1973 Triumph Daytona

T100R NH18427

Clear

howardj27 store Offered here is a 1973 TRIUMPH T100R DAYTONA 500cc twin, in EXCELLENT 100% COMPLETE and (nearly) 100% ORIGINAL RUNNING condition! This sweet little bike is GORGEOUS! As you can see in the photos, she is very VERY clean, unmolested and in great shape, especially if you like the look of an unrestored survivor - all sheet metal is original and (with the exception of the sidecover) still wears the factory paint, including VERY nice original white over vermilllion paint on the gas tank and near-PERFECT chrome on the fenders! There are a couple small dings on the front fender, but NO other dents, dings or significant rust anywhere. Original Dunlop rims are in great shape, some minor flaws in the chrome on the front rim, rear is just about FLAWLESS. Same for the headlight shell & rim, tank badges, gas cap, mufflers, grab rail and most of other chrome parts. NO bent or broken fins on the engine, NO dents or gouges in the alloy engine covers, crankcases are PERFECT with NO damage of any kind, NO dings, crimps or cracks in any of the frame tubes, matching engine & frame number T100R NH18427. 12,391 miles currently showing on the Smiths black-face magnetic speedo (and counting - I ride this bike almost every day), which is the original mileage, purchased from the original owner about 7 years ago, pretty much as you see it here... I replaced the high-rise handlebars with lower UK-style bars, but the cables & handlebar wiring have not been shortened, you could go back to the 8" rise US bars if you wanted to... I also mounted a set of new Dunlop K81 TT100 tires, cleaned & synched the carbs, checked the valves and changed all the fluids, and have been riding it ever since! Other than the handlebars, there are only two other items (to my knowledge) that are not original - the petcocks (these ones do NOT leak!), and the left rear turn signal which is an aftermarket reproduction unit. That's it... Everything else - and I mean EVERYTHING - is just as it left the Meriden Works! Even the electrical system is 100% original and unmolested, right down to the factory metal straps securing the wiring to to the frame. Other than the aforementioned left rear turn signal, everything else is genuine Lucas, including the headlight lens, taillight lens, handlebar switches, connectors and so on... Beyond the very nice cosmetics, this bike is in excellent mechanical condition as well. Turn on the gas taps, tickle the 626 Amal Concentrics and the engine fires right up on the first kick pretty much every time, runs crisp and clean with no hint of smoke or unusual noises, settles into a nice smooth idle with almost no warm up. The Triumph unit 500 twin is a rev-happy engine, and this one is no exception! It pulls hard through all 4 gears and really starts to breath at 4000 RPM and up... Transmission, clutch, brakes and suspension all work as they should, and although the Daytona does not have quite the low-end grunt or raw top end power of the bigger Bonneville, it feels much lighter and quicker in the turns, and this bike is definitely a joy to ride hard on a twisty road! As a bonus, the engine is amazingly oil-tight (for a Triumph or any other Brit bike for that matter!), and even after a hard ride does not mark it's territory with oil stains on my garage floor! As with any 40+ year old vintage bike, there are a few flaws or things that could use some attention, and I will try to cover everything that I am aware of here: Some of the chrome is flaking off of the top front fender stays; the tach cable housing is worn and damaged near the exhaust crossover tube (inner cable is fine), tach seems to work OK but needle does not want to go past 3500 RPM; Speedo works perfectly but the trip meter does not; wiring for both handlebar switches has black electrical tape; rattle-can black paint on sidecover; left side fuel line nut is cracked (does not leak); the original seat cover has a small 1/4" melted spot (probably a cigarette burn) but is otherwise in great shape; the rear grab rail is not riveted in place, will come out if pulled hard; and the left side of the swing arm has some spots of light surface rust where leaking battery acid has removed the paint... I also have to confess that a while back I violated one of my own cardinal rules and shot a coat of hi-temp silver paint on the cylinder barrel, after the last vestiges of the original silver paint had been worn off and replaced by surface rust... It looks pretty good, and everything was carefully masked off so there is no over-spray, but of course the "proper" thing to do is wait for when a top end refresh is needed and then paint the barrel correctly when it is off the engine... As for the Prince of Darkness, for the most part the Lucas electrics are all in working order, with the following exceptions: The red ignition oil pressure warning light on the headlight does not work, the main beam filament in the headlight bulb is burned out (hi-beam & parking light work fine), and the right turn signals turn on but do not flash (probably need a new flasher unit) but the left signals do not work at all. Just have not had time to chase these down and find out where exactly the Lucas smoke is escaping from the system... On the upside, the tailight & brakelight work fine (from both the front brake switch and rear brake pedal switch) and the horn makes plenty of noise! Took her out this morning for a 20-mile ride in the hills south of San Jose, and 10 hours later I still have a big smile on my face - that should tell you all you need to know about this gorgeous little Triumph!!! Sold with clean California title in my name, current CA registration good through May 2015! SOLD HERE WITH LOW RESERVE!!! Payment by Paypal, Paypal eCheck, bank transfer or email me for other Ebay-approved payment options. LOCAL PICK-UP IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA PREFERRED! However I will work with winning bidder to arrange shipping by trucking company or private party of your choice... LOW COST international shipping can also be arranged - email me for more info! SEE MY OTHER LISTINGS for more vintage motorcycle goodies...