Triumph Motorcycles,

In my youth, I loved them, but as with many things, we love what we have because we do, never admit to anything being better than what we have.

But then, there is also Time to consider, we look back at the old days and reminisce, everything we remember was wonderful, because the mind has a tendency to forget the crap of our lives.

So looking back I can vividly recall cruising along on that chopper, having Triumph patches on my vest, being cool because the bike didn't sound like a Honda. Of course I would have a straight piped Honda that didn't sound 'like a Honda". 

It isn't until something awakens that little memory, that little thing that has been sitting in your mind since then, glossed over by the hands of time, like, the tendency those bikes had of dry-sumping and dumping oil out the overflow tube, which of course was placed right in front of your rear tire. Or the electrical system that you finally tossed out and went for a battery eliminator. Then of course there was the carburetor, How many times had you unscrewed the top of the carb, pulled the slide and springs up and out because the float didn't, or the needle valve stuck, or the slide actually bound up in the neck. Then there was the time you drove in the basement, yanked the carb off the bike, pulled out the cable and sleeve and went to work on the carb while it was still warm. Only to find out, after you rebuilt the carb that the slide (steel) and the neck (aluminium) cool at different rates and the slide will not slide back in the carb.  

Then there was that oil manifold to the head that looked like someone put it together in middle school shop class, a little tube, a banjo, a little tube a tad bit of solder... 

Or the Crankshaft that had the nerve to brake in half on the interstate and leave you on the side of the road....

Back in the day you thought, hell, that was unusual, but now you look back with a device that didn't exist in the late 70's... the computer and you say, hmmmm not so unusual after all.

Not to worry though, you could get another one...

After all, they had plenty....

Did we ever wonder why they had plenty at the time?

I work in an Auto Parts shop and you will not find a crankshaft in-stock here, so, maybe the dealer back then knew something I didn't.

Yes sir...Time .... it turns heartache into fond memories...

What a great looking ride, one of my favorite bikes.