The BBC Knews The Voice of the British Biker Cooperative

Issue 4 ~ November, 2017

(read Cover Bike article on page 2 for more details)

John Chiodo’s 1974 T140 Triumph Bonneville

Calendar Disclaimer

Please be aware that while reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the

information on the calendar is accurate, there may be some changes that

occur after it is published. We use the best information that we have at

that time. Please check the BBC website, or individual event websites for

updated information before making plans. Thanks, Mark

BBC Officers and Directors

British Biker Cooperative Dedicated to the Preservation of the British Motorcycle

Long Live the Limey

BBC Officers

BBC Directors

Page 1

Page 2

Cover Bike Details

I bought this Triumph in 2008, my first British bike. I had only owned and ridden

Japanese motorcycles up to this point in my life. It was acquired from my wife’s old

boss with strong encouragement from my wife. I’ll never forget the day she called me

and said, “Harry is selling his Triumph, you HAVE to go look at it, it’s a beautiful

bike.” I did, and it was, so the deal was done. I rode it for a few years and really

enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much, I went out and added a BSA to the collection and

joined the BBC in 2012. In 2014, with oil leakage increasing and the motor running

rough, I decided it was time to do some work on it. I stripped it down to the crank and

headed off to MATC to enroll in Pat Hanson’s small engine repair class. During two

semesters there, we balanced the crank, put in new pistons, rings, valves, guides, and

cams. Over the next two years, there was polishing, painting and powder coating,

some wiring cleanup by John Pendell and lots of work cleaning and replacing parts. I

tried to keep everything as original as possible since I loved the way the bike looked

when I bought it. This is not the factory color, but it is the color it had on it when I

bought it and I like it just the way it is. I was able to get the bike finished just in time

to head to bike week in Daytona this year. I’ve been back riding it all summer and

having a blast again. All of the compliments that my Bonneville has received this year,

including winning 1st place in the late model class at this year’s rally, makes all the

time and effort worth it. Doing such an extensive restoration of an old bike has been a

great learning experience, and I can’t wait to get started on the BSA.

John

Page 3

Welcome to Our New Members

Dennis Daehler Beloit, WI BSA, Triumph

Deanna Daehler Beloit, WI Triumph

Elliot Doering West Allis, WI Royal Enfield

Donn Harvey Preston, WA Norton

Curt Kubert Kenosha, WI BSA, Norton, Triumph

Rich Lambe New Berlin, WI Triumph

Membership Forum

Remember BBC’ers that Dues are due in January.

April 1st was the deadline for paying your dues, otherwise you

will no longer receive e-mail updates, the BBC KNEWS, or

access to the “Members Only” section on our website. Also be

aware that there will be four issues of the BBC KNEWS this year.

We hope that all of our members’ information is correct, but if you see a mistake please contact the membership V.P. and it will get corrected. Email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses tend to change fairly frequently so help us keep everything up to date. Thanks!

! Important Notice !

Happy Birthday to You!

Tom Rasman

Dave Spanjar

Dennis Worthy

Colette Lendowski

Ken White

Marianne White

Terry O’Brien

Barry Snyder

Kyle Winkels

Michael Champion II

Scott Cleary

Dave Kollmann

Justin Pluess

Will Wiegler

Peggy Kasper

Marj Inman

Bob Gomach

Deanna Daehler

Peter Leistikow

October 1st

October 8th

October 23rd

October 28th

November 2nd

November 15th

November 17th

November 21

November 26th

December 1st

December 3rd

December 4th

December 4th

December 7th

December 15th

December 19th

December 22nd

December 26th

December 26th

Page 4

The Editor’s Points & Plugs

William Leach Burlington, WI BSA, Triumph

Ricky Wegner New Berlin, WI Triumph

John Westimayer Brookfield, WI Norton

Welcome to Our New Members (continued)

My time for riding as well as

maintenance this past year has been

extremely limited do to the pressing

need to complete the addition to our

home; a project that will certainly re-

quire most of my time for at least an-

other year. Despite the building project,

I did manage to get in a few rides

including an enjoyable day at the flat

track races in Elkhorn and a couple

trips to Holy Hill. One of those trips

was on the Trident, clearly in need of

some attention, and the other just

yesterday on the CBR 250; none of the

exhilaration of twisting the throttle on

the Trident, but also none of the drama.

