Having owned a couple of T160s in the past, I know these videos will be very useful to enthusiasts. I've had a go at making some motorcycle repair videos myself and know how time consuming they can be to make. A great series so far, well done and thanks.
I have a confession to make. I was a Triumph mechanic back in the mid to late 80s. I have rebuilt my share of T150 and T160 engines and replaced many rings and pistons. We never fitted the center piston. We always fitted the cylinders over the three pistons using a removable two piece ring compressor for the center piston. We didn't have TH-cam back then to show us the correct way.
Hey JR I'd say we fit the centre piston separately because we don't have your fancy split piston ring compressor then! BTW...Just to put a smile on your face...Back in 1995 when I assembled my first Triple engine I read that the centre cylinder could be fitted separately, so I fitted the barrels with the outer 2 pistons in place and then tried to insert the centre piston with conrod attached down through the bore! As you probably know, the Big-End does NOT fit down the bore! I swore a little and removed the barrels to fit the piston from the bottom as per my videos. Then when I went to re-fit the barrels onto the outer two pistons I snapped an oil ring! Then a swore a lot!!!!!
@@davidwright1957 I think fitting the center piston first is the proper way but in my defense we did a lot of ring replacements and taking the center rod out would have been an extra step. I like to say that we rebuilt or re-ringed every triple we sold and a few we didn't sell. The build quality was just not a thing back then. I had a BSA Rocket Three tie up just idling while I figured the ticket! Good times!
Do you know if anyone has produced a proper trident engine book with all the finer points of assembly ? Not triumph history book . Do you just use the triumph stock replacement valve springs ? Have you ever checked the seated and full lift spring pressure ? Have you got a video CD or anything compiled into a folder . Really helpful videos much appreciated, it will help keep tridents on the road .Cheers.
I stood at the top of Sutton Bank (North Yorkshire Moors) and watched a Triumph Trident and Suzuki GT750 go down. When they got to the bottom they opened it up on the clear roads and the Triumph left the GT for dead.
Oh come on Andy, the Rocket 3 was the Worlds fastest production bike in 1968 clocking 131.8 mph at Daytona, they were speed /distance records ,you can check how far they went at 131 mph if you like, other manufacturers cancelled their bookings at Daytona after that. The record stood for 4 years until the Z900. As for my comment on the Iron Butt Rally, that Trident and rider is now going around the world and is currently in Russia
Hi; 75 ftlbs is crazy! Also the manuals have the crankshaft pinion nut wrong in ftlbs but right in Kilos (5.6) so never ever those LH thread nuts should torque to 75!
Properly and accurately set up TDC, with degree wheel , I use a positive stop then using number one cylinder use a dial indicator on the intake push rod and use a figure like .050 or .080 thou before and after full lift , take the two timing figures add together and divide by two will give the intake centre line . Much the same for exhaust lobe .
HI. Most of my videos were filmed with an iPhone 4s on a tripod. I used Camtasia to do the editing. I used some fairly basic LED strip lights on stands for lighting and my computer is not really that super 'anything'. I hope that helps.
GREAT VID....just ditch the music buddy. ..you're good enough not to rely on it!! Or let me put it this way, you never went to school, college or university where the teacher had music in the background
Encouraged rather then Persuaded. Only ever worked on Tiger Cubs and Sixfifty Twins. This motor looks a bit agricultural, even if it does make the most fantastic music.
Hi on the intermediate timing gear there is two marks at the inlet timing gear side, one slot mark and the other a dot, you chose the slot mark, I have no doubt this is the correct mark can you tell me what the other mark is for. I must be honest If I hadn't a manual or someone like yourself to tell me I would have chosen the dot. These are excellent and well detailed videos, pointing out the little problems you can come up against and torque settings etc. Thanks. James
Thank you for coming back to me, I thought it may have been to give a choice of inlet cam timing giving. do you know what effect it would have if this mark was used providing it didn't bounce a valve. Though I own a 1971 T150V I haven't needed to touch the timing gears, I did have to lift the head to have the center plug hole helicoiled as the previous owner stripped it when it had only 7775 miles on it and it lay in a garage in the U.S. until I got it a few years ago in the U.K..
Hello; if I may I want to ask you few things regarding the video due to I want to share many things with these bikes but did not have good results with the video archives "weight" etc. 1-Did you used a camera or a cell phone camera?. Seems I do not have the right lens for a nice showing without to be too close or not so good like a cell phone shows. 2-With editing etc the videos are long; like 25 minutes or more so the weight is in GB. Kind of too much to edit and to upload. Seems I need a super fast computer. 3-When you record the voice is not adding more weight to the archives? 4-Did you used lot of lighting? plenty of watts? 8-Can you suggest an easy editing software etc? You know; I am a bit old and into many things so I do not have enough time to learn complicated stuff so regarding this I am preferring to show some wrenching to help someone that to learning complicated software etc. Thank you
Having worked at the BSA on the triple engine assembly line I never observed the guy fitting the pistons and barrels anthing like you have, the conrods were aready fitted to the crankshaft and the pistons and barrels were fitted without the aid of piston ring clamps, also he could fit the barrels in a matter of minutes, but as I can see your not working on a assembly line so its not relevant.
