Thank you - more useful info to have. Our speakers are in the helmets so should be good.Originally Posted by blackal
It looks like a good version with some added benefits such as better suspension, cornering ABS and quickshifter, although the new, more aggressive foot peg position and 'modern' clock are negatives for me. The standard version loses a few goodies and the price has gone up...
I feel my 'old' model hits the middle ground quite well, particularly if it had a rear suspension upgrade, which I'm sure I'll get around to one day.
If you remember I was over the moon about buying this Hurricane a couple of weeks ago
I won the bike at a Car & Classic auction, after a bit of post auction negotiation as it didn't reach its reserve. The listing has disappeared now but here's the description:
Highlights
• One of only 1,152 ever produced
• Highly collectable, Holy Grail Triumph
• Handsomely presented throughout
• Charming originality
• Low owners and low mileage of 1,150!
The Appeal
The Hurricane X75 was the lovechild of BSA and American motorcycle designer Craig Vetter. Taking a somewhat ‘boring’ Rocket 3 base and making it something much sleeker and more balanced, the X75 was born - originally destined to be a limited run of 1,200 bikes, only 1,152 bikes were assembled, leaving them among some of the most collectible British bikes of the era. Intended to be released as a BSA model, plans abruptly changed when BSA went bankrupt - but the demand for the model was such that Triumph took over production and released it under their name.
The X75 remains an extremely sought after piece of British biking history, many replicas roam the streets but originals such as this are diRicult to come by, and are often tucked away in diRerent corners of the world never to be seen by the public eye. A shame, really. A bike created so carefully deserves to be shown oR. But we understand the urge to keep important things like this under lock and key to ensure safety and preservation.
This example is a handsome original piece, currently owned by an experienced Triumph mechanic who specialises in triples. The bike previously was kept displayed in a casino exhibit in Las Vegas, having only turned a measly 5 miles before the current keeper purchased it and imported it over to the UK - and would you believe it was pushed around for those 5 miles!
The History and Paperwork
• V5C present and correct
• Date of first registration states the 1st of January 1973
• Immediately purchased by a Casino in Las Vegas where it remained displayed up until 2018
• Purchased from the Casino by a Triumph mechanic and imported over to the UK
• First UK registration states the 1st of December 2018
• No service history as the current keeper is the only owner to have ever used
the bike
• Stored carefully inside a workshop under a dust sheet to keep it out of harm's way
• Carefully attended to, with gentle polishing in areas to retain excellent originality
• Completely serviced at 1,000 miles, ready to hit the road with its new custodian
The Condition
• Exemplary condition throughout, explained to be completely original even down to the nuts and bolts
• Paintwork appears excellent with the owner reporting just a very minor area of discoloration which should be able to be painlessly sorted
• Brightwork remains in lovely condition, the keeper has ensured to polish the forks and wheel hubs to keep oxidisation away
• Leather seat remains excellent as to be expected with such little use
• Gauges remain in excellent condition and reportedly work as they should
• Engine casing has been hand polished so not to damage an of the original parts, and remains clean and well presented
• The owner states that the nuts, bolts and clips are the original ones with cadmium coating, and states that some have some very minor rust spots, but did not wish to fix this so the remainder of the cadmium coating is preserved
• Wire-spoke wheels are in admirable condition with excellent brightwork and no damage to report
• Headlamp and rear lights all work as they should, with the lenses all free from any unwelcome damage
It’s clear to see that this Triumph has been lovingly cared for by its current owner, the attention to originality is commendable - you’ll be hard pressed to find another example as original and handsome as this.
