

1966 T120C TT Desert Racer Restoration - Week 3 (11 - 18 July)
Bit of a frustrating week with a number of faulty or incorrect parts received from the suppliers. This was compounded by further incorrect parts sent out to replace the incorrect or faulty ones received before and has resulted in much lost time. Little progress this week. Terry did manage to fit camshaft bushes and the inlet cam. An inlet cam with a drilled hole for the timed breather (should I decide to swap back at any point) was ordered originally but a solid one received.


“TT Special – The True Story”
Eddie Mulder wheelie, 1969 (Photo: Dan Mahony) Triumph, Norton and BSA motorcycles spearheaded the British invasion in the US throughout the 1950s and by the early ‘60s were dominating offroad competition, both on the dirt track and in the Californian desert. Lightweight and quick, the overhead valve parallel twins outperformed their more cumbersome, American-built rivals, the side-valve Harley Davidson 750cc vee-twins. To give the Harleys a sporting chance against the faster


1966 T120C TT Desert Racer Restoration - Week 1
Week 1 (26 June - 3 July) TT Special component parts being delivered to LA shippers Steve delivered the TT Special parts to LA for shipping on a pallet on 21st April, which arrived at Terry Macdonald’s on Thursday 25th June, following arrival and customs clearance at the Port of Tilbury in Essex - used as a location in several popular films (and far more interestingly, to me at least, the waterway here was in all probability the inspiration for the setting for Joseph Conrad’s


1966 T120C TT Desert Racer Restoration Week 2
Update 19th August After some intial delays in receiving parts, progress has now moved ahead at full steam on the '66 TT! Tank mounting bracket has been re-welded on frame, together with a Baxter's replacement sidestand bracket which was provided with the bike, and a new rear tab on the spare tank. Terry had rebuilt the bottome end, barrels are back, rebored to + 40 with new 9:1 LF Harris pistons and rods, bearings all round. Hoping the cylinder head work being undertaken by

Origins of my 1966 Triumph T120C TT Part 1
Back in April, Steve, a guy I'd been chatting to on and off about TT Bonnevilles over the past year or so - in particular his JoMo 1966 model - contacted me to say he'd decided to sell his bike and did I know anyone who might be interested? I'd already provided Steve with all the data from the Triumph factory records on the T120C TT Special and I'd seen photos of engine and frame stamps so was confident it was genuine. The bike has had an interesting history. A carpenter by t