Thanks, I really appreciate your comment and some insight into what it was like working on the assembly line. I guess one of the biggest differences here is that if we were to break a piston ring we'd have to wait for a new set to arrive and it would be out of our own pocket, whereas working on the assembly line if you broke a piston ring you'd just grab another one from supplies. 😊
John. No we don't but it would be a good idea to make a series on a complete pull-down and inspection of a Trident engine and gearbox. We see so much damage done by people who do not know what they ae doing. You have given me a good idea.
@@davidmacgregor5193 I thought the discussion was standard production bikes, Not a factory special that was far removed from a standard Bike, stripped & rebuilt every few hundred miles & ridden by professionals..
@@andyb.1026 On at least 2 occasions Slippery Sam was ridden to the Isle Of Man on Trade Plates as It was not intended to race it and was a late entry, definitely when Mick Grant won as he didn't have a ride and Les Williams offered him a ride on Slippery Sam. Also check out the 2012 video on here of the American Iron Butt, 11000 mile in 11 days, a 1969 Trident did it and not a CB 750 in sight.
All British motorcyles in the 60th were junk. Worst one was AJS, better one was BSA and Triumph. All leaked oil, carburetors, ignition, oil lines, forkes... 😁😠
Having owned a couple of T160s in the past, I know these videos will be very useful to enthusiasts. I've had a go at making some motorcycle repair videos myself and know how time consuming they can be to make. A great series so far, well done and thanks.
I have a confession to make. I was a Triumph mechanic back in the mid to late 80s. I have rebuilt my share of T150 and T160 engines and replaced many rings and pistons. We never fitted the center piston. We always fitted the cylinders over the three pistons using a removable two piece ring compressor for the center piston. We didn't have TH-cam back then to show us the correct way.
Hey JR I'd say we fit the centre piston separately because we don't have your fancy split piston ring compressor then! BTW...Just to put a smile on your face...Back in 1995 when I assembled my first Triple engine I read that the centre cylinder could be fitted separately, so I fitted the barrels with the outer 2 pistons in place and then tried to insert the centre piston with conrod attached down through the bore! As you probably know, the Big-End does NOT fit down the bore! I swore a little and removed the barrels to fit the piston from the bottom as per my videos. Then when I went to re-fit the barrels onto the outer two pistons I snapped an oil ring! Then a swore a lot!!!!!
@@davidwright1957 I think fitting the center piston first is the proper way but in my defense we did a lot of ring replacements and taking the center rod out would have been an extra step. I like to say that we rebuilt or re-ringed every triple we sold and a few we didn't sell. The build quality was just not a thing back then. I had a BSA Rocket Three tie up just idling while I figured the ticket! Good times!
Splendid video's you made! Though I restored several trident engines, I still learn things! Thank you
Quality build guys
Do you know if anyone has produced a proper trident engine book with all the finer points of assembly ? Not triumph history book . Do you just use the triumph stock replacement valve springs ? Have you ever checked the seated and full lift spring pressure ? Have you got a video CD or anything compiled into a folder . Really helpful videos much appreciated, it will help keep tridents on the road .Cheers.
Good job sir
I stood at the top of Sutton Bank (North Yorkshire Moors)
and watched a Triumph Trident and Suzuki GT750 go down.
When they got to the bottom they opened it up on the clear
roads and the Triumph left the GT for dead.
vinm300 Only until the Trident conked out, while the Suzzy went on for ever
Oh come on Andy, the Rocket 3 was the Worlds fastest production bike in 1968 clocking 131.8 mph at Daytona, they were speed /distance records ,you can check how far they went at 131 mph if you like, other manufacturers cancelled their bookings at Daytona after that. The record stood for 4 years until the Z900. As for my comment on the Iron Butt Rally, that Trident and rider is now going around the world and is currently in Russia
Hi; 75 ftlbs is crazy! Also the manuals have the crankshaft pinion nut wrong in ftlbs but right in Kilos (5.6) so never ever those LH thread nuts should torque to 75!
Would be great if someone showed how to do cam timing with high lift cams ie using degree wheel and dial indecators
PLEASE SHIW THIS ON T 150 Trident
Properly and accurately set up TDC, with degree wheel , I use a positive stop then using number one cylinder use a dial indicator on the intake push rod and use a figure like .050 or .080 thou before and after full lift , take the two timing figures add together and divide by two will give the intake centre line . Much the same for exhaust lobe .
HI. Most of my videos were filmed with an iPhone 4s on a tripod. I used Camtasia to do the editing. I used some fairly basic LED strip lights on stands for lighting and my computer is not really that super 'anything'. I hope that helps.