Just push a button and go!

Tomorrow will be November 27th,

and the weather forecast is for partly

sunny skies and at least 50 degrees. I

feel obligated to seize any opportunity

to ride at the end of November, so after

printing and mailing this Knews letter, I

hope to take one more ride which will

most likely end my riding season. I

don’t know yet, which bike I will ride; I

guess it depends on weather or not I

have the ambition to clean the plugs in

the Triumph. Yes, I know that new

plugs are available, but Farm and Fleet

(which sells Champion N3C plugs for

$1.99) has been out of stock every time

I go there lately, and I refuse to pay

more. Plus, the Trident fouls plugs way

too quickly to always put in new ones.

I hope to see you all at the Holiday

Party!

Ride Safe!

Mark Fredricks

As I come to the end of my two year

term as editor of the BBC Knews, I

would like to thank all of the members

who have contributed an article, report,

tech tip, photos or calendar event to the

Knews. I would also like to thank the

seven sponsors who provide financial

support to the club. Without all of your

contributions, there really wouldn't be

much to make this publication worth

reading. A big thanks as well to all of

the members past and present who have

stepped up and donated time and talent

from their busy lives to be officers and

directors, thereby making this club

possible.

I have taken the liberty to reprint

Doug’s “Calling All Officers” article

from last month because it addresses an

important issue affecting all club

members. I think that most of the officer

positions have nominees, with the ex-

ception of Editor. This seems like a

good place for me to interject my own

personal plea for someone to consider

stepping up to be the new editor for the

BBC Knews.

Page 5

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer’s Box Returns!

It’s been a busy year with quite a bit

of riding time. The Rally was very

exciting with tornadoes and torrential

rain. The first and only time I have

ever gone on the poker run was a blast

– running the route in a car, in the rain

with Mark and the Pendells (sounds

like a band).

The other exciting news is our bank

was closed by the feds in May and

taken over by another bank. We have

since closed that account and now are

members of Landmark Credit Union.

Finally, we are rapidly approaching

the BBC Holiday Party. With the help

of Indian and Colette, it should be lots

of fun as always. We are trying some-

thing new this year for the Saturday

banquet. We plan to have heavy Hors

D’oeuvres set out for cocktail hour at

6pm and then at 7pm serve from what

are called ‘Action Stations’ – made to

order Pasta Station, Mashed Potato

Bar (with beef tips and gravy) and

Salad Bar with either grilled shrimp,

chicken or salmon. We are hoping

this is a fun departure from the typical

buffet. Cash bar as usual with a

General Member meeting and then off

to the Ground Round for DJ and Ugly

Sweater contest.

Look forward to seeing you!

Peace.

Mary

Mary Rose Lange

Page 6

The meeting was held at Debbie and Steve Shelvik’s house under gray and

threatening skies. President Doug Aretz opened the meeting with a plea for

more people to step up to be officers. We are also checking into dates and

locations for the Meeting from Hell. Several dates are being considered, with

the exception of January 20th, which is Team Power’s Holiday Party and we

do not want to conflict with that. A point that was brought up is that without a

full slate of officers the structure of the BBC may have to be changed. Also

with declining attendance at the Rally, the structure of that may need to be

changed. Bill Church and Chris Lee were nominated for V.P. of property. Jim

Ziemann was nominated for Secretary. Pat Hanson and Mary Lange were

nominated for Treasurer. There were several thoughts for a Rally theme for

2018. The one that generated the most response was a race theme to celebrate

British bike victories in the early 70’s. Wes from Eagle Cave was nominated

for the Black Cloud award. Because of the inclement weather just prior to this

year’s Rally, it was proposed to have some T-shirts printed for members who

survived. Popular phrases were Riders on The Storm, and Ridin’ The Storm

Out. A vote will be taken at the Pot Luck Dinner.

Nominations are being accepted for Member of The Year and also New

Member of the Year. A vote was taken for acceptance of the wording on the

memorial brick for Lynn Reed. All voted Yes. The BBC trailer storage is

taken care of for this winter at the same location as last year. Team Power has

offered their dealership as a possible location for the Meeting from Hell. This

idea is under consideration. The meeting was adjourned with everyone

heading for food and beverages.