The Mechanics
• Air-cooled OHV inline three-cylinder 741cc engine
• 4-speed manual transmission with a single diaphragm dry clutch
• Triplex chain drive
• Three 27mm Amal Concentric carburettors
• Reported to remain in outstanding mechanical health, starting first time with a healthy idle
• Recently serviced by the owner, a Triumph Triple specialist, ready for the new owner
• Mind-numbingly low 1,152 miles on the clock from new
Well the whole thing took a turn for the worse after I paid the winning bid into escrow, paid the buyers fee to Car & Classic and contacted the seller for the collection details. I asked the guy about the casino story, which casino had the bike all those years and how he came to buy it from them. He told me he never found out which casino it was that owned the bike, and that it was part of the story from the Mecum auction he won it from in 2018. I then asked for the Mecum auctions documentation so I could see where it came from and he told me he'd binned it after he got the bike registered in the UK. Naturally this sent some serious red flags up, so I started doing some digging and discovered that the auction he won the bike at had it listed as coming from the Tom Reese collection, nothing to do with a casino. I called Mecum and spoke to a guy from their motorcycle auction division who looked into the sale and couldn't find any mention of a Las Vegas casino anywhere. He did say that he knew Tom Reese had bought some motorcycles from a big collector who owned a casino in Pahrump Nevada, but that's a far cry from being a Las Vegas exhibit. The more digging I did the worse it got. I found an auction listing for the bike from Jan 2015 where the bike didn't sell, listing it as having undergone a ground up restoration, then a listing from May 2015 where it did sell, describing it as having as being "Restored by Bill "The Triple Guy" Whalen of Windsor, California". Naturally I didn't want the bike now as the main reasons for buying, namely a cracking history, completely original and super low milage were proven to be a fairy story.
Here are the links to the previous Mecum auctions:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/315452/19...icane-x75-750/ This is the Jan 2018 auction where the previous owner won the bike. It is described as coming from the Tom Reese collection.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/200713/19...hurricane-x75/ This is the Jan 2015 auction where it didn't sell but is described as having undergone a ground up restoration.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/216105/19...hurricane-x75/ This is another auction listing I found for TRX75PH00906 in May 2015 where it did actually sell, it is described as being "Restored by Bill "The Triple Guy" Whalen of Windsor, California"
When I told the seller I was no longer willing to proceed he simply said "Ok, no problem" which was a bit short and sweet, especially when according to the law (if he believed he had described the bike properly) I was legally bound to buy it.
I then found that contacting Car & Classic is impossible if you wish to speak to someone as they have no phone number listed online and the only number I could find would tell you to try again later as all lines were busy. This was very concerning when there was an almost £25k hole in my savings!
I managed to eventually get hold of someone helpful at C&C via email who got an internal review done on the auction and arranged for all the funds in escrow and my original buyers fee to be refunded. What amazed me was the fact the bike was listed and put up for auction with apparently no checks done to verify the story behind the bike, which was the most important thing in the listing! It's impossible for a bidder to verify anything as you can't contact the seller until the funds are in escrow, and if you spot an auction for the exact thing you've been after for years with only an hour or two to go there's scant time for any investigation. Buyer beware indeed!
Last edited by Thewatchbloke; 20th September 2024 at 13:49. Reason: Typo!!
I spoke with a couple of guys at Ouistreham waiting for the ferry last Sunday - both riding Triumph Trident T150s.
One of them had tens of bikes - one of the being a Hurricane. I think his sole concession to modern bikes - was a Tiger 800.
Not sure if he mentioned how many in UK, but I think he was probably an expert on all things Triumph.
I read this in the taxi after dropping a rental bike off in Gran Canaria. Three lovely days of riding using earbuds for music and satnav. Oops.
This is one of the (many) reasons I'd not go down the classic route - there's such a huge degree of fakery that unless you really, really know your stuff you're likely to get scammed. Even with moderns classics like a Mk I 'Blade there's loads of opportunity for (being polite) exaggeration over the provenance and I've seen a number of 'nut and bolt' restorations that are little more than shiny bodge-jobs.
Not that knowing full history on modern stuff is necessarily that much help. I'm just having the engine on my 2023 Gas Gas 300TPi rebuilt at 97 hours because although I know the guy who owned it from new and have never seen him thrash it (well, not from cold) it's got a knackered piston/rings, scored barrel, needs an oil pump .... and whilst you're at it, better get it mapped (more power, plus aids longevity), add flywheel weights, a fan kit and some new hoses. A straightforward £400 top end rebuild is now clocking in at closer to £1500, but for that I'll have a pretty much bulletproof engine. If it were an older/classis bike with harder-to-source parts the cost and time to sort would be exponentially higher.
To be fair, the Gasgas is a completion two stroke and would be expected to be overhauled (probably) on a far shorter timescale than 100hrs. In addition, it’s Spanish! And if you think a highly tuned two stroke competition engine with a remap for more power is going to be bulletproof, I think you’re going to be disappointed, and it’s Spanish!
