Description
Triumph TR6R Trophy 650cc
I have here for sale my TRIUMPH TR6R TROPHY 650cc, she was manufactured by the Triumph Engineering Co. Ltd, Meriden Works, Allesley near Coventry during June 1967. From the factory records the following exact dates of manufacture were confirmed by the Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club on the 10th February 2007 Dating Certificate that accompanies the motorbike:-
• Engine No. TR6 DU65849 – 8th June 1967
• Frame No. TR6R DU 65849 – 8th June 1967
She has matching engine & frame numbers.
History
The motorbike was despatched ex. Meriden Works on the 6th September 1967 under O/ No. 9818 to the Falkland Islands Trading Company Limited, 120 Pall Mall, London, SW1 for export to their store in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, South Atlantic Ocean under their Invoice No. S33/ 3 – This was the second of two TR6R’s on this order.
Motorbikes were used in the 50’s and 60’s by farmers for travelling over their land, to access areas where even Land Rovers etc couldn’t reach easily i. e. for sheep herding etc as quad bikes are used by farmers all over the world now. The only modifications made to the bikes by Triumph were to fit a 17 tooth engine sprocket (19 tooth normal) and to fit a fat (by those days standards) knobbly rear tyre (under inflated) of 4. 00” x 18” Dunlop Trials Champion (fronts are 3. 25” x 19” Avon Speed Master) the smaller sprocket to provide more torque and fat rear tyre to aid crossing the extensive boggy areas of which there are many on the islands.
Nowadays motorbikes are rarely seen on Port Stanley’s roads or on the Islands farms, quad bikes or modified high ground clearance 4x4’s are used instead. Although rarely seen, nearly every farm garage has an old bike in a dark corner under cover.
My motorbike was purchased from a farm by John (Johnny) Halford a local Port Stanley engineer who last time I heard was the Hospital Chief Engineer. Johnny sympathetically re-built the bike from 1995 to 1997, I have a folder of correspondence & bills for parts from UK Triumph specialists, mainly from Ray Fisher @ BritBits of Christchurch, Dorset totalling £3, 295. 69 included shipping excluding the original bike purchase price.
After repeated pressure from his friend Tony Summers he sold the bike almost fully completed in 1997. Tony is an aircraft engineer at Port Stanley Airfield (the one we bombed back in 1982!) who works on keeping the local airways “Britain Norman Islanders” and the British Antarctic Survey’s “Twin Otters” operational. Tony completed the rebuild of the bike with his finishing touches and another £165. 20 worth of bills for parts.
Just to point out that this is not an old frame with all new repro parts hung on to it, any replacement parts are new old stock from Ray Fisher’s Britbits in Christchurch and include:-
• Boyer Electronic Ignition (new)
• Rebuilt front & rear wheels with new chrome rims and stainless steel spokes / nipples
• Full engine rebuild including: Inlet / outlet cams, valves and springs, tappets, cylinder block, pistons & rings 9/ 1 cr, Siamese pipes and silencer, cylinder head, all new bearings & seals, 19T gearbox sprocket, chains & clutch plates
• Speedo head
• Headlamp
• Seat recovered
• Switches and wiring harness
• Side stand
• 12 volt Battery
• Hagon rear shocks
• Rebuilt front forks
I saw her advertised on a postcard on the notice board of the West Store Supermarket in Port Stanley in May 2006 and once having seen the bike I was hooked and bought her.
Then the problems started, how do you tell the wife you’ve bought “another bike” – well that was sorted for me by my credit card company who called my home the same day due to my credit card having a large hit made on it in a far distant place, enquiring if I was actually in the Falklands and had I made a large cash purchase!!!
The next problem was “how do I get her home!” well it took me a good while to arrange to have her shipped back to the UK (a good job I had to travel out to the Falklands more than once). I finally arranged on 15th August 2006 for the Falkland Islands Trading Co. Ltd, the actual first owner of the bike, to ship her back to the UK. She was de-registered by the Falkland Islands Police on 15th September 2006 and loaded in a big wooden box curtsey of Morrison’s Civil Engineering (Falklands) Ltd and on to the military supply ship MV Hartland Point (Voyage 350) bound for Marchwood Military Dockyard, Southampton via St. Helena and Ascension Island. After customs clearance and payment of all import duties due I took delivery of her at home in Kidderminster on the 27th October 2006.
All the above mentioned documentation is included in the sale – some good history here, including:-
• Falkland Island’s original registration document.
• Falkland Island’s de-registration letter.
• Falkland Islands Vehicle Licence Window Label (tax Disc) expired 06/ 10/ 2006 and some older one too.
• Darwin Shipping Ltd, Stanley shipping documentation.
• HM Customs & Excise Forms:
o C 384 Private Motor Vehicle Importation Form,
o C 102A Notice to Pay / Receipt for Customs Charges,
o C 130 – Goods Received / Release Notification 16-10-2006.
• Quay Warehousing Ltd, Southampton Delivery Note 17th November 2006.
I had her MOT’d at Readspeed Scooters in Stourport on Severn on the 26th April 2007 and registered her on 10th May 2007 at Worcester DVLA Office and she has an age related number plate PWP 242E and is now classed as an Historic Vehicle and hence is exempt from a fee for her road tax.
She has had 3 UK MOT’s to date as follows (all passed with flying colours):-
• 26th April 2007
• 25th April 2008
• 1st May 2009
She is therefore due her next MOT by the 2nd May 2010, however I will give her a full 12 months MOT prior to the new buyer collection.
Last year I spent a further £128 on parts and also had the tank and mudguards (fenders if you are one of our American cousins) professionally re-sprayed by a local specialist at a staggering cost of £750. 00! A really excellent job but……….! At least he gave me three pots of touch up paint in burgundy, silver and gold (for the pinstripe) that will come with the bike.
My classic bike agreed value insurance including breakdown cover is only £120 / annum and road tax is £0.
Condition
No expense has been spared on this motorbike.
Condition is as good, if not better, than shown in the photos. I’d rate her as being in very good condition, although not what I would personally consider to be a Concours d'Elegance winner (however she could win prizes though).
• She has a scrape on the bottom of the exhaust silencer (you can’t really see that unless you crawl underneath – it wasn’t done by me by the way!).
• The handlebar anti-vibration bushes are a bit soft so the handlebars move fore and aft a bit more than they are supposed to and would benefit from replacement, but that is not classed as an MOT problem (I have a new set of replacement bushes from BritBits that the new owner can have to replace, if and when he / she so wishes)
• An finally, although all the other chrome is new the two TRIUMPH tank emblems are a bit pitted on the top face but as they are the originals and over 40 years old, as such I didn’t want to replace them (New reproduction emblems are available for about £40 a pair from BritBits)
• That’s all folks!
My Reason for Selling?
Well in 3 years I’ve only done 100 miles on her (Original miles when I bought her were 598 from purchase in 2006(that starting at 0 when rebuilt in 1997), the miles are now 698, as although she looks beautiful sat in the garage motorbikes aren’t really my thing, I’d prefer an Lambretta SX200, sorry you bikers but I’m an old mod at heart!
By the way if anyone wants to swap or part exchange for an SX200 I’d consider it, or she’s for sale as per the listing.
Also included in the sale will be:-
• All documentation detailed above.
• Two spare tyres.
• The tank luggage rack (as new) included in sale.
• Original Triumph O&M Manual and Parts Catalogue.
• Haynes Triumph 650cc Twin’s O&M Manual.
Serious Stuff:
Viewing recommended prior to end of auction. No rides, sorry a friend had his classic bike knicked by a test driver last year!
