Canadian Triumph TRWs

45jim · #1 25-11-10, 21:22

Rob,

Earlier this year, I picked up four very nice TRW's. One is now complete and a runner in original MOD green (not racing green or any other type of green). I also got a horde of NOS parts including fenders, internal engine parts, tanks, seats, rims, electrical stuff, an unused engine and a bunch more (2 trailers full). Send me a list of what you need, I may have it or be able to put you on the path. The hardest parts to find are the proper aircleaner, the rubber elbow from the carb to air cleaner, the large voltage rectifyer and the dash switch. Almost everything else is the same as a civilan TR5.The carriers for the panniers and the canvas panniers thermselves, are available as repos from British Cycle Supply in Nova Scotia.

Some points of interest on the Canadian TRW's I have discovered, if you have holes on your front fender for a licence plate then the CFR was not painted on the tank it was on the plate. The blade type licence plate is black with white hand painted letters. Likewise a non-perforated front fender had the stencil CFR on the tank. One of my bikes had the CFR stamped on the frame (like a WLC) check the rear downtubes by the seat.

The paint used varied. I have lots of NOS parts that are what I would call a "forest green" but the bikes themselves are the bronze green 1950's UK "MOD Green, Gloss". I have had luck in the past (with a Ferret) using Sherwin Willams, but I no longer have the code.

I am putting another together for Charlie Fitton and would be happy to supply a TRW to anyone who wants one.

rob love · #2 25-11-10, 21:36

Thanks for the offer Jim, I'll PM you a list of what I am looking for later today.

I was wondering about that front plate. Seems like half the Cdn bikes I see have them, and half do not.

45jim · #3 25-11-10, 21:42

I will try and post a few photos of the bikes I have, here goes.

Jim

Jon Skagfeld · #4 25-11-10, 22:51

Getting back to CAR numbers:

The only bikes I ran across (Signals, Service Corps, Provost, all in the Toronto area) had their CAR stencilled in white on the upper gas tank, under the map holder grill.

The black blade on the front fender had 2 small F plates bolted together over the blade itself. A single F plate was mounted low on the rear fender.

Could this have been an SOP within each of the Commands?

servicepub (RIP) · #5 25-11-10, 23:52

Is it possible that those bikes that had the number plate mounted on the fender were used in Germany and thjose that never went overseas had the CFR painted on the tank?

rob love · #6 26-11-10, 04:33

My bike has the holes on the fender for the number plate.

I also noted that on a U-tube video of a brand new Cdn triumph being opened up to be assembled for the first time the CFRs had been painted onto the tank. So at some point supply must have opened the crates to mark them. The crate was triumph marked, so it wasn't a repack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du4m7_vme20

45jim · #7 26-11-10, 18:33

I am pretty sure the CFR was added in Canada during incomming inspection and not in the UK. None of my bikes have the CFR painted on the tanks and all are 1956 or 1957's. Perhaps there were several shipments and only the later bikes were marked and left in their crates?

I did see the TRW in the crate in the surplus store in Calgary (when he had his museum open) and it had the CFR painted on the tank (no fender plate) and the Strathcona museum had one, before being traded for a WLC, that was again marked on the tank (again no fender plate). Some of the pictures in Clive's book are also very interesting. I had never seen a photo of a TRW in flat paint with tac signs on the tank rather than the shiny Triumph plate.

Burton Bike Bits in the UK also has alot of NOS parts including carb kits that include new fuel lines (they leak like crazy).

My NOS engine also has a CF repair tag attached showing a serial number and stating that all wear surfaces were 0.00".

Below is a photos at the Canadian Warplane Heritage showing a TRW in original paint with no CFR and no fender plate. It also has a blackout shield that I've never seen before. The sidecar was a joke, it would have a top speed of about 5 kph. These things are slow! The second photo is one that was for sale recently in Ontario, it has a repainted tank and no fender plate. The third and fourth photo show the same bike but with a pretty rare triumph bike cover (it was in the crate originally). Notice that this bike has both the CFR on the tank and the fender plate. The last photo is the original tool kit (as I was told) but it is missing the special valve adjusting tool.

servicepub (RIP) · #8 26-11-10, 20:25

Borden has a TRW in the original Triumph crate and the CFR is painted on the outside of the crate - but an obvious add-on. They ran a camera into the box and saw the CFR on the tank so I think that some of them were numbered at the factory as part of the contract and the crate had this added also.
Clive

Jon Skagfeld · #9 27-11-10, 02:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by 45jim

I am pretty sure the CFR was added in Canada during incomming inspection and not in the UK. None of my bikes have the CFR painted on the tanks and all are 1956 or 1957's. Perhaps there were several shipments and only the later bikes were marked and left in their crates?

I did see the TRW in the crate in the surplus store in Calgary (when he had his museum open) and it had the CFR painted on the tank (no fender plate) and the Strathcona museum had one, before being traded for a WLC, that was again marked on the tank (again no fender plate). Some of the pictures in Clive's book are also very interesting. I had never seen a photo of a TRW in flat paint with tac signs on the tank rather than the shiny Triumph plate.

Burton Bike Bits in the UK also has alot of NOS parts including carb kits that include new fuel lines (they leak like crazy).

My NOS engine also has a CF repair tag attached showing a serial number and stating that all wear surfaces were 0.00".

Below is a photos at the Canadian Warplane Heritage showing a TRW in original paint with no CFR and no fender plate. It also has a blackout shield that I've never seen before. The sidecar was a joke, it would have a top speed of about 5 kph. These things are slow! The second photo is one that was for sale recently in Ontario, it has a repainted tank and no fender plate. The third and fourth photo show the same bike but with a pretty rare triumph bike cover (it was in the crate originally). Notice that this bike has both the CFR on the tank and the fender plate. The last photo is the original tool kit (as I was told) but it is missing the special valve adjusting tool.

Somebody's whizzing you about the tool kit. That case was the pouch for a Tool Kit, Lineman, Field.