Submitted by Jim Ziemann

Color Ride Meeting October 14th, 2017

Page 7

Every summer starting in June, on the second and fourth Monday of the month, there is a

car and bike show in the parking lot behind the Silver Spur restaurant in Elm Grove. This year,

on Aug. 28th, it was the British Invasion featuring the BBC, Austin - Healey club, and the MG

club. Colette, Indian and Peggy manned the BBC product and information booth.

Unfortunately, the threatening skies just prior to the event, led to very low attendance by

the BBC. I think that there were two bikes from the BBC. On the bright side, it turned out to

be a beautiful evening, and John Westimayer, the owner of the Dunstall Norton pictured

above, signed up as a new Member.

BBC at Cruisin’ the Grove

Page 8

2017 Calendar of Events November

11 - BBC - Pot Luck Dinner and General Membership Meeting - 5:00 PM at

American Legion Post, 920 Monroe Ave., South Milwaukee, WI

Officer Nominations -

Jim Ziemann - 414-481-6960 - jimz1951@yahoo.com

17 -FYI - Team Power Center Movie and Pizza Night. For more information, call

Team Power Center @ 608-741-9900, or check on their website

28 - FYI - Triumph Bonneville Back in Black launch tour event 6 pm to 9 pm at Fuel

Cafe 5th St., 630 S. 5th St., Milwaukee. (See page 16 for details )

29 - FYI - Triumph Bonneville Back in Black Launch Party 6 pm to 9 pm at Fox River

Brewing Co. -1501 Arboretum Dr., Oshkosh, WI (See page 15 for details )

December

1 - BBC - Officer Elections - Best Western Waterfront Hotel, Oshkosh, WI 5:00

2 - BBC - Christmas Party and Banquet - Best Western Waterfront Hotel,

Oshkosh, WI (Mary Lange)

15 -FYI - Team Power Center Movie and Pizza Night. For more information, call

Team Power Center @ 608-741-9900, or check on their website

January, 2018

14 - FYI - High Voltage Motorcycle Ice Races at Wilson Park Lagoon, 1601 W.

Howard Ave., Milwaukee, WI 11:00 am to 2:00 pm -

https://www.facebook.com/events/132674764030506/

20 - FYI - Team Power Center Holiday Party. For more information, call

Team Power Center @ 608-741-9900, or check on their website

27 - BBC - Meeting from Hell - K-Ranch - 4840 S. Whitnall Ave., Cudahy, WI

11:00 am

2018 Calendar of Events

February, 2018

23 - FYI - Flat Out Friday - indoor motorcycle racing at the BMO Harris Bradley

Center. Doors open at 4:00 pm, racing starts at 6:00 pm.

https://flatoutfriday.com/

23-25 - FYI - Mama Tried motorcycle show - location TBA

25 - FYI - Mama Tried’s Slippery Sunday - Ice racing at McKinley Marina

Wanted: Stock seat to fit a 2006

Triumph America or

Speedmaster. Indian

For sale: 1952 Triumph Hardtail

Frame. Great shape: $250.00.

Contact Indian

BBC Classified Ads

1, 2, or 3 place motorcycle trailer. $200.00 --- Indian - 414-651-4549

Page 9

BBC Holiday Party December 1-2nd 2017

Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center

1 N Main Street, Oshkosh, WI 54901

http://oshkoshwaterfronthotel.com/

BBC Awards Banquet – Saturday December 2nd

Ground Round Happy Hour 3PM - 6PM $1 OFF all drinks

6:00pm Cash Bar

7:00pm Dinner

8:00pm Awards & General Membership Meeting

2nd Ground Round Happy Hour!

9PM – MIDNIGHT $1.99 Original Margaritas & Long Island Teas

DJ and Ugly Sweater Contest

The Banquet is $15 per person. Each member may bring one guest.

Banquet reservations must be made in advance:

mlange@langelearncomm.com

Indian & Colette Lendowski 414-651-4550

Deadline for Banquet – November 29th

A special rate & block of rooms has been secured for us Friday & Saturday

$76.00 per night (plus tax) single or double occupancy

Make your own room reservation - call hotel directly

855-230-1900

Deadline for room block November 10th

After November 10th –discounted BBC rate is subject to availability

Peace Santa Bring a Date!

