For the chemist:
2C8H18 + 25O2 ~> 16CO2 + 18H2O
For the engineer:
Yup, a beat-up old Amal 376 Monobloc that will become the fuel air mixer for the Tiger Cub. It’ll have to be stripped, intricately cleaned, new jets, seals and hopefully get the appropriate giddy-up for the wee project.
Parts listed on the ubiquitous exploded diagram.
Back in the day when Tiger Cubs was a fresh new model from Triumph the trials riders saw its supple format a the ideal tool one bloke from Bradford utilized its lithe characteristics to great effect.
He was a Scottish six day trial rider, and national competitor on the technical off-road circuit in the fifties and sixties. He stayed on British iron, including AJS at a time when riders were turning to the European and Japanese two strokes. In latter years he enjoyed beekeeping on the Isle of Man. I’m sure he enjoyed the TT spectacle each year from some hedgerow line corner.
Artie Ratcliffe has died in 2009 at an Isle of Man nursing home aged 83.
Good style on the Cub though, and a lovely looking machine too.
The Cub was sold as a low cost transport for the post-war population who needed to get to their factory or office job, have a jaunt out with the gal across town or into the countryside, or want to tootle around on something more than a Lambaretta scooter but find the big Bonnevilles little too bike to handle.
This classic advert in grayscale with blue background has a nice active composition with a lithographical appearance. Lineweight is classic heavy edged shaped for depth which works to superb effect for this fabulously!
What better wee moto to have as your scooter in the paddock at a classic racing meet? A Triumph Tiger Cub that’s what! And who’s ride is it but none other than Bazza. Here he is, wide grinned aboard a finely restored T20 at a Goodwood Festival of Speed event in the early 2000’s.
His steed of speed at these race days was a ‘well sorted’ Norton Manx but when tootling about the crowds the small engined but big hearted ride was selected… A smashing photo!
A box arrived today, opening it revealed a head. Not some bloody severed variety but a cylinder head for my Tiger Cub. A clean, specimen with valves, covers, rockers and all. Just need to get the barrel fettled, can gear, a tappet and pair of lifter rods and the engine is ready for full breakdown, assessment and rebuild.
“Bring me da head of Alfredo Garcia!”
Grunting, swearing, wrenching, hammering, gripping, sweating. That was me this evening dismantling the forks from the donor cub. Well, its finally down to its constituent parts: triple tree, stanchion, damping rods, springs, bushes, pinch bolts and dribblings of old stinky oil. To keep the goal in sight here’s a couple if Cub images. I need these visual mantras to keep me on task…
This Tiger may leave a few scratches and bites along the way but I’ll have ‘er purring by the end.
This is the ‘seen better days’ chassis I picked up yesterday. It has the front fork I need, a nice chunky rear alloy rim, hubs front and back, and a few more bolts. It looks as though it had a fun previous life though!
WD40 was liberally applied and the bolts are freeing up nicely. I’m about 75% there with major parts I think.
Some lucky fella picked up this recent offering on our favorite online auction facility. A nearly whole Tiger Cub for $1,900. Downstate Illinois too!
But where’s the fun in scrounging parts together? My wee cub is going to be an amalgamation of lost parts made one again.
geordiebiker.com 