GREAT VID....just ditch the music buddy. ..you're good enough not to rely on it!! Or let me put it this way, you never went to school, college or university where the teacher had music in the background
great vid ,whens the next one coming??
I'm working on it! Coming soon!!!
Go to www.triumphvideo.com and have a look at 'Trident Project' to see what I'm currently working on.
Love the idea of the plastic tubing on the threads
Encouraged rather then Persuaded. Only ever worked on Tiger Cubs and Sixfifty Twins. This motor looks a bit agricultural, even if it does make the most fantastic music.
Hi on the intermediate timing gear there is two marks at the inlet timing gear side, one slot mark and the other a dot, you chose the slot mark, I have no doubt this is the correct mark can you tell me what the other mark is for. I must be honest If I hadn't a manual or someone like yourself to tell me I would have chosen the dot. These are excellent and well detailed videos, pointing out the little problems you can come up against and torque settings etc. Thanks. James
Nightster the other mark is simply to identify which mark that one is. The three are not equally spaced so three dots alone would not be any use.
Thank you for coming back to me, I thought it may have been to give a choice of inlet cam timing giving. do you know what effect it would have if this mark was used providing it didn't bounce a valve. Though I own a 1971 T150V I haven't needed to touch the timing gears, I did have to lift the head to have the center plug hole helicoiled as the previous owner stripped it when it had only 7775 miles on it and it lay in a garage in the U.S. until I got it a few years ago in the U.K..
Hello; if I may I want to ask you few things regarding the video due to I want to share many things with these bikes but did not have good results with the video archives "weight" etc.
1-Did you used a camera or a cell phone camera?. Seems I do not have the right lens for a nice showing without to be too close or not so good like a cell phone shows.
2-With editing etc the videos are long; like 25 minutes or more so the weight is in GB. Kind of too much to edit and to upload. Seems I need a super fast computer.
3-When you record the voice is not adding more weight to the archives?
4-Did you used lot of lighting? plenty of watts?
8-Can you suggest an easy editing software etc?
You know; I am a bit old and into many things so I do not have enough time to learn complicated stuff so regarding this I am preferring to show some wrenching to help someone that to learning complicated software etc.
Thank you
Having worked at the BSA on the triple engine assembly line I never observed the guy fitting the pistons and barrels anthing like you have, the conrods were aready fitted to the crankshaft and the pistons and barrels were fitted without the aid of piston ring clamps, also he could fit the barrels in a matter of minutes, but as I can see your not working on a assembly line so its not relevant.
Thanks, I really appreciate your comment and some insight into what it was like working on the assembly line. I guess one of the biggest differences here is that if we were to break a piston ring we'd have to wait for a new set to arrive and it would be out of our own pocket, whereas working on the assembly line if you broke a piston ring you'd just grab another one from supplies. 😊
Andy B. Is it the women or the bikes with the superior design? 😆😃
Hey guys, still have that valve fitting stand available for sale?
Guy S see the info at classic-triumph.com/triumph-workshop-tools/
Do u have a disassembly video for the cylinder head.
John. No we don't but it would be a good idea to make a series on a complete pull-down and inspection of a Trident engine and gearbox. We see so much damage done by people who do not know what they ae doing. You have given me a good idea.
@@ClassicTriumph good idea. Im getting ready to do a ring job on a 1975 T160 so i hope i can ask you questions as i move along through the process
@@johnhorstmann8585 Sure. Email us if you have a question. Go to www.classic-triumph.com to find our contact details.
About ten times more complex to assemble than a simple Honda 750-4 ~ and about ten times Less reliable
The main difference being, Honda 750 never won five consecutive Isle of Man TT championships, The Slippery Sam Trident did.
@@davidmacgregor5193 I thought the discussion was standard production bikes, Not a factory special that was far removed from a standard Bike, stripped & rebuilt every few hundred miles & ridden by professionals..
While Slippery Sam was famous for ~ Leaking Oil !!**@@##
If only I could find a CB750 motor assembly video as well executed as this.
@@andyb.1026 On at least 2 occasions Slippery Sam was ridden to the Isle Of Man on Trade Plates as It was not intended to race it and was a late entry, definitely when Mick Grant won as he didn't have a ride and Les Williams offered him a ride on Slippery Sam. Also check out the 2012 video on here of the American Iron Butt, 11000 mile in 11 days, a 1969 Trident did it and not a CB 750 in sight.
Triumph is the worst motorcycle in the world ,, it doesn't run for a single week without a fault.
Thanks for your opinion/ comment. Not one that is shared by many Triumph owners but you're entitled to it none the less.
@@ClassicTriumph I agree with your sentiment, but history proves him correct.
And as for Triumph / Britt management at the time ~ words fail me..
All British motorcyles in the 60th were junk. Worst one was AJS, better one was BSA and Triumph. All leaked oil,
carburetors, ignition, oil lines, forkes... 😁😠
How fast is your camel ?