1968 Triumph Trophy

TR6CDU74492

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This is a Triumph TR6C Trophy Special, of which there were 1573 built in 1968. This is a matching numbers bike, one of the last bikes restored by the late Cecil Oswald, well-known British motorcycle dealer, racer and classic bike restorer of San Marcos, California. It has a few hundred miles on it since the restoration was completed. Title is clear. Note I am a motorcyclist, not an ebay professional. Anything I sell on ebay is my own property, and for some reason I have to sell it. I don’t do the buy-and-sell thing. I like to be treated in a businesslike way and I treat my buyers that way too. If you take delivery of the bike and find it not to your liking, tell me within seven days and upon receipt I’ll refund what you paid me on delivery to me. You only risk the transportation cost. I’ve owned this bike for a few years. My marital constrictions do not allow me more than one bike at a time. A few weeks ago I became the owner of an X-75 Hurricane project bike to satisfy one of my lifelong dreams, so my little sapphire-blue beauty has to go to make room and, most importantly, to keep the missus happy. Like any of my Triumphs, this bike is not a leaker - oil is not allowed on the floors in my house or garage. It has been garaged through the warm seasons, where it has not left one spot of oil in the floor. I’ve kept it in my basement through the winter to protect it from the temperature changes. Finish is excellent. Tank, oil tank and side cover were painted in original factory colors of Riviera Blue with silver center stripe and hand-painted gold pinstripes by Don Hutchinson in Massachusetts, arguably the most highly regarded Triumph painter in the US. The inside of the tank is excellent, and icing on the cake, Don cleaned it internally while it was being prepped. Don also silver solders all Triumph filler necks to prevent any filler neck leaks that sometimes appear on old Triumphs. There are good reasons Don Hutchinson is considered the best, and although his paint jobs are expensive, they are worth it. He’s painted every old Triumph I have owned in years. In my research for the paint, I found a handful of photos of other restored Trophy Specials, and I haven’t found any with complete markings like this one. It has the Trophy Special decal on the left tank top, and the Trophy 650 marking on the side cover. Some of the restored Specials have the same decal on the side cover as they do on the tank, but I think the Trophy 650 decal is more true to the original as the factory photos have Trophy 650 on the side. Beautiful polished stainless fenders and chrome high pipes set off the shiny blue tank, black sides and black frame. The chrome is excellent on the made-in-England Dunlop rims front and rear, laced with new stainless steel spokes. Handgrips are the rare, genuine Gran Turismo NOS units, not reproductions. And yes, it has a skid plate attached with the correct hook bolts. This bike always catches attention wherever it goes. One of my favorite pastimes is to park it next to some expensive-looking Harleys and watch the reactions of the riders when they see it. "Aw, man, a Triumph, wow... what year is it?" And of course there is the perennial "old guy" who appears out of nowhere to admire it and tell me how it reminds him of the Triumph he used to love. Speedometer and all lighting work fine, including high/low beam, brake light, high beam warning light, and the original horn, but the ignition light needs a new bulb, I think. I had the speedometer rebuilt. Ignition lock has been renovated. This bike sails through the Missouri motor vehicle safety inspections. Engine is tight and runs great, very strong. This is an excellent riding machine, and I think the most powerful of any 650 Triumph I’ve ever owned in my 37 years of owning Triumph twins. This Trophy usually starts on the first kick, cold or hot. The main reasons are the brand-new Amal concentric carburetor and the Boyer Brandsen electronic ignition. I'm a firm believer every Triumph should have one of these, and since Boyer and Brandsen’s wonderful gizmos have been around for many decades, are true to the time period in which it was built. It also has a brand-new battery. The fuse has been updated to a modern blade type such as used in current model cars. The only real modification that I am aware of in the bike is not visible, but makes for a better performing machine - instead of the standard four speed it has a five speed Triumph transmission from a 1973 750 T140V twin. This is an auction to buy a motorcycle, not to think about it. If you bid, it is your responsibility to pay for it and pick it up. Please bid only if you have the money for it and are serious about buying this motorcycle. No bids from a bidder with less than 97% feedback or less than10 winning bids will be accepted unless approved prior to making the bid. Please contact me if you would like to bid and you have less 97% positive feedback or less than 10 winning bids. If you would like to stop by the St. Louis area during the auction to see the bike before bidding, I encourage you to do so. I have done my very best to portray the bike accurately but if seeing it makes you feel better about bidding, come on by. If you have any questions, please let me know. Shipping arrangements or pickup are 100% the buyer’s responsibility. I’m happy to help get it onto the truck or the crate you supply, though. If you’ve never done it before, shipping a bike is surprisingly easy. In the past I’ve used U-Ship (www.uship.com) to transport a motorcycle before with good results, and have gotten good deals for covered transport. A deposit of $500 USD must be paid to my PayPal account within 48 hours of auction end and the remainder paid via cashier’s check or wire transfer within 14 days of auction end. Otherwise, I’ll assume you have lost interest, and I’ll have to relist the bike and attempt to get my listing fee back from ebay. I will also take cash, so you can just pay the deposit then bring the rest to me in person if you can get here within 14 days of the end of the auction. Please do not bid if you do not intend to purchase the motorcycle. I reserve the right to end the auction early as the bike may be offered for sale locally. On Sep-19-11 at 03:50:05 PDT, seller added the following information: OK, a little more detail, now that my wife has stopped saying "Are you finished with that? We have company coming over!" again and again as she did the entire time I was trying to get my listing finished. Along with a new primary chain, it has a strong Barnett clutch and a heavy duty clutch cable. The steering neck nut could use a little tightening, which I have been procrastinating on for a while, but if I get a spare few minutes this week I might take a crack at it. As I understand it, these TR6C's were made for California, and were sold primarily in that market. I bought this one in San Diego. The attrition of 43 years has made TR6C's with matching numbers pretty rare, so I was very happy to find this one. Some of the other 1968 models seem to be easier to find, but I always like the single carb models. They're easier. I am speculating here but I suspect since some of the TR6C's were ridden off road they may have been less likely to survive. Also, for some reason, it seems like whenever I see one on ebay there's a good chance it's a bobber or chopper. Can only guess at why that is. When it was new it had trials universal tires. At one point I imagined going all the way with the original equipment thing and putting trials tires on it, but a few people told me they weren't that great on the street, so between that and my lack of affection for wrestling with tire irons, I changed my mind. I have a couple trials tires, including a NOS front tire, I will be selling separately. Just in case you are curious why I would have the bike painted when it was Cecil Oswald who gets credit for the rebuilding work, here's a little more detail. When I bought the bike from Cecil's widow, the tank was painted like a 1967 for some reason. It's a mystery why, but it's possible it was just a temporary tank he had on it for a while at the time he died. So I sent the metal work to Don Hutchinson. Cecil's restoration work did not reach every area of the bike before he died, and this is not one of those bikes where every single nut and bolt is replated etc. For example, the horn is untouched, as are the axle bolts. There were some details left at the time Cecil passed on. Cecil Oswald was a well-liked guy and one of the founding fathers of the San Diego motorcycling community. I see this bike as a bit of his legacy. I had a special license plate frame made to commemorate the man, which I will include with the bike, if the buyer intends to keep it on the machine.