Restoring & Modifying 1971 OIF TR120

[NM Bonny]

Really love your approach and attitude on this build!

Thanks for saying that. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve waiting for the fairing from overseas--and had feared that my enthusiasm was a little much...

 

[sikatri]

Thanks for saying that. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve waiting for the fairing from overseas--and had feared that my enthusiasm was a little much...

You’re a perfect fit here! I’m sure there’s more than a few here who love this kind of adventure!

 

[CarlS]

You’re a perfect fit here! I’m sure there’s more than a few here who love this kind of adventure!

And I'm one of them.

 

[NM Bonny]

As to the fairing and rear-sets...

Compare the first three attached pics: (1) the '70s Ducatti which inspired the Omega fairing I purchased; (2) the Omega fairing; and (3) a '71 or '72 bike like mine (the image as downloaded says '73 but that's not right because I think they went to a front disc that year).

On the black-and-silver '72, the rear-sets are way back in line with the OEM passenger pegs--but even higher. In fact, farther back and higher than the Duck's pegs, which are just aft of the seat's forward edge--roughly where mine are now, albeit a bit higher. I could have chosen the top motor mount holes and been closer to the Duck's position, but I'm 6'2" with long legs--and the present position is very comfortable.

Also, the '72's high rear-sets are combined with 3" riser clip-ons that are at or above my flat bars' level. Weird riding position, frankly... it could be the builder stuck the pegs back that far because he didn't know about the T160 kick lever option.


On the fairings, the Duck's is scalloped a bit more along the upper edge of the bottom trailing pieces--toward the front of the opening--than the Omega. I could alter that to more closely match the Duck's piece but it wouldn't yield any fitment benefit that I can see. Purely an aesthetic choice, so we'll see how the lines out-of-the-box go with the '71 OEM tank.

The Duck's windscreen is taller, which I would've preferred--but I wanted an aluminum fairing rather than the fiberglass versions I saw, which I'd have to paint. I like the alternating polished aluminum and blue paint scheme (though I might put a matching blue rally stripe on the fairing and side cover).

But if you look carefully, I could easily trim the upper edge of the Omega's cutout toward the front, to more closely match the Duck's fairing--and that would afford a skosh more clearance for the bars at full lock. I don't know if it'd be enough to let me use the flat bars, but we'll see...

The last thing to note is that the '72's fairing cutout is much larger, primarily due to a steeper windscreen angle and greatly abbreviated upper trailing pieces. There's nothing stopping me from trimming the uppers and windscreen on the Omega in order to retain flat bars, or even conceivably the lower bars that came on the bike shown earlier. But frankly I think before I did that, I'd fit the clip-ons and ride for a while, since you can't go back once you've trimmed...

 

[NM Bonny]

Well, the above speculation will soon be moot because I just received a tracking number: the fairing passed Omega's QC and has shipped from Thailand.

I've been preoccupied trying to finish the kitchen remodel and design a DIY 10KW ground solar array to ditch my 31-year-old, propane-fired boiler for the radiant heating system (my 91-year-old mother has dubbed the project "The Very Small Array"). But I'd better slot some time to sand and polish those side covers, so we have some sense of the bike's finished aesthetic during the handlebar mockup.

BTW - I've begun donating, and note that with my upgraded membership I can post short videos (i.e., without Youtube hosting). So, I'll try to think of useful ways to exploit that capability.

P.S. - The Very Large Array featured (somewhat misleadingly) at the beginning of "Contact," will be among the first day-trips on this bike when roadworthy. Probably the very first trip outside the Albuquerque area will be San Ysidro, out HWY 550 into Indian Country, and after topping up the tank, onward past El Cabezon (torturous washboard road) to Cuba and some fly-fishing and photography in the Jemez, using my neighbor's cabin (at 10,000 ft.) as a base of operations...

Here are shots of a mature eagle I spotted beside HWY 550 last time I went up for firewood. The pics are deceptive; this was a very large bird...

 

[Greyfell]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1808886785742631400

View: https://x.com/i/status/1808886785742631400

 

[NM Bonny]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1808886785742631400

View: https://x.com/i/status/1808886785742631400

Holy cow... well, that's about the size of the bird I photographed. I was thinking maybe a Golden Eagle but don't know birds well...

 

[CarlS]

Holy cow... well, that's about the size of the bird I photographed. I was thinking maybe a Golden Eagle but don't know birds well...

The Bald Eagle is my favorite raptor.

 

[Greyfell]

Holy cow... well, that's about the size of the bird I photographed. I was thinking maybe a Golden Eagle but don't know birds well...

Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles are very close in size, just different feather coloring.

Copied from: Bald Eagle vs. Golden Eagle! The Great Eagle Size Debate! | Learn Bird Watching

Key Takeaways:​

• The Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle are some of the largest eagle species.
• The Bald Eagle’s measurements include a length of up to 43 inches, a wingspan of up to 7 feet, and a weight of up to 14 pounds.
• The Golden Eagle boasts a wingspan of up to 7.5 feet, a length of up to 40 inches, and a weight of up to 13 pounds.
• The Bald Eagle is primarily found in North America, while the Golden Eagle has a more extensive range that includes North America, Europe, and Asia.
• The Bald Eagle is known for its striking white head and tail feathers, while the Golden Eagle is distinguished by its dark brown feathers and golden nape.

 

[NM Bonny]

Getting back to the project (after that very nice digression)...

I think Atom Splitter posted a photo of this seat earlier--but I didn't realize the cowl is removable! Check out this photo...

I'm less concerned about lugging a passenger around as I am in using my soft tail-trunk bag for camping/fly-fishing trips and errands (2nd photo).

Well, and the lower seat height would offset the effect of clip-ons, if I'm forced to fit them as seems likely. Omega doesn't have measurements on the seat and evidently make them per your specs.

So, when the fairing gets here (it just arrived at LAX), and assuming it will work on this OIF bike, and if I must use clip-ons, I will email Markus and possibly spring for one of these seats. It's expensive but well worth the savings in my time to make one, and I like the convertible design. I think it'd look handsome w/o the cowl fitted, complimenting the bike's vintage lines.

 

[NM Bonny]

Here's how nicely this particular tail trunk fits on the standard-width Triumph seat. You can flip it either way, but with the rain cover pocket forward, you have a touch of lumbar support. The bag has quick-release securing straps, not shown here...

In other news, TBS got the LF Harris unbalanced 1971 OIF pipes in, so those should be here inside of a week. I'll leave the exhaust off until done with the primary and swing arm rebuild...

Also, permanently resolved the steering lock situation on the L/H side. Made up a disc from 1/8" mild steel, tapped it, threaded it all the way down onto the stud the PO had welded onto the triple clamp's stop, cut the unused thread off, and put a spot of weld on the end. Now, there's a nice, beefy surface to contact the steering head's (remaining) metal flange.

The steering lock now operates perfectly when the new stop puts the flat bars w/OEM clutch lever and electrics pod 3/8" away from the tank (@ the curve just above the OEM badge).

Finally, I pushed on the primary chain through the inspection hole, and its tension is about right. I need to replace the alternator with my upgraded 3-phase version, and will inspect the rotor, chain tensioner, gears, basket, etc.

 

[CarlS]

Excellent progress.

 

[NM Bonny]

I don't know why I've been so reluctant to just fit the (amazingly inexpensive) clip-ons I bought just in case, so went ahead and tried them out. Really nice pieces.

I lost 2" in width from the 28" flat bars, because I wanted to fit the choke control on the inner end of the R/H bar (otherwise it would only have been a 1" loss in width). But this bike is so light that I don't imagine I'll have difficulty with negative steering in the twisties. Plus, I've heard racers claim that a sleek, frame-mounted fairing like this Ducati-inspired piece can actually make a bike a bit more stable at speed... any experience with that phenomenon, Sikatri?

Ah, you know what? If I really want to regain that 1~1.5" in width back, I can just mount the choke control on the custom dash I plan on making.

The bar-end mirrors that came with the bike won't fit, and I I have an English round bar-end like Sikatri's on my '51 FL. But the pucks wouldn't fit inside the incredibly light 6061-T6 aluminum bars due to the relatively thick tubing walls. That's no biggie, as I'll just stick the aluminum pucks that jam inside the bar on the lathe and turn them down a bit...

I will need a shorter brake hose (sigh...) and may use a 90-degree fitting I've got lying around to aim the hose to the L/H side rather than straight down. I think I'll wait until the fairing mounts are in place to decide.

Amazingly, the OEM L/H control I wanted to retain clears the tank, just barely. The brake master is low-profile, so we'll soon see if it will work, too. I think it will...

I slipped the flat bars (turned quite low) back into the triple clamp to judge the difference. A bit farther forward as well as lower. Of course, the company does make yet another smidge higher--and Atom Splitter mentioned some that offer even more adjustability. But I'll ride these for a while and see how I like them.