Page 10

President Doug Aretz opened the meeting with a request for a

moment of silence for Veterans. As usual we are in need of new faces

to help organize and coordinate all activities. We have the almost same

group of people at every event. We have almost a full slate of officers

to run for the next 2-year term of office. The only position that does not

have a candidate is editor. We need to pick a Rally theme for next year.

Among the themes suggested are: Golden Isle of Man, Norton

Commando, Daytona, and Fallen Members. A vote will be taken at the

Holiday Party for the rally theme. The hotel block for the Holiday party

closes on November 10. Those who have not reserved a room yet may

have to find rooms at another hotel. But, good luck because this is also

a Packer home game weekend. Officer elections will be held at the

Board and Officers meeting before the Holiday Party. Drinks for the

B&O party will begin at 5PM, with dinner served at 6PM. The Officers

election results will be announced on Saturday at the dinner. Also, the

rally theme will be announced.

The Meeting from Hell will be held at Joe’s K Ranch located at

4840 S. Whitnall Av., Cudahy Wi. 53110, on January 27th 2018

beginning at 11 AM.

Treasurer Mary Lange announced that the BBC account with Guaranty

Bank has been closed and a new account opened at Landmark Credit

Union.

Mama Tried and Flat Out Friday were discussed. Flat Out Friday will

be on February 23, 2018. The Mama Tried Show will be February 24 th

& 25th at a location yet to be determined. Also, early payment of web-

site fees to save money was discussed. Other items were discussed and

it was decided to table for the calendar discussion at the MFH. The

Rally is set for July 20-22, 2018. It was decided to create a special

t-shirt for those campers who survived the storm before the rally. This

shirt will have the legend “Riding the Storm Out”.

Submitted by Jim Ziemann

November 11, 2017 BBC Annual Pot Luck Dinner

Page 11

I started this letter a few times. I first tried to be rational. Nah! Then

I tried to be delicate. Nah! Then I tried to be threatening, Nah! A third

time. What I’m trying to get at is, the BBC Membership seriously

needs to consider doing something about this situation . . . we need

officers for the 2018-2019 Officer term.

There are many openings with no volunteers at this point. We have

openings for the President, VP of Membership, VP of Property, the

Editor, and VP of Product. That’s half the positions. I look around at

the current officers and I’ve been working with them for 15 to 20 years.

We have one new face and that would be the current editor. Most of us

are in our sixties and several of us are retired. We would like to retire

our responsibilities with the BBC. We want to “party what is left of our

brains out” without responsibilities of running our Co-Op.

The BBC celebrated its 40th birthday this year. If we don’t get offic-

ers, the Board of Directors will have to determine what to do with the

Co-Op’s status. Not sure what that means at this point but I do know

that without officers, we can’t have the organization that we have now.

And it has taken this level of participation as officers and directors to

keep the BBC going at this level. Without it . . . who knows.

Guilting people into these positions is not the way to go. We need

volunteers who want to see the BBC keep running. It’s worth it. We

have fun together and we accomplish a lot and its rewarding.

So pony up, everyone. Let’s keep our Co-Op going. You’ll be glad

to be a part of this group.

Ride Safe, but for God’s sake . . . ride.

Doug Aretz, President

Calling All Officers

Page 12

BBC at Flat Track Races

BBC’S FLAT TRACK DAY, organized by Bill Pleuss

Bill had us meet at the Forum Restaurant at 9:30 on Saturday, September 30th.

Eight BBC’ers showed up. Chris Lee had ridden up from Elkhorn, to ride down with

us. Seven bikes left breakfast for a nice county road ride to Chris’s house. Once there

he fired up his 1961 BSA and led us to the fair grounds.

Not knowing the layout of the place, we headed for under the grandstand, a place

that Bill had mentioned earlier. Sure enough there was the perfect spot between the

beer stand and the food stand!

I pulled the full dresser, which was loaded with product and our makeshift

portable display stand, into the center of the grandstand frame work. The rest of the

BBC’ers parked around us forming an impromptu BBC home base and bike show.

There was no bike show at this event, just a

small swap meet. We had a ton of people coming

over to look at the classic and newer British bikes

we rode in on. We think we really added something

to the days’ festivities.

