After a few days of trying I finally got this old beast started. Something like 40 years after it was last licensed for the road it's back 20220911_133706 by Jim Harris, on Flickr
Actually rides pretty well. The clutch is good and all four gears work. Ammeter is all over the place but the speedo works pretty smooth. Brakes are good, light feel. I had no idea what to expect - I'm over the top!
"Brakes are good, light feel" ...... good god man, how on earth did you achieve that???? When considering the brakes on my bikes, I am minded of one of Ettore Bugatti's attributed quotes "The brakes are merely symbolic".
Well done in resurrecting another example of the legend, ...... now it gets expensive ..... "it will be SO much better if I only do xyz"!
Thanks, guys. It's nice to have a solid starting point. Now I just have to get on the schedule to get a VIN inspection on account of I bought it on a bill of sale - no title. It's a process where you gotta sit down every Tuesday at 11:00 AM sharp and see if you can snipe a schedule slot before they all dissappear, like at about 11:04. I failed to get a spot on my first session because I couldn't fill out the form fast enough. Next time I'll be better prepared.
Jim, Never heard of that before but registering an untitled bike is generally a PIA. You have to post a bond just in case it is reported stolen and that's money you never get back. I went through the process in NC. Took a while and I had to get the DMV guy to inspect the bike, but got it done many years ago.
"Ammeter all over the place" is normal. I've heard that can be alleviated by injecting mineral oil into the meter, but it's not something I would bother with.
There are some bad things about New York State, but the DMV regulations are not one of them. Vehicles before 1973 are not even titled, just registered, and registration records are expunged after a certain number of years, so all you have to do is follow the "lost registration" process and say you were the last registered owner. You may have to provide a rubbing of the serial number, which can be from the engine OR the frame!
Mark Z
'65(lower)/'66(upper, wheels, front end, controls)/'67(seat, exhaust, fuel tank, headlamp)/'70(frame) A65 Bitsa. 2007 Triumph Bonneville Black
"Ammeter all over the place" is normal. I've heard that can be alleviated by injecting mineral oil into the meter, but it's not something I would bother with.
Mine stopped wagging like a dogs tail after I fitted the Tri-Spark MOSFET reg/rec. quite pleased about that, it was an old 1970 unit and still works, the old 68' unit failed after the needle fell off a few years earlier. I'd rather not have it wagging if it means beating itself into submission.
Life is stressful enough without getting upset over the little things...
well done Jim ... only worry i would have about getting the bike inspected is that it fails because without the pool of oil under it it cant be authentic
"There's the way it ought to be and there's the way it is" (Sgt Barnes)
What a result, Jim. Well done! You've got a good one there.
Not exactly sure what model that is. It looks like a Barracuda with the fibreglass tank, but it might be the next one up. Victor? I can recall them in their day being slightly fragile (often because they'd been thrashed by a mechanically unsympathetic teenager), but when on song going really well.
or 
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