1973 Triumph Tiger TR7RV

In the fall of 2019 I decided to sell my 2017 Triumph Bobber because I wasn’t enjoying riding any longer.

After selling it, I missed having a bike to ride to the Time Warp Tea Room here in Knoxville in the “Happy Holler” area on Tuesday night for a vintage bike ride in. Many of the participants are British bike fans, as I am too. So, I decided to purchase a vintage Triumph of my own to enjoy riding on Tuesday nights. After searching the internet, I narrowed my selection to a 1973 Triumph Tiger TR7RV. The only problem was it was in Colorado, and I’m in Tennessee. After talking with the owner, I decided to take a chance and buy the bike sight unseen, and have it shipped to me. When it arrived the first order of business was to start it and see how it ran. It looked pretty good, but that’s about all I knew. I struggled to get it started, but it finally kicked over. It popped and sneezed a bit, but it seemed to run OK. I knew at this point I had some work cut out for me, and began to formulate my plan to renew the bike, not restore it. Here’s the story of that renewal. My plan of renewal was to replace the parts of the bike that most affected it’s proper

running and whome again. So, I found a parts source, and used the parts book and shop manual the previous owner sent with the bike to make a list of replacement parts. Those parts included a new AMAL 930 carburetor, new Lucas wiring harness, a Pazon Electronic Ignition System and Podtronics Rectifier/Regulator, new Lucas Coils, a Halogen Headlight replacement, new cables and throttle control, new handlebar switches, a new proper fitting Triumph seat, and assorted other new parts to brighten up the appearance of the bike. I mounted a new Dunlop K70 vintage rear tire to make it more appropriate to it’s time of manufacture. I wanted to install fork gaiters to the front even though the 750 Tiger did not come with them. My bike also did not have any turn signals, so that was something I also needed. One of the best decisions I think I made was to have my fenders painted to match the gas tank. They were chrome from the factory. A friend of mine named Bones Cooper did that job for me...beautifully. At one time or another, I had nearly every part on the bike removed for cleaning or replacement. I spent a great deal of time pressure washing and degreasing the motor and frame. It was amazing to me how well

the Triumph factory paint cleaned up. There were several surprises and challenges along the way, but I guess that is to be expected. For example, the stock headers did not clamp onto the exhaust ports, they were push in only. It was obvious that there was an exhaust leak occuring in both cylinders. I found a spigot insert for a 650 TR6 that would also fit my bike, and installed them into the exhaust ports. I could now properly clamp my new headers and pipes onto these spigots and permanently fix the exhaust leaks. The other major discovery was in the primary side of the motor. After inspection, I discovered many of the parts in the primary needed replacement; all the clutch basket and plates, triplex primary chain, stator, chain tensioner and even a thrust washer on the back side of the clutch had become dislodged and was slowly being ground away by the friction. One by one over the winter, I finsihed these tasks, and got closer and closer to the end of the renewal. My fenders were finally

painted, and I couldreinstall them. Even that turned out to be a big chore. Anyone who has done this type of project knows it is much easier to remove something that to reinstall it. Now, I could start the bike, and do the fine tuning to get her running smoothly and starting easily. To my pleasure, she did just that. I had never done this much work on a bike, and was frankly surprised that I was able to. I guess the proof is in the pudding. I believe that this TR7RV turned out to be a pretty lady. I almost forgot to mention the Kuryakyn LED micro turnsignals. They are super bright, and almost unnoticeable, unlike standard turn signals. They seem to draw as much attention as anything else on the bike.

-Doug Bailey