Posted on 11/11/2013 9:34:11 PM PST by woofie
OMAHA, Neb.
— Donald DeVault wonders what kind of memories his Triumph motorcycle helped make in the 46 years since it was stolen, and he's looking forward to making more of his own when it's returned.
The 73-year-old Omaha man learned last week that California authorities had recovered his 1953 Triumph Tiger 100 at the Port of Los Angeles. The bike was about to be shipped to Japan when U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents who checked the vehicle identification number discovered the motorcycle had been reported stolen in February 1967.
DeVault said he is eager to get the bike back, but he thinks investigators may be even more excited than him about the motorcycle's recovery. DeVault had had the bike for only a year or two when it was taken from his fenced backyard.
Around '67 I had a Bonneville....and hove owned several other Triumphs through the years
Bump
Tiger was said to be torquey and docile. I had one that had been stripped down to be a "desert sled". Got stolen before I could do anything with it. Not street legal anyway.
You are right..... I owned one of those also
But I forgot it was called a Tiger T100?
I was thinking of a Triumph Tiger Cub (I also owned one for about 2 weeks)which was a small single cylinder trail bike
Tiger Cub was a 250cc single - brother had one when living with me in Orlando in ‘68.......
Very nice bikes....It brings it all back
British bikes are bikes we have a love hate relationship with.
Still kicking myself for not buying a restored Matchless with side car ages a go for like $1,200.
Actually the Tiger 650 single carb was faster 0 - 60 than the twin carb Bonneville - more torquey as you said. But the Bonnie would take over from there.......many loved the Tiger because of the simlicity of dealing with one carb and not two.
Rode one friend’s ‘64 Bonnie all through college and loved it, but rode another’s ‘67 Tiger 650 all over So. Cal in ‘68/69 and loved it just as much........best bikes on the planet in the ‘60’s hands down. Was ‘70 when the Honda CB-750 came in and took over the world with 4 cylinders.......oh, those days were fun. And to think, I’m still riding the same bikes some 40+ years later and enjoying the more.....
In the 90’s I owned a Ariel Square 4 (58?) went to England and stopped at several ‘auto-jumbles” looking for parts
Too many bikes too little time
Indeed.
I have friend that still brings them to life.
I was gonna run the Himalayas on Royal Enfields a few years back.
Long story.
Am I too old to try something like that? well maybe.... or maybe I should go out with a bang
Well, that became an issue for me too.
The back is to screwed up.
I was ignorant of the electrics and how they rigged up lights, but it had them. The just stuffed some chicken wire home made baffles in the TT pipes to quiet it down. Don't think they bothered to re-jet the carbs.
That bike had the most perfect ergonomics and feel of any bike before or since. And since covers everything I owned from several Honda CB750s, a CB500, a Yamaha RD350, a Norton Commando, a Suzuki GS1100ES, a Yamaha FJ1100 and finally a FZR1100. None had that perfect bike balance and feel of the Bonneville TT.
That had to be the most soul satisfying bike of all I have ever ridden, and that has been a few.
Whew, that took me back a ways on memory lane.......
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