I had a EC400 and every time I took the tank off it cost me £20 for a pair of rubber O rings because of its stupid design. I gave up on it when the cam lobe ate the bucket. The buyer of the bike told me that the engine was a straight copy of the DRZ400 so the Suzuki stuff would fit straight in and last a lot longer.
I have a 1979 z650 and a couple of 1983 GPz750s. I don’t worry about provenance or originality, it’s just nice to ride something of that era. That said, every time I spot an original part that the z650 doesn’t have, I’ll buy it to get it closer to original. The GPzs are far from original as I keep modifying them; I do keep all the original parts though so they could go back to standard, exhsust excepted.
Obviously everyone sees this hobby differently but I enjoy classic bikes by not getting too bogged down in the details.
I’d happily buy a bike like the X75 as it looks a lovely bike but it would need to be with the (false) provenance premium removed.
Last edited by Dave+63; 20th September 2024 at 17:25.
I got back to Portsmouth on Sunday also (from Ouistreham) after spending 2 weeks in the Pyrenees.Got back Sunday from a nice little trip to the Pyrenees and Picos - a few snaps.
VERY different weather this year (I've been most years since 2018 in the same weeks, more or less) with Col de Sompert (major route for trucks) closed when the road was washed away, and then Col de Pourtalet (next one over to east) closed to trucks due to similar.
Every day out had to be planned according to the Weather radar forecast, and the rivers were wild!
Fantastic area, none-the-less, for biking.
Expensive rebuild but like you say if everything else is in good order then good solid bike. I see Gas Gas etc are running TBI now. The 2 stroke is lovely power delivery, we were up Longsleddale the other week, lads were struggling a little on the 4 strokes (both KTM), the Beta was as good as gold, going to look at 2nd hand Gas Gas trials bike tomorrow
Remembered today to stop and take a photo for posterity..
As you may know I own a '98 "Blade, and it's very tidy and I love it, but just like every vehicle I have bought that is more than ten years old however tidy it presents when you dig beneath the surface there is always some bodgery behind the scenes, The 'Blade is not too bad (a few fasteners missing etc.), but mysteriously it has a LHD headlight fitted, the fairing is perfect so I don't think it has been crashed so not sure where that came from!
My father paid quite a lot of money to restore our Morris Minor twenty years ago to an allegedly reputable restorer. I have the hand written report after it became clear that it was not a good job, maybe one day I'll post a pic of it, in essence they'd covered everything underneath with the dreaded black "rustproofing" gunge and made a half arsed effort at tarting up the stuff you could see. Basically, they'd left it in a dangerous condition, but presented it as perfect with an MOT. He's a bit hazy on the outcome now, but it went to Trading Standards etc. and the garage in question and in particular the MOT station got in a bit of bother. Anyway all good, he got it done properly and it is still with us to do this day!
All that to say, unless you are 100% sure claimed provenance, restoration claims etc. are 100% genuine, do not pay the tax for it. Probably better to buy a good but less than perfect example at a reasonable price and if you feel motivated to get it to concours condition do it yourself and be sure it's been done properly.
I paid £2k for my 'Blade so it wasn't a huge gamble, worse case scenario lose a few hundred quid on it. It's been great so I no regrets!
Got to say my 5 day trip to Cumbria was a real joy, managed around 500 miles around the most beautiful countryside, in complete sunshine.
Got to see Charlie, our old Clydesdale, looking great, 800kgs of pure muscle. And can’t wait to go back and explore some more of the wonderful passes in the area.
Im looking at changing the wheels on my SP2 shown below to carbon fibre. They are currently magnesium but are getting on a bit and fancy a bit of bling. Anybody had any first hand experience of carbon fibre wheels on the road? Apparently they are stronger than magnesium so what’s not to like? An SP2 purist will vomit but I purchased it to enjoy and ride not sit in my garage looking a values going up or down:)
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Do your homework before you go CF rims.
I struggled to get tyres mounted.
A lot of tyre dealers will simply not want to get involved because of the agro if a rim gets marked. (It's not a repaint, or a polish, it's a new rim. Expensive) Check with your own local fitter beforehand. I was paranoid about marking mine.
Sold separately when I sold the bike, and was glad to get shot tbh.
I'd stick with the forged mags personally, do get them checked professionally from time to time as they're known to degenerate (crack) with age.
Best bang for your buck imho ...forged alloys.
