Triumph Bonneville T140 Engine Removal | 1975 Triumph Desert Sled Project Motorcycle Stripdown | 03

In this episode I remove the engine and gearbