1963 Triumph Bonneville

DU 3300

Clear

This could be your last chance ever to bid on an original unmolested 1963 (first year) Triumph Bonneville TT Special! Considered by many collectors to be one of the best looking & best performing motorcycles ever manufactured, this one is the 'barn find' of a lifetime! Second owner, bought from the original buyer (a neighbor). This example spent most of its life sitting in the original owner's garage. Built to Johnson Motors specifications, the TT Specials came from the factory with no lights, straight upswept exhaust pipes, no speedometer, performance cams, high compression pistons, oversize 1 3/16" carburetors, etc.- they were factory racers & won first place on the very first competition outing at Ascot Park in California. Riders like VanLeeuwen, Palmer, Payne, Vincent, & Mulder made these T120 Triumphs legendary. Some sources give the 1963 first year production total as only 7 units. Other than this one, very few authentic documented first-year TT Specials have survived. Matching numbers verified by the V.M.C.C. certificate, copy shown below. It shows the 'C' competition engine, Tach only, & ET ignition required for the TT Specials. This is the real thing!! Of course, the paint, rear knobby tire, & Bates accessory seat are not original, but these old Triumphs are amazing. This one had not been started for some time. I changed the oil & lubed the cylinders & it had good compression, so we put in fresh fuel & changed the plugs, & then it started right up & sounds great. This one is worthy of a full restoration or preservation. Note that the chrome shows surface rust, there is a dent in the right side exhaust pipe, & the primary cover has been repaired, see the last photo below. (Replacements for those parts are available & easy to change out.) She'll need some bits & pieces to be correct, but this unrestored original machine is surprisingly complete. Shipping costs & fees are the responsibility of the buyer, but I will be happy to assist loading, etc. Checks or money orders must clear by 10 days before motorcycle is released- cash is fine. Notes for vintage Triumph experts & collectors: 1. Gaylin's "Triumph Bonneville & TR6 Motorcycle Restoration Guide" states, page 81: "The 1963 model designations also remained as before. The Bonneville models were stamped as either T120R or T120C, although early ones may have had no distinction and were marked simply with T120." "No 650 engine carried the T120TT prefix code until midway through 1966, and any machine bearing such an ID before then is counterfeit." Other sources concur. 2. The same reference also notes, on page 76, "The Scramblers... came only with a Smiths chrono speedometer." The book "Triumph Motorcycles in America" says on page 70, "Raised exhausts, Trials Universal tires, skid plate, and no tachometer distinguished the 1963 T120C Bonneville Competition Sports..." The motorcycle you are bidding on, built with a tach, ET ignition, etc. (instead of having lights, speedometer, etc.) is an authentic TT Special, not a Scrambler (the Competition Sports model). 3. I know the footpegs are in the wrong mounting holes- the first owner moved them to match '64 & later models. The original tapered mounting lugs are still in place & could be used instead. On Dec-29-12 at 21:52:25 PST, seller added the following information: 4. Gaylin's "Triumph Bonneville...", also says on page 143, "Although not the first high-piped off-road version of the Bonneville, the TT Special was born with the unit construction motor in 1963. First year examples were..." and then devotes an entire chapter to the TT Specials & their specifications, beginning with the 1963 models. Triumph's sales literature listed the 'TT Special' beginning in 1963. I personally remember seeing them (& wanting one) in dealer showrooms in 1964. This is a rare bike that escaped being destroyed on the TT racing circuit because it was mostly sitting in a private owner's garage & then let out in the desert on some weekends.