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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.
cagimaha-
Thanks man. Yeah there’s a set of whitworth tools that go with the bike. Yeah my grandads garage was always covered in sawdust because of all the oil leaks from vintage bikes.
As for the servicing, I can’t wait to get stuck in! I don’t think he was one for tidy wiring so I’ll be tidying that at first. It’s also got a loose throttle. Not sure if that will need replacing or some tinkering.Need to make room for it in the garage first.
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!