I’d stick with the magnesium wheels. Even a paint chip can be fatal to a carbon fibre wheel and when they go, they go with a bang.
Blimey!
That's obviously been out of the bike to lose the tyre, but even so, the forces needed for it to fail like that must have been incredible.
Mine were BST's as well...
Agree on the Mags. But do get them checked, they're not without their issues.
I think I've pretty much decided that my next/second bike is going to be a sports tourer, rather than an adventure bike. Top of my list at the moment is the absolutely beautiful Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S.
Any views on other options that I should try, given that:
- I do like a kind of heritage style, rather than anything uber-modern
- I'm a short arse. The low seat brings the height on the MG down from a possibly-fine 815mm to a definitely-fine 800mm
Since my rather nasty illness (I'm not ill any longer, although I do have a permanent outcome from said illness) and my my accident, I've put about 5/600 miles on the Bonnie and enjoyed every one of them. However, I am without question more defensive/cautious and generally a bit slower than I was.
I won't say that it bothers me hugely, but it does bother me a little. I wonder if anyone with similar experiences found the same, and whether it improved (if that's the correct term to use) over time?
I'm not offering an alternative but I really enjoyed the test ride I did on one. My only worry is that I'm half an inch too tall for it and while I enjoyed it for an hour and a bit I'm concerned I might feel a bit cramped on it for longer rides (which is what I'd want it for).
If somewhere in the Canary Islands added one to their hire fleet (and I've seen a place that does the Stelvio so it's not a completely daft hope) I'd be out there in a flash to hire one for a couple of days.
I think I've pretty much decided that my next/second bike is going to be a sports tourer, rather than an adventure bike. Top of my list at the moment is the absolutely beautiful Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S.
Any views on other options that I should try, given that:
- I do like a kind of heritage style, rather than anything uber-modern
- I'm a short arse. The low seat brings the height on the MG down from a possibly-fine 815mm to a definitely-fine 800mm
They do indeed. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4Xmb1KfJhq3JonmVA
T be careful if buying a V100 new . Guzzi is part of the Piaggio group along with Vespa and Aprilla. They have a knack of offering certain dealers some very attractive offers. At a bike shop favoured by Enoch and I, they were selling V100’s at £11995 when the list was £15k. This was about three months after the bike launch. As expected the bikes were flying out of the door.I think I've pretty much decided that my next/second bike is going to be a sports tourer, rather than an adventure bike. Top of my list at the moment is the absolutely beautiful Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S.
Any views on other options that I should try, given that:
- I do like a kind of heritage style, rather than anything uber-modern
- I'm a short arse. The low seat brings the height on the MG down from a possibly-fine 815mm to a definitely-fine 800mm
Great if you happened to be buying in the offer period, not so much if two weeks before you splashed £15 k on the latest and newest model! I have seen them do the same on Vespa and Aprilla …damhik
Steve
A guy I know bought one new about 18 months ago, and has done about 14k on it. He’s a picky so and so but he’s had a significant amount of warranty claims on it, including paint quality, replacement rear shock and a bunch of other stuff. He describes the bike as the best he’s ever owned - and the worst.
Two years ago had a similar serious illness, which meant I haven't ridden much until this year. I've become more cautious and slower than I used to be. Or perhaps its just an age thing? In June treated myself to a new bike, not a fast bike, but a Commando 961, all 78 bhp of it. Taken quite awhile to get used to it, but it soon became clear its brakes, suspension and handling could easily handle much more power. Over the summer, I rode lots of short trips alone, and after a every set of corners I knew so well, I'd berate myself for not going faster.
A couple of weeks ago went out with a few friends on a day out into North Wales. They were on a Yamaha GTS 1000, Factory Touno and a new Speed Triple RS. On roads I didn't know, I hung back and played catch up the whole day. They were 'making progress', a pace I would've been ok with a few years ago. For the first hour, I was constantly falling behind, not helped by being at the back. But by the afternoon, I found myself keeping up and not worrying about it.
Looking back on the day, I think I'd been over thinking riding the bike, at some point in that day it just got easier. My reactions are still the same, I hadn't forgotten how to ride, I'd just had to get my confidence back and have confidence in the new bike. Its taken 1500 miles to get to that point, So my only advice is to get more miles on the bike and not over think your riding.
Thanks Steve - good info, as it would be really annoying (ask me how I know)!
