True East M/C

I used to wish I was back in the womb. It was a much simpler time then. I got to lounge around all day in a bubble of warm stomach sauce while meals were delivered, pre-chewed, straight into my tummy. The hardest thing I had to do was grow thumbs. Yeah, those sure were good times.

:::sigh:::

But now things suck ass. I have to work all day, my rent is too high and my favorite hobby is sleeping. Recently, I've started to lose my mind. I realized my only hope was to find some security, and I needed it fast.

Well, John over at FTWCO came like a white knight in my hour of need. He raced off to the nearest post office astride his motorized two-wheeled steed, his long brown hair flowing in the wind and smelling of rich sandalwood and aged leather. In John's sweat glistening arms he carefully caressed a large priority mail packing envelope. He insisted upon priority mail, so that all would know the importance he placed on his mission of mercy.

His care package arrived today revealing EXACTLY what I needed: an FTWCO Motorrad hoodie!!! Tears of relief streamed down my face ad I donned the sweatshirt. Instantly, I was comforted in 9.75oz enzyme-washed 80/20 Cotton Polyester blend. Black with "Motorrad Racing" in house golden yellow on front, with the same color and larger "Championship" art on back, the sweatshirt shields me from the hardships of life. It takes me back to that special place I long for which I was evicted from at birth. Suddenly, life is much brighter. Food seems to taste richer. The air - more crisp.

The hoodie gives me the confidence and security I need as an avid flat track racer. With my FTWCO hoodie I feel safe enough to take on any challenge. Bring on the mile!

Thank you John! FTWCO forever!!!!

The stock clutch pushrod found in most 650/750 Triumphs is made out of 1010 case hardened mild steel. Case hardening is only a few thousandths thick and can easily wear away. The result is a pushrod with a mushroomed out end which throws alignment off as well as deflecting and causing drag in the main shaft.

Nick over at Trumpnut Cycle Parts solved this by manufacturing a clutch pushrod out of much harder tool steel which he then ground and polished. He added a ball bearing which runs inline to prevent mushrooming of the rod against the adjuster which he also improved by replacing the slotted adjuster with an allen.



A comparison of the two clutch pushrods. The top is stock while the bottom is Nick's new and improved setup.




The business end of Nick's Pushrod. Shown here are the ball bearing as well as the new adjuster. The ball bearing is inline rather than at the end to prevent it from falling out when the clutch is disengaged.

I felt my pre-spring tune up would be the perfect opportunity to try out Nick's clutch pushrod. The conversion is extremely simple and took only a few minutes followed by a clutch adjustment.

First I disconnected the clutch cable from the clutch lever on the handlebar. You can just slacken the cable up rather than disconnect it but I like to run some 3-in-ONE oil down the cable to lubricate it. I then loosened up the cable at the gearbox by loosening the 9/16" Nut and 3/8" adjuster. After removing the inspection plug on the primary cover, I backed off the lock nut with a 9/16" socket and then removed the stock adjuster. You might need to use a magnet to pull out the stock clutch pushrod.

The pushrod was then replaced with the new one included in the kit followed by the ball bearing and adjuster. I should note that on early pressure plates you will have to tap the adjuster hole to 3/8"-24 from the 3/8"-26 that they used from the factor in the early years. Use a liberal amount of grease on the parts before putting them into the bike. This will not only keep things well lubricated in the gearbox, but also help keep the ball bearing on the adjuster during assembly. Using an allen wrench, the adjuster is tightened up until tension is felt, then backed off half a turn. The lock nut is then shocked back on (exactly as you would adjust using the stock parts). With the inspection plugs replaced, the clutch cable is then hooked up to the clutch lever and adjusted.

The end result was immediately noticeable. The clutch felt much smoother and easier to pull. I've put over a hundred miles on the bike since installation and so far I couldn't be happier.

The kit is produced by Nick over at Trumpnut Cycle Parts and also available at Lowbrow Customs.