Colette, the product Goddess, sold $53.00 of

product and signed up another new member, who

used to hang out at Lawton’s Cycle. Do some of you

old timers remember Lawton’s cycles?

All and all we feel everything turned out great as

everyone had a great time. I look forward to doing it

again next year, bigger and better.

Our thanks to Bill Pluess, Chris Lee, and the rest

of the BBC’ers who participated in making this

event a success. Indian

Page 13

Page 14

In the late seventies both east and west coast Triumph distributors offered extensive

training at special facilities. Each participant was given his own set of tools and an engine

to take apart and rebuild. When you answer, remember this test was given in 1970! As a

part of the training special sections of class time were devoted to things like electrics and

machine shop techniques. During the week students were tested on their knowledge. Tim

Langford of Holly Hill, Florida, was nice enough to send me a copy of his graded test

several years ago. Yes ... he passed!

Set-up and

1. It is worthwhile to raise carburetor throttle needles all the way for break-in.

a. True b. False

2. The rear wheel is balanced at the factory

a. True b. False

3. How much slack should be in the rear chain with the bike on the center stand.

a. 3/4" b. 1" c. 1- d. 1-

4. Should cylinder base nuts be checked for tightness at set-up.

a. Yes b. No

5. What important job must be done when a battery is installed in a new motorcycle?

a. fill battery with water' b. connect the negative terminal to ground

c. be certain vent tube is open d. test the stator

Service Bulletins and General

6. What is the most common cause of wet sumping?

a. porous crankcase

b. foreign material keeping the scavenging ball check valve from seating in the oil pump

c. oil tank malfunction d. oil pressure relief valve stuck

7. When a tach drive thimble breaks in the exhaust camshaft -

a. remove it from the camshaft b. Loctite it back together

c. drive it into the camshaft d. tear down the engine and replace camshaft

8. What three thread forms can be found on Triumphs?

a. unified, British & American b. Whitworth, Metric CEl

c. Metric, American CEl d. Whitworth, CEl Unified

9.

10. Amal Concentric carburetors don't work well, even when correctly assembled and tuned.

a. True b. False

11. Set all tappet clearances at .020" to check camshaft timing.

a. True b. False

Frame, Suspension, Brakes

12. Twin leading front brake - you should always re-adjust linkage rod at the 500 mile free

check-over. a. True b. False

13. Should rear wheel bearings ever be repacked with grease?

a. Yes No

14.

a. shoulder up b. shoulder down c. No such part on late Triumphs d. Doesn't matter

15. Always use Loctite on the spoke threads when spoking a wheel.

a. True b. False

16. When working on the swing arm, it is necessary to:

torque swing arm nut b. snug the nut up and bend the tab washer

c. torque the swing arm bolt d. torque both the swing arm bolt and nut

Quiz for Triumph Mechanic's School (winter 1970) (part 1)

Page 15

Triumph Back In Black Bobber Launch Party

· Hosted by Team Winnebagoland NOV29 A place for local motorcycle enthusiasts to get a chance to see some cool new bikes

such as the Bobber Black, swap adventure stories with other riders, participate in fun

activities, and enjoy classy hor d'oeuvres and cocktails! This is a V.I.P. event and

will only be in town for one night! Online registration required.

17. What should you do in order to obtain maximum efficiency from any Triumph front brake prior to 1968? a. fit a new brake drum b. center shoes c. seat the linings with a file d. fit a stronger brake cable

. 1963/1970 (650cc) Is it necessary to ream the swinging arm bushes after careful installation? a. Yes b. No 19. What important job should be done to any fork stanchion tube? a. improve finish b. drill out holes c. repair threads d. change the lower nut 20 a. across from each other b. adjacent to each other 21. In order to check the frame alignment you must: a. remove the front fork assembly b. remove the front tire c. measure the length of the swinging arm. d. align the rear wheel first