I don't recall reading/seeing anything similar, but I'll dso a bit of research nonetheless. Maybe he just had a rogue bike.
I can really identify with that comment about corners. I berate myself too!
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience, which makes me feel a little better about my own situation. I suspect that you're right, though, and it's just a matter of getting more miles under my belt (shame that winter is coming).
It's probably more about him than the bike. He's one of those guys that demands perfection and complains about the tiniest shortfall. His bike has been used quite a bit and never let him down. On top of this my blood bike group have been running several V85TT's for the last 2 or 3 years. Most of them have reached 40-50k without any major issues, so I think these modern MG's must be fairly well built.
As for alternatives to the V100, have you considered an R1250RS? They are 820mm as standard, and 790 with the low seat. They even go as low at 760 with the extra low seat, although I imagine that seat must be about as padded as a sheet of A4.
Lovely looking bikes those, at the times when I've thought why do I need an adventure bike as 98% of my riding is on roads then I've watched countless reviews on these and they look great. Also the KTM Superduke GT and my mate swears by his Kawasaki ZX1000 Sports Tourer. Only thing with the KTM is the amount of reports regarding bad dealerships, parts taking forever to turn up, electrical gremlins and now the cams issue which strangely enough everyone thought was just the 790/890's but it seems its potentially cropped up on a 1290 Super Adventure which is worrying.It's probably more about him than the bike. He's one of those guys that demands perfection and complains about the tiniest shortfall. His bike has been used quite a bit and never let him down. On top of this my blood bike group have been running several V85TT's for the last 2 or 3 years. Most of them have reached 40-50k without any major issues, so I think these modern MG's must be fairly well built.
As for alternatives to the V100, have you considered an R1250RS? They are 820mm as standard, and 790 with the low seat. They even go as low at 760 with the extra low seat, although I imagine that seat must be about as padded as a sheet of A4.
FTFY
Ah, thanks for clarifying.
I've looked at the BMW a fair bit, actually, and I guess my gut feeling is that it's more performance-oriented than I need. I think I'm leaning towards the style of bike I want as opposed to max performance, if I'm being honest.
I wouldn't touch a Piaggio product with a bargepole after the experiences I had at the hands of 2 dealers AND the manufacturers.
Having said that, I absolutely loved my Aprilia's, but ended up doing ALL the service work on them myself.
How’s about a Ducati Monster…😈😈
How about my Triumph:) comfortable, quick and cool , and still available to buy . Fresh MOT too. I’m only 5’ foot 7 with 30” inch legs and it’s great for me .
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Last edited by Stilgoe1972; 29th September 2024 at 14:27.
Na, not really a tourer as you say. So you’ve ridden a 1200 Scrambler. Interesting that you decided on the t120 . What swayed it ?
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Fair doos. Have a ride on one if you get the chance at a dealers. They are pretty comfortable and with the Ohlins front and rear suspension plus the additional power they are pretty good at touring on most roads apart from motorways which is pretty dull as 80 feels like 120 due to the lack of wind protection. Enjoy your hunt:) nothing better than buying a new toy.
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Last edited by Stilgoe1972; 29th September 2024 at 19:02.
For a lot of good owner info on this bike, the ADVrider site has a long thread about the bike.. though mainly from US owners...
https://advrider.com/f/threads/moto-...#post-51380151
Helmet storage system installed today..🤪
I like it
Thought about a strip of foam or carpet on the wall behind to stop scuffing?
Taking a blast down to Rye tomorrow as its supposed to be not to bad weather
If you look at pic 1 you’ll see a foam strip behind each helmet👍
I don’t know what’s more scary, the skulls or the fact that you feel the need for four helmets.
I make do with one road lid and one for off road (unused in the last six years so would need replacing if I went off-road again).
I had a source that could get me Shark helmets at prices I’m embarrassed to share. Those 3 Carbon helmets cost me less than 1 at retail. It really hurt when I had to pay full price for the Shoei😱
I've got one of the Shark thermoplastic (or whatever it is) Flip-lid helmets. Bought at a good price and it is a surprisingly good lid. Still keep it for 'around the houses' but bought a Scorpion Carbonfibre flip-front for general use.
Still got my BMW Sport-Integrale Carbon lid that weighs a humungous 900grm. On an extended holiday - a light helmet is luxury.
India' first Superbike.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
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