 
Triumph Bonneville T140 Terry Dutton's 1979 T140E street custom. One man's 750cc Bonnie heaven on earth 
▲ That's a Harrison Billet (aluminium) caliper at the bottom of those Harley-Davidson Sportster forks. The disc is floating which helps this T140 Bonneville get an all-weather grip on reality. The splayed head, note, is arguably not so good for gas flowing as the stock parallel port set-up. But splayed heads simply look better. And if you've got it, you might as well flaunt it, etc.   ▲ Underslung calipers were fitted on T140s from 1976. By 1979, a revised swinging arm appeared with an overhead caliper. This was said to keep the caliper clear of dirt and muck, but we've never had much trouble with either. The Mikuni carburettor is superior to Amal carbs (better designed and machined). But Amals are pretty good too and are understandable. And Mikunis simply look wrong to many eyes. But we haven't got a problem with them. 
▲ Oil-in-frame Triumph Bonnevilles are underrated. This example has shed a lot of pounds and, we hear, has powered up to 46bhp at the back wheel. 50bhp has been variously quoted for T140s, but that was never realistic. This, however, sounds more likely. |
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Price: £14.99 plus P&P
"This is my 1979 T140E. I’ve had this Bonneville since 1981. It was in stock trim then, and I ran it daily for a few years until the paint started to flake off. I did a full rebuild in stock trim, and ran it for a few more years. Then I bought a Harley 1200 Sportster and the Triumph got put at the back of the garage for a long time. But three years ago, after collecting parts for another rebuild, I started to put it back together. I wanted to junk all the unnecessary bulky parts and lose some weight. So let’s start with the engine. Splayed cylinder head "I changed the cylinder head to a splayed head type because I prefer that look. I fitted lead-free valve seats, and installed lightweight valves, retainers and push rods. "Dave Nourish supplied the cams. He also balanced the crank rods and pistons. "There's a belt drive on the primary (from Shropshire Classic Motorcycles). It runs in oil. "The carbs are from Mikuni. The ignition is Pazon. I fitted a 7 plate clutch conversion with an alloy pressure plate. And a Morgo oil pump has replaced the standard unit.
T140 Bonneville & Triumph TR7 Tiger buyers guide 
£9.99 plus P&P
And the other parts?
"Stainless steel exhaust. Alloy wheel rims with stainless steel spokes. Floating brake discs (made for me by EBC). Lockheed alloy brake caliper on the rear. Harrison Billet brake caliper on the front. Harley Sportster front forks. Hagon shocks (all stainless steel and alloy). Stainless steel mudguards and chainguard. Alloy rear sprocket. Electronic speedo & rev counter. Seat made to my own design (by P&P seats).
Billet aluminium brake and clutch levers (ISR). Virtually all fasteners in S/S. T140 dyno tested "Finally, I had the carbs set up on the dyno and got 46 bhp at the back wheel. "I put this bike together to be ridden in all weathers without the fear of it going rusty. "And the mileage so far? 4500 without any problems." T140 Bonneville Buyers Guide |