I thought that I would offer a short update on life with the Trident as I've now ridden almost 2,000 miles on it, mostly during the better weather days through winter.
So far, no real problems to report, I'm pleased to say. Since I last did a write - up, I've experienced two minor issues, the first being following a brisk run of around 30 miles, I suddenly found that there was no real power on twisting the throttle. A hurried glance at the oil pressure gauge showed over 75 p.s.i. so not a mechanical problem I thought, and pulled into a garage forecourt that I was anyway intending to visit for fuel. Looking down, I found that the twist - grip was simply sliding around on the throttle tube. A few sharp prods on its end tightened things sufficiently to ride the two miles home. The throttle tube is metal rather than plastic and, after removing the grip was found to be quite smooth, so emery cloth and glue sorted things out!
The second issue again involved a reduction in performance, although slight this time. The points controlling the left cylinder closed up due to sudden wear of the heel that operates them, retarding the timing on that cylinder. This prompted me to fit "Tri Spark" electronic ignition, not least because a feature in the owner's club magazine that happened to drop through the door the same day featured a bike exactly the same as mine, including its colour, that the owner had named "The Purple Piston Eater" following similar experiences!
Otherwise nothing to report out of the ordinary.
I have just changed the engine oil, primary drive oil and gearbox oil, once again cleaning or replacing all filters(3) as appropriate. There was no sign of debris anywhere and the oils were clean. Final drive chain adjustment has only been needed once in 2,000 miles, and the primary chain has not been adjusted at all as yet.
This is the first classic bike that I have not need to protect with ACF50 or similar as the finish is completely untarnished from winter, although I do pick my riding days carefully.
Overall I'm very satisfied with this, my first British classic!