Japan Meets Britain
Yes, I changed the name of the topic -- it seemed to be more generic 'British' than specifically 'Triton', and I really always considered it Japan meeting Britain, so go figure. What's in a name, right?!
So many new developments today, not the least of which was that my speedo broke (tach still works). It started acting wildly - showed I was doing 90mph down Main St. in Reisterstown! An NOS replacement is already on the way.... I did about 150 miles today, and it seems like I awoke a sleeping giant (or so the tach showed!). Earlier in the week I cleaned and re-oiled the K&N filters, as that was really the only part of the equation I hadn't thought to address. So this morning while heading to a breakfast meetup with two friends, the bike hit 9000rpms in 5th gear -- this was just before the speedo went kerflooee, and it was lazily drifting around 100-110-120, but of course when I slowed down to 35mph it was still showing 80! As well, on the way home, I was heading down Interstate 95 and was doing over 8000rpms on an uphill. The tach was rock-steady, and it sure sounded like I was up there in the revs. I can't really say whether the cleaning of the K&N's affected this, but I can't think of anything else that changed in that regard (it was also odd that the filters looked okay to me prior to cleaning them). The temperature today was in the low 60's. Additionally, I discovered that the 30 rear sprocket is perfect - great on the highway, and perfect on the backroads. Don't think I'd want to be revving any more than I am, so the 30 will stay. A roadside break A roadside plug check (this is from overall riding today). A bit darker than earlier plugs. The porcelain was brown, and the outer threads near the top were very dark. All looked dry. Emailed the photo to John, and he was thrilled!
Vince, congratulations to you & John on those pretty stunning achievements. Nice work! And to be able to get it to pull 9K in top gear is fantastic! You just have to get it onto a dyno and see what the output actually is. Looks like the plugs are indicating a good burn for top-end performance; that enrichment is essential for longevity of the internals.
Is your gearset a 'Phil Denton', 'Nova' or did you get one from Gerry Cain? I've decided to not go with the 5-speed, but I shall be X-ing to get a more tractable 2nd gear. I've spent enough already!! Plus, I don't want to lose the charm of the original 4-speed..... I'm sure it's lovely to ride as a 'cinque vitesses' but I just cannot bring myself to fork out another €2K+. Great work!
Thanks Steve -- a long hard (and expensive!) road, and there are still things to improve! That speedo debacle bummed me out, and the chain guard has been a never ending and losing battle, so in the end I hope it's worth it. As I say, buying a Vincent Black Shadow would probably have been cheaper and less painful.....
All those transmissions you mentioned are all the same -- all made by NOVA. I decided to buy from the source (NOVA), and they have been great. I'm sure you'd get the same level of responsiveness from either of the other two sources as well, but I chose to get it directly from the people who make them. A shot from yesterday's breakfast meetup with Scott and Lee. '64 SuperHawk, '65(?) Black Bomber, as well as the money pit. Vince,
If you have an android phone, you can download a free GPS application the gives an accurate readable speed display, 1/4 mile results, top speed logging etc. I use a free version of SpeedView, but there are many others. You can carry it in your pocket or zip tie it to the steering damper.....may not be period correct, but it is accurate and good for testing purposes. 66 dream, 78 cb750k, 02fz1, 09 wing
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