I’ve never been one to get too sentimental over vehicles. My motorcycles have been something I’ve enjoyed while I’ve owned them, but slip into memory as soon as I trade them for something new. There has been one exception, though. My TR1. The XV1000 TR1 was an oddity. Derived from the custom styled XV750, it did not share the shaft final drive of its smaller stablemate, rather it had a fully enclosed final drive chain that ran in a litre of grease. This meant that chains lasted in the region of 35,000 miles – something unheard of in 1981 when fully exposed chains lasted 10,000 miles if you cherished them and 2,000 if you thrashed them. The TR1 was blessed with “Euro” styling – an upright riding position, a large 5 gallon tank and decent sized and comfortable dual seat. It also came equipped with a small rear carrier.
I fitted a Pantera touring fairing and Krauser panniers to mine. This changed the bike from a sports tourer to a fully dressed touring machine capable of carrying two people over long distances in relative comfort. Between 1984, when I bought it new, to 1993, when I bought my first BMW, Frankie and I travelled Spain, Portugal, Austria, France, German and Italy. In between times, I used it as my daily commuting vehicle and it coped admirably with whatever the weather threw at it.
By 1993, the engine was starting to tire. Nothing major in the scheme of things – it merely needed new camchains. On the ride back form Portsmouth following an Italian trip, the loud rattling under acceleration was a tell tale sign that they had reached the end of their wear and new ones were necessary. Here comes the first major disadvantage of the TR1. The V twin engine is a stressed member, forming part of the frame. It hangs from a simple spine frame with the rest of the peripherals attached to the engine. Which means that getting to the top end to replace cam chains involves removing the engine from the spine frame – this is a major job involving two people and a trolley jack. Once on the bench, the engine is relatively simple to work on. I replaced the cam chains and rebuilt the motor. A few miles after the rebuild, a tinkling noise accompanied by a sudden loss of momentum told me that something was seriously wrong with the top end of the motor. There was no oil getting to the camshafts, so I had to replace both – which meant going through the rigmarole of getting the engine out again. It transpired that the TR1 has a second oil filter attached under the oil pump. The workshop manual conveniently omitted to mention this point.
By this time, I had bought a BMW R1100RS and was using this as my everyday bike and the TR1 became relegated to a second, backup machine. Gradually, I used it less and less. The BMW was a much better bike in every way – better handling, performance, tyres, suspension and was a more enjoyable ride. It was a modern machine, while the TR1 was yesterday’s technology and felt it. In 2003, I realised that I was paying road tax and insurance for one trip a year – to the local bike shop to get it MOT tested. So I took it off the road and cancelled the insurance.
This week, I did what I should have done in 1993; I put it on the market. Far better that someone buys it and rides it than it sitting in my garage gathering dust. I will be sorry to see it go. While it is, after all, just a bike; a lump of metal; it carries memories. Those trips around Europe and significantly, centre stage at our wedding. I’ll miss it. But then, I did keep it too long…
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