If you were lucky enough to get out on your Buell over the last week, you may have noticed how well it was running!? Well if yours is running well generally that is.

Weather hawks among us may have also noticed that we have been enjoying particularly high pressure air quality. Here in the West Country we saw over 1030 mb on some days. Combined with generally cooler air, this bodes well for the combustion process. I used to watch the air pressures back in my Yam TR1 days, as such asthmatic twins with their pathetic 8.7 to 1 (or was it 8.3?) compression were particularly sensitive to the weather to have any get up and go!

This week my 9 felt like it had just been fitted with 4 valve heads, such was the strong rush in the higher rev range. Or were the blue skies and fresh air just going to my head?

No this isn’t another exhaust thread (although V3 is still in situ ). There was a moment when l may have got throttle happy; l rolled off a little at around 85 in 4th and there was a continuation surge, as if it had become over-rich in an instant. Fortunately this passed as l used the throttle more smoothly, so hopefully it was just a passing glitch.

Whatever, there was enough beans in my little 9 to keep me entertained.

Happy riding out there!

Hey edd....i see you mention a TR1.....The v twin 1000 tourer?...i had one of those in the 90s and used to use it for a brief spell of couriering in that there London.....luckily I used to blag most of the long distance work so it got to stretch it's legs.....great bike as far as I remember....and pretty rare now....

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Caution: I run with scissors.

Yes l liked mine as well. ‘Tojo’s Revenge Part 1’ Mine was an early 81 model with rear hugger!

Got slated in the press who never even tried to adjust the suspension, which had pretty good adjustments for the time. Modifications/improvements to the chassis and standard tyres and brakes were also easy to do.

I also liked the later BT1100 Bulldog, but like other Yam designs that was also half finished by their development team. roll:

Well I remember back in the summer of '81 (having imbibed what transpired to be some particularly wicked magic mushrooms ) staring at one of those thinking it was my perfect motorcycle It had elements of everything I could ever want in a motorcycle. A bit of sport, a bit of custom, a lot of what we now call "retro" and some clever features like a fully enclosed chain and a tool box as a base for a rear carrier.

Fifteen years later I came across another bike which seemed to tick all those same boxes - the Buell S1 Lightning.

Then I learnt that Erik Buell had done some design work for Yamaha and wondered if he had a hand in the TR1. I asked him at Em's Do last year and he hadn't. Think he laughed at the reference to 'shrooms

Steve

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Back on the road again!

Yes that enclosed chain was brilliant, if a bit heavy, like the rest of the bike. Americans got a 920 version for tax reasons?
Yamaha used to consume a few shrooms back when. TR also had backward spinning crank (front felt very planted).

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=yamah ... 8414177510

What we might have done?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=yamah ... 8414177516

Nice effort.....always thought the engine style suited a custom build..... especially a lookalike Hesketh for those of us who can't run to the real thing.......

And I never knew the crank was counter rotating......certainly helps with the bikes dynamics. Less likely to want to stand up in corners....and I thought it was just my superior skills....

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Caution: I run with scissors.

The motor was designed as a replacement for the Sportster motor by HD, but the plans were nicked by Yamaha and the TR1 was born (according to my book which details the development of the Sportster). I had one too, but it was very heavy and slow, not helped by the shite Hitachi carbs with plastic jets! I fabricated a new inlet manifold and fitted a twin choke Weber.

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

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FUBAR pilot

You only need two bikes in life-an S1 and a Multistrada!

PHHTTT.......

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

Another strange aspect of the XV twins was a redundant spark during the exhaust cycle which could result in a loud bang and blowback on the rear cylinder when trying to hot start. This would blow the carbs off their rubbers on my TR scaring passers by! l always carried a Phillips screw driver for the jubilee clip in my pocket to twist the two carbs back into place.

I always felt that the TR 1 was too short in the stroke (ironically the smaller bore models showed correspondingly better bmep figures on test in spite of the fact all models from 700 to 1063cc shared the same heads and valve sizes). The 1100 models with 75mm stroke worked better than the 981 in my view.

I tweaked the suspension in a number of ways to good effect. A DIY heat shield for the rear shock. This needed at least 42 psi of air to keep the centre stand from dragging in bends. But the rear suspension worked better if you dropped the fork yokes by 22mm to alter the bikes rake. Running the front at 0 psi and using heavy duty fork oil also helped. Standard tyres were lethal so l fitted Metzlers and upped the front to a 3:50 from the standard 3:25. Dunlop sintered metal pads sorted out the front discs and gave 2 finger braking.