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That's a beauty! (Sorry about your grandad.)
Pre-war Brits are the best. It'll take a bit of getting used to if you're used to newer bikes, but just take it slow, learn a bit about ignition advance and retard, how the top end oils and enjoy.
Looks in great shape from the pictures. Perfect for some windy country lane bimbling when the sun is out.
J.
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A beautiful bike and a beautiful way to remember your Grandad.
It'd be amazing if you could sit your test on it!
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What a beautiful looking motorcycle. Sorry for your loss. Do him proud, get your licence and get this classic on the road.
No Road Tax and cheap insurance...... YAY! -
RE getting your licence:
Go do a CBT on a geared bike
Buy a CB/YZF/CB/CG whatever 125
Ride it as often as you can, do your theory test
Do your full licence.
Mod 1 test is on a controlled test centre, Mod 2 in on the open roads.
1 you will demonstrate bike handling (off the bike moves as well as on bike) emergency stop and U turn, etc. Quite straight forward, just be calm and talk yourself through each part.
2 is showing you can handle traffic and the rules of the road as well as riding at the speed limits.
I spoke to myself the entire time, telling myself to do lifesavers (never too many, twice for every move) saying indicators are on and to turn them off. Exaggerated head movements for the mirror checks are a must so the examiner can see you doing it.
I passed when I thought I had failed so don't be put off by an early mistake, it's possible they missed it, or can forgive it by being confident in the rest of the test. -
Sorry to hear the bad news, beautiful bike.
As far as working on it they're far more accessible to a home mechanic than more modern stuff but that's not to say they're any more forgiving of abuse. A few things to bear in mind:
All the fasteners/threads will be in imperial so don't try using anything metric! They'll also be some fasteners using "whitworth" which was an older convention that sized spanners based on the shank/threaded section of the bolt rather than the width of the hex head.
It will leak oil, if it doesn't that's usually a sign there's none left inside it. Keep an eye on the oil level (check when warm) but be aware it's a dry sump system with the oil held in a separate tank. This is different to the majority of modern vehicles so advice relevant to wet sump systems may not be applicable.
It will need more regular maintenance than modern stuff but it's really straightforward to do yourself (valve clearances and oil change). Fresh oil regularly is better than expensive oil left in for too long.
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@Jules
I’ve recently inherited my first motorbike, after my grandad sadly passed away. I grew up helping him in his work shop and he taught basic bike maintenance when I was a kid. I always thought he was a little crazy that he had 10 motorbikes and continued to build more.
He left me this 1936 Triumph L2/1 250, which he restored back in the 80s. It’s a bit rough at the moment as I don’t think it’s been ridden for some time. But I’ve been told it started up last year.
I intend to tidy it up and work on it as much as I can which I think is what he would have wanted.
The only downside is I don’t have a bike license. Always wanted to learn but never go round to it. So his has definitely given a kick in the right direction. I’ve ridden scooters and dirt bikes in the past and I’m looking into buying a learner/daily soon, after my CBT is done and out of the way.
Any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated!
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