Engine

22. When the crankcase and main bearings are at room temperature, the main bearings should fit free in the crankcase. a. True b. False 23. If a .020" oversize piston measured 2.810" diameter at the bottom of the skirt (front to rear), to what dimension should the cylinder be rebored? a. 2.8110" b. 2.816" c. 2.820" d. 2.8145" 24. Are the outlet ports of the oil pump at the top or bottom of the pump as it is installed in a twin cylinder engine? a. top b. bottom 25. Which statement is most correct regarding the oil pressure relief valve assembly? a. a weak spring causes high oil pressure b. it regulates scavenge suction vacuum c. it regulates the engine's oil pressure d. strong spring would cause low oil pressure 26. Does the plain or does the metering jet dowel go with the "timed" tappets? a. plain b. metering 27. The black/yellow contact lead is normally connected to the:

a. front contact nut b. rear contact nut 28. The rear contacts are for the left-hand cylinder. a. True b. False 29. If a cylinder bore is measured as follows: diameter at top of ring travel (side to side) 2.7978" diameter at top of ring travel (front to rear) 2.8023" diameter at bottom of bore (unworn portion) 2.7953" a. How much is the cylinder out of round? b. How much taper does the cylinder have? c. Should the cylinder be rebored? a. b. No 30. What is the correct clearance between the cylinder head and head gasket when testing for proper push rod cover tube seal compression? a. (1968 and earlier twins). b. (1960 and later twins).

(answers on next page) (Thanks to Bill Pluess for submitting this)

Page 16

What? You Want Answers?

1. True - it is worthwhile to raise the needles 2. False - Triumph did not balance the rear wheel 3. 1-1/2" when on center stand (3/4" when on ground) 4. a. Yes - the cylinder base nuts should he checked at 500 miles. 5. c. be certain vent tube is open 6. b. foreign material keeping scavenging valve from seating 7. c. drive it into camshaft 8. d. Whitworth, CEI & American 9. Part number on front of parts book

10. b. False - Amal Concentrics work well when tuned properly 11. b. False - set tappet lift to .020" to check camshaft timing 12. b. False 13. a. Yes 14. b. shoulder down 15. b. False - never use Loctite on spoke nipples 16. c. torque both the swing arm bolt and nut 17. b. center shoes - loosen axle nut and put on brake 18. b. No - they are pre-finished to size 19. a. improve finish 20. a. across from each other 21. a. remove the front end 22. b. False - they are a press fit in case 23. d. 2.8145" (recommend clearance is .0045" to .007") 24. b. outlet ports are at bottom 25. c. it regulates engine's oil pressure 26. a. plain dowel 27. b. rear contact nut 28. a. True - left hand cylinder 29. a. . 0045" b. . 007" c. Yes, it should be bored 30. a. 1/16" (.060") to 1968 b. . 040" 69 - up

The Triumph Motorcycles Back in Black Tour will be crisscrossing the country, offering our most dedicated supporters an exclusive look at the latest additions to the Triumph line-up. Join us for your chance to experience the gorgeous all-new Triumph Speedmaster and the menacing new Triumph Bobber Black first-hand – months before they hit showroom floors. It’s the biggest motorcycle party of the year, so don’t miss out on your chance to be on the guest list! Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and the first two drinks for everyone that signs up and attends the event. We will have Hintz Studios doing a live painting of one of the launch models. We will also have Nathan Allen - The Maniac of Magic a magician/comedian coming to entertain everyone in attendance. This is a free event but RSVP is required by November 25, 2017.RSVP at http://fortheridetour.com/dealer/citftr17 Hosted by Fuel Cafe 5th St. and Schlossmann Motorcycles of Milwaukee

Page 17

British Motorcycle(s)

Marque Year Model

Occupation:

How did you hear of the BBC?

Would you like to participate in the organization of activities in the BBC?

For more information, contact the BBC VP of Membership @ 262-521-0760

or visit our website @ http://www.britishbiker.net/

Send annual membership fee of $30.00/$35.00 (check or money order) to:

BBC ~ P.O. Box 371021 ~ Milwaukee, WI 53237-2121 U.S.A.

Name: Nickname:

Address:

City: State: Zip code:

Telephone: E-mail:

First Year of BBC Membership: Date of Birth:

Dedicated to the Preservation of the British Motorcycle

British Biker Cooperative

Membership Application (Please Print Legibly)

Please check here for renewal with no changes. Check for hardcopy of newsletter. Add $5.00

Dues for Year(s):

Bri

tish B

iker

Cooper

ati

ve

Post

Off

ice

Box

37

10

21

Mil

waukee

, W

isco

nsin

53237-2

121

US

A