Aboveleft:Timetothink about
properbolts.
Above:SomewhereIhaveabetter
gear shaftthan this.
Right:Anewwheelhasarrived.48 |AUTUMN 2019
Triumphs and tribulations
There’sbeen abit of progression with theTriumph,
as the front wheel hasreturned from the Hagon
premises in Essexand nowhas anice newflanged
alloyrim.Ittook afairbit of measuring to ensurethe
correct position of hub/forks/rim beforethe hubwent
away.Thingswere not helpedby using BSA forks and
yokes and these aredifferent widths toTriumph ones,
so alonger spindle is needed. The lateryokes are
slightlylongeragain butspindles areavailable.
WhatIforgotwasthe British industry, such as it
wasbythe end of the Sixties, embraced newthread
forms and the fork bottomsIhaveare from an earlier
period whencycle threadwasinvogue,but theyokes
arethe wider ones from the time when BSF thread
formswere introduced. Naturally, thelonger spindle
is BSF and the sliders arecycle.IfIhad realised that I
would have had one made,but Ididn’ t.This is all part
of the fun of mixing and matching.
The brake plate and hub arefromanindeterminate
year butIthink theymight be from theWDB40–I
wascertain theywerebut nowIam not so sure. They
could be A7 butmy BSAmanual collection is lighter
thanmy Triumph one.Inany caseIexpected to have
to do somework on distance pieces and positioning,
especiallyasthe brake plate hasastop on it that
should locate inalug on the fork sliders, but the ones
Ihavedon’thavesuchalug, soIcut apiece of alloy
plate to makeatorque arm for the plate.Again this
requiredabit of thought and while the threaded stub
is bolted on at the moment,awelded-in one will be
needed because the stub has to befixed in place with
anut so the plate can befitted to the hub and then
the arm putover itand anut put on to hold it.Idid
thinkabout turning upaspecialfitting so another
fitting could slipover that andthetorque armwould
be located with anothernutand adistance piece,but
by thetime theworking sketchhad run to 11 parts,
common sense kickedin and asteel stub with a
thread on is being made to bewelded in.
The tyresfor the project have arrivedand we’re
using Mitasenduros, as I’ve usedthem onseveral
projects and theyare good tyres.The newmetric
sizing isabit confusing toaLuddite like me but MitasAboveleft:Mitas
Tyressentussome
tyresfortheproject –
we’veusedtheir
rubberbefore andwe
likethem.
Abovecentre:The
pressurereleasevalve
hadtobestrippedand
heatedtogetit apart.
Belowleft:Fitting
tyresisfun–I’d sooner
fitatyrethan alter a
chain.
Belowcentre:Aslight
hiccup in thebrakearea
wassorted.
Belowright:Theboss
insidetheplatewas
pressingonagrease
shieldandlocking
thingsup.