population. As well as sellin’ millions of inky ‘news’ rags to line the pockets of media moguls like Rupert Murdoch.
We have scanty fronted leathers here for Ms. Fox and a razor sharp looking Harris GPZ 550 – pure 80’s: Phwoar! And in another pic with probably one of the last Meriden models off an assembly line we have our Friday Fox aboard a Triumph…
She also had a singing career, but, let’s not get into that….
Take a couple of beat up old Cubs, with plenty of parts missing, and with some thoughtful reassembly you could end up with a whole…
These forlorn relics of youthful two-wheeled exuberance have seen better days but a restorers eye and greasy fingers and furrowed brow dripped in sweat; as well as the ubiquitous emptying wallet, could very well let them, as One, ride the lanes again!
E pluribus unum: out of the many one…
Icy days: it’s been dropping to waay below zero temperatures here in wintry Minnesota. Might be a bit frosty for this snowbound Cub. You’ll be needin’ some studs on the tires there pal!
Yup, both Centigrade and Fahrenheit well into double digits. Exposed flesh? Keep it covered! And don’t touch bare metal!
Here’s the Real Winterized Cub…
The 150cc Triumph Terrier T15 was the smaller precursor to the Tiger Cub, a very similar layout and details with the odd crossover part. Here’s an aged cutaway demonstration engine with innards exposed to see how parts mesh into a machine for go. It take a mechanical understanding of the machine at hand to chop it into an assembled whole with holes…
This is fairly handy for my ensuing needs while reassembling the Cub. This grubby, ‘shelved’ display sure could use a good restoration. Itcsold on the UK eBay for £1,000.
An old airbrushed promo shot of a Tiger Cub looking light and speedy with a streamlined form akin to its big brother 650 twin Bonneville. Black and silver with the grey-blue background look timeless fifties.
Another view of the Kit Cat Cub. The timing side this time and some more details in evidence. Open frame with the oil taken by the main down tube. Nice skinny big hoop on the front and doughty shoe out back with plenty of travel on those rear shocks. No seat? Of course trials are carried out standing up. I’m ticking my way through the factory parts manual and the list of parts still to acquire seems to be growing! Yes it’s a pocket watch of a moto but the inner workings are still complex…
The Top Cat Cub as built by Charles who otherwise specializes in BSA “Otters” a special oil in framed B40 lightened and set up for pre 65 observed trials. www.bsaotter.com
A great resource for other off road shenanigans.
Like this blue frame article though. It uses an Electrex ignition which is probably the way I’ll go with my Cubby.
During research for a suitable ignition system for the Cub restoration I navigate the Boyer Bransden website. They’re known for a broad range of electronic ignitions for vintage points and distributor motorcycles and cars. In their gallery I spied a nice trials Cub owned by Julie from Leicestershire.
There are some good details I can hopefully use on my restoration. It’s a nifty looking machine.
End o’ another week and the weekend is upoan us. So hae a braw time whurever ye are!
A pair o’ lassies on a wee Triumph Cubbie motorbike. Dinnae get yer kilt snagged an thae sprockets!
eBay is a good location for a spot of restoration research: the seller usually posts numerous detail photos of the motorcycle which can be utilized as excellent reference for assembly or ideas for component setup.
Here’s a cute yellow Cub that is in fairly complete trim. This has been listed with a nice selection of the needed views…
Nice dull gray cases; a patina of oily rag polish.
Bolt patterns, spacers; mounting brackets and cable routing. When parts come loose in a box this is essential information.
Also its good to see the little beating heart in slumbering pose.
The top end showing the arterial oil lines feeding the ready to go moving parts. You can nearly hear the ticking of the valves for this diminutive but doughty motor.
Amal: any British vintage bike owner worth their salt gets to know the needles, screws and orifices of the fuel and air blender. More mounting details are exposed. Gas hose routed from the fuel tank to the carb itself.
Oil feed comes from the small tank, a little peep of the oil hoses and exhaust.
Controls now; throttle, clutch lever and bracing to the nice wide bars. Lemondrop tank tarts up the deal.
Triple tree, headlight ears and handlebar mount clamps.
Front and rear for the laced hoops of the wheels. Knobbly rubber to offer grip over tarmac and gravel. One of my next tasks is relacing, so seeing the spoke pattern is handy.
As we’ve said before: the whole is greater than the parts.
geordiebiker.com 