1976 Triumph Bonneville

T140VNN64174

Clear

I hate to part with my bike, but I need the money in a bad way. I have an unmolested 1976 Triumph Bonneville T140 with 2488 original miles. I say original as when I bought the bike in 2012 for $4000 it still had the original Dunlop tires (cracked with age) from England. The mileage when I bought the bike was 1712. The bike is in terrific shape; not show room as it is a daily driver. I used it to commute to work and I also took some nice stop free rides up Angeles Crest Highway here in the local mountains. The bike gets a lot of attention wherever she goes! This is a real motorcycle! I bought the bike on eBay December 2012. The seller was in Chicago. The bike was originally sold in 1976 at a Triumph dealership called "On Any Sunday" in Mundelein IL. I have a copy of the original invoice. The bike was sold to a John A. Jones of Carpentersville IL on 4-11-77. I have since found out that Mr. Jones passed away in a boating accident about 10 years ago (I tried to look him up to see if he had any more paperwork on the bike)in Wisconsin. The ebay seller who sold me the bike told me the bike was a "daily driver" with no problems. But when I got the bike it did have some problems that needed immediate attention. First was the tires, original Dunlops from England. The tread was great but there were cracks in the rubber from age and sitting around. So I replaced them with new Dunlop Tires (I have since put about 500 miles on them). Also the bike was difficult to start and then I found out there was an electrical problem with the lights. I am no mechanic so I took the bike to BBC Triumph in Ventura CA and had them go through the bike to make sure it was safe to ride and identify any problems. $2400 later I rode the bike home and it was a real treat. For those of you not familiar with older Triumphs, this is what a motorcycle is all about. Not the most comfortable bike but plenty of power (750 cc) with the dual carbs. The bike handles like a dream. The owner had taken off the turn signal lights so I had these replaced with Lucas lights. Also the electrical problem was addressed and the bike starts on the first or second kick at the most. This bike is ready to ride with one exception. Recently the clutch cable broke so I replaced it myself but then the clutch needs re-adjusting and I can't seem to do it right. I can't spend any more money as I was recently laid off. So I am selling this hopefully to someone who knows how to adjust the clutch. It was running great before the clutch cable broke. Like I said, I am no mechanic. So the bike is going to need to be transported. It starts right up but is difficult to shift gears until the clutch is adjusted. This Bonnie has the original blue/white tank. Nice shape but a little dent and a paint smudge (see attached photos). Chrome and rubber are in good shape. Not concourse but this bike was meant to be ridden. The bike does leak some oil which is pretty typical on these older Triumphs. Notorious, actually. By the way this is an "Oil-in-frame" model. Carbs are Amal. When I got the bike the front fender was broken so I had it replaced. The rear fender is original but has some rust issues under the seat (remember this bike has spent most of it's time in Chicago, not Los Angeles) but unless you want this concourse no big deal. Rest of the bike is clean. Original seat is in great shape with no tears or issues. Some of the original plastic labels are still on some of the switches. The only thing I have replaced is the front fender and the rear grab rail (it was broken at a weld so I got a replacement English rail from Don Hutchinson in MA. I also added the missing turn signal lights. I will enclose all receipts for the work I personally had done on the bike. Also I have an Owners Manual, Triumph Replacement Parts Catalog for '76, a repair manual (which is useless to me) and also replacement stock exhaust that I got with the bike. The original owner had at some point put on a 2-in-1 Hooker exhaust and I left it the way it was. I was expecting to keep this motorcycle forever so I had the title put in my name and it is a clear CA title. So, the bike is going to need to be transported as I said earlier. I used Wolverine Cycle on U-Ship.com and they were great but figure transportation is going to be about $300-$800 depending on the carrier. Also know that just because it is cheapest does not make it the best deal. I learned that the hard way. The first transporter I got flaked out on me and it ended up delaying me getting the bike about a month. So I had to get another transportation company. Wolverine takes video of the bike before it is put on the trailer and they specialize in motorcycles. If you live in Los Angeles area you are more than welcome to check the bike out. I'd take it back to BBC Triumph but number one, they are located about an hour plus from here (I live in Pasadena) and that would cost me a trailer and rental truck. And that is money I just don't have right now. Also I will throw in a new Triumph Black Leather Motorcycle Jacket with liner (size XL), Black Daytona 3/4 helmet size XL, a White Bell 3/4 helmet size L, Harley Davidson gloves (a present), and whatever else I can find that goes with the bike. I have a couple of rubbers for the gear shift lever and some original bike magazines from 1976 that feature test drives on the "new" Bonneville. Any other questions feel free to contact me and I will tell you what I can.