Since I had to have the wheel off to fit the clip-ons, I realized that I hadn't balanced the wheel. Put it on the stand see that they shop pulled it out of true mountign the tire. Ah, well... should just be 20~30 minutes to get it corrected.

My fairing is sitting at LAX, presumably being searched for Thai stick before sending it to NM...

 

[sikatri]

I haven’t had an extensive amount of saddle time yet, but the times I have been out I would say it does make it feel better and more stable. Don’t think you’ll miss the few inches of the handlebars.

 

[NM Bonny]

I haven’t had an extensive amount of saddle time yet, but the times I have been out I would say it does make it feel better and more stable. Don’t think you’ll miss the few inches of the handlebars.

Cool, thanks. Here in NM the wind gusts can be sudden and fairly strong, so I'm eager to see how she fairs zipping out HWY 550 north toward San Ysidro and Cuba across the unsheltered mesa.

The other initial, out-of-town destination will be the Very Large Array up in the mountains near Socorro. There are wind warning signs along the interstate en route, though I'll take the slow roads down as far as Belen, where I'll have to briefly get on the interstate if memory serves...

 

[sikatri]

Cool, thanks. Here in NM the wind gusts can be sudden and fairly strong, so I'm eager to see how she fairs zipping out HWY 550 north toward San Ysidro and Cuba across the unsheltered mesa.

The other initial, out-of-town destination will be the Very Large Array up in the mountains near Socorro. There are wind warning signs along the interstate en route, though I'll take the slow roads down as far as Belen, where I'll have to briefly get on the interstate if memory serves...

It makes you feel like you’re in the cockpit of a jet plane! LoL.

 

[NM Bonny]

It makes you feel like you’re in the cockpit of a jet plane! LoL.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to that sensation. Yours, more like an F-16; mine, more like a WWII Spitfire...

 

[NM Bonny]

Unbelievable... the fairing is finally with the USPS, so I'll soon be designing my cockpit. Quite a challenge, I expect, to get those fat gauges into that small curving space...

In lieu of a TIG welder, I'm thinking of riveting some stiffening ribs to the underside of the dash panel, though the .063" sheet is pretty stiff. Oh, well, guess I could use .050" and put some stiffening beads on the panel with my roller, which would look attractive, too...

On the mounts. I looked at Skatri's thread again, and the mounts are quite similar on my Ducati-inspired kit. They'll be easy to tweak by cutting and welding where the rods connect to the brackets if need be, re: vertical alignment.

However, on the bottom mount, because my downtubes lack the rectifier mounting boss the new Bonnys have, I'll probably fashion a clamping piece that spans the rear of the tubes. I thought of maybe slicing a piece of mild steel tubing the long way, then connecting the two half-pipe sections with a strap and nut tack-welded on the back to receive the bolt...?

It's tempting to (finally) buy a spool gun for my welder, so I could make this piece and other stuff from aluminum (like the muffler mounts, rear-set brake pedal mount, etc.). But I feel like I've got too many projects lined up to take time to learn another new skill just now... and I could always remake pieces I want to lighten up later on if I'm satisfied with their function.

 

[NM Bonny]

Ordered a 36" piece of 1" x 1/8" aluminum bar ($10 delivered) from Home Depot, that'll replace the steel rear brake backing plate strap. I'll drill some 37/64" holes (or thereabouts) to further lighten it, give a sand and polish, and voila!

It'll look cool and weigh less than 50% of the steel one, but with ample tensile strength to prevent the backing plate from spinning (trick is break the edges of the holes to prevent cracks or tears from forming).

I'll probably add a brass or bronze bush at the forward pivot end, but need to see how it's set up. May not need it...?

If anyone wants the remainder of the bar to make a lightened strap for their own bike, it's yours for the cost of postage.

 

[NM Bonny]

So, I started mocking up a dash template, but realized the bosses for the P-clamps are angled back toward the rider--higher than, and not parallel with the surface of the triple clamp (obviously) or the tops of the headlight mount bosses.

Then, I realized that with little aluminum angle-iron cantilevers extending out under the dash, the .063" plate will be more than stiff enough, even if bolted solely to the headlight mount bosses. (I'll have to make up spacers to keep the gauges from jumping up and down in their holes.)

What to do with the P-clamp holes? I suddenly remembered talking about putting warning lights there... so I did. The buffed washers are re-purposed conical P-clamp washers.

Looks pretty good, and now I can snuggle those gauges up next to each other really close without worrying about making room in between for the warning lights.

As you can see, didn't like the choke control where it was, so gained 1" back in handlebar width. I'm going to figure out a cool place for it...