A '74 Triumph Trident, a bit worn around the edges, 82000 miles on the clock but a recently rebuilt motor that didn't leak oil. £2000. Not a bad price, the new triples having knocked them down by about fifty percent. 500lbs worth of British meat, with a lot of history behind it and a lovely whine out of the silencers (pinched from a Rocket Three).
The test ride was on the pillion, no chance of getting to grips with the controls until I'd handed over the dosh. I did the deal right there and then, full of enthusiasm because the big triple had been one of the dreams of my youth. That was two years ago and it hasn't turned into a nightmare yet, even if there were some problems along the way.
The gearchange was the first hassle. This one had five gears but the lever was on the right, with a one up and four down action. Gawd, that was confusing for the first few thousand miles. Hopping back wheels, screaming metal as I changed down instead of up and slammed the brake on instead of changing gear. Oh well, we all have to learn to live the righteous way. The gearchange action was actually better than most Japs of this age, smooth and precise if a bit heavy going in trainers.
The clutch was where I'd expect to find it but was it heavy? It was a car type single plate diaphragm with cable operation that initially needed two hands to wield. A nylon lined clutch cable improved matters considerably and by the time I'd become used to the gearbox the clutch pressure no longer bothered me. It was just a pity I couldn't shake hands with my left hand as it'd become a real knuckle crusher.
Then there was the kickstart. The three cylinder OHV motor had a 9.5:1 compression ratio and worn out contact breaker ignition. The result was about ten kicks from cold and half that number from hot. New points and spark plugs were fitted but only made a marginal improvement. No, the thing demanded new coils and HT leads. Then starting was a three kick affair from cold. But they were the hefty kind of kicks that left me sweating if I was all togged up in my winter weather gear.
The Trident doesn't look very integrated, more as if the parts bin was raided for suitable bits but this is a very misleading impression. The chassis has a very heavy feel but also a very stable one and never seems stressed by the power, which flows in from tickover to 8000 revs. The engine clicks and whirrs at tickover, under throttle the gears whine and the valvegear grinds away but above all that there's the glorious howl out of the three into two exhaust. Some might find it loud but I find it hard to believe that anyone could object to its eerie note.
The riding position is very upright, easy going for town work and up to above 75mph. Along with the friendly motor I was soon hustling the bike like it was an old friend, finding the handling very forgiving despite its heavy feel. Alas, on the first long run the bike ground to a halt after a mere 75 miles. Having heard tales of Tridents burning out pistons and even breaking crankshafts, I feared the worst as I pulled over to the hard shoulder.
The total lack of any electrics allayed my paranoia. The main fuse had melted due to a wire coming loose and shorting out. I put it back in its connector and removed the fuse-holder from the circuit until I could buy a spare fuse (or ten) from the first services.
A powerful (car) front headlamp made the 120W alternator a bit marginal; I found it a good idea to give the battery a top up charge every week. Separate earth leads to all the lights had already been fitted, leaving me to replace or eliminate all the toy-town connectors. Even so, blowing bulbs were a chronic problem when using the engine above 6000 revs.
Vibration from the triple was always apparent but not too annoying unless it was thrashed into the red. Having owned a couple of rat Superdreams in the past I could not really complain. Actually, the level of vibration would increase when either the valves (every 750 miles) or bank of 27mm Amal carbs (every 500 miles) went out of adjustment, or when any internal components were worn out beyond a certain point. I can now tell whether or not a Trident motor is in a good state just by riding the bike around the block.
I was to find this out the hard way when the T150 was used harshly and fast for continuous motorway cruising. There is a small oil cooler located under the petrol tank, but the plunger pump was having difficulty circulating lubricant around the engine. When the oil starts to froth in the tank the lubrication system breaks down completely.
The first time this happened the centre piston seized then freed, evidenced by grinding vibes and about half the power disappearing. I sat on the hard shoulder for an hour, letting the motor cool down. I burbled home at 25mph on a reluctant twin. I assumed it was just old age, had a rebore and fitted new pistons to all three cylinders. The valves were a little pitted, so were reground.
I didn't think to check the oil pump at that point. The second failure was in similar circumstances but this time one of the exhaust valves burnt out. By the time I rode home another one went as well, and the engine sounded like the rings had broken up. Not surprising, as that was exactly what had happened. The cylinder couldn't be rebored any more so a used one had to be procured.
It says a lot for the toughness of the crankshaft that it survived unscathed. A new oil pump was fitted as well as a triplex primary chain and a new clutch plate. Fortunately, for the bike, it'd run fine for six months, enough time for me to come to enjoy the experience immensely.
The front disc was rather rudimentary by modern standards but I found it quite reasonable, the tough, taut forks well up to the braking forces. The rear drum was a useful back-up but not too hot in the wet when it'd send the back wheel into a big slide. The shoes never seemed to wear, unlike the disc pads which barely lasted for 8000 miles.
The Avon tyres were good at over 12000 miles, although I've had cheap final drive chains wrecked in less than 5000 miles (the sprockets don't seem to wear, just as well with the gearbox sprocket awkwardly tucked behind the primary chaincases). Fuel was very poor at 35 to 40mpg even when ridden mildly and oil consumption heavy at 150mpp, although both tanks were large.
These figures were rather high considering it took a lot of effort to ride the Triumph fast, due to the lounge lizard riding position. But as a lot of my riding was in town I wasn't going to change it. Comfort was good for town work and tolerable for an hour at a time at, say, 90mph after my shoulder muscles had developed a little brawn. Top speed was 130mph on the clock, stability was good but the vibes became irritating.
General riding, with the motor sorted, was a bundle of fun, the bike full of character as well as lots of usable power. It's gone around the clock now and seems to have lots of life left. Yes, I'm happy with my British bike!
Eric Creem