1970 Triumph Bonneville

PD 33505 T120R

Clear

This is a "No Reserve" auction. The bike is a nice original that I purchased a couple of years ago with the intent of restoring it. I have 3 other restored Triumphs and I always wanted a 70 Bonneville so when this bike came along I decided to buy it. I have very little information on the bike's history. I purchased it from a man in North Carolina who collected mint condition vintage dirt bikes who took this bike in trade even though he didn't collect British bikes. Supposedly it sat in a basement for about 10 years. All he did to it was replace the dry rotted tires. He had no other history on the bike. When I got the bike, it started and ran, but it had very low compression. I pulled the top end to check things out and discovered the pistons had no top compression rings. I can only assume someone was having problems, disassembled the top end, had no replacement rings, and just put it back together and let it sit. The cylinders looked fine, so I honed them and installed new pistons and rings because a new bore did not appear necessary. The bike now has good compression and starts easily. The clutch and transmission both operate perfectly. The seat has no rips or tears and looks great, but the Triumph logo on the back has faded out. The tach works fine but the speedometer needle bounced all over the place so I sent the speedometer out to be rebuilt. It now works smoothly as well. Unfortunately, when I put the top end back on I must have pinched an O-ring at the base of the intake pushrod tube and it leaks oil in that area when running. This is a needed repair that I opted to put off until the bike gets restored because I simply did not want to take the top end apart again to replace pushrod tube O-rings. Oh yes, the rear fender had a bad crack around the license plate mounting area so I searched for a replacement with original paint so the bike would still have an original unrestored appearance. Unable to find a fender with original paint on Ebay, I purchased one from Baxter Cycles in Marne, Iowa at a premium price. This is a numbers matching bike that comes with a clear Florida title in my name. I have no idea how accurate the mileage on the bike is, but when I had the speedometer rebuilt I asked that the mileage showing on the speedometer remain unchanged. I'm now retired and enjoy riding my other motorcycles more than I enjoy working on them, so I've decided to just keep the restored stuff and leave the work to younger, more energetic enthusiasts. Please ask any questions you may have, and I'll try my best to answer them. Overall, the bike appears to be original. However, the tail light lens is a reproduction and not a Lucas lens. I will not crate the motorcycle for shipping, but I will assist your shipper in loading. Bike will need to be picked up by the buyer or his shipper before May 14 because I have other commitments that will prevent me from meeting the shipper after that date. Otherwise, the bike could be picked up after June 2 when I will again be available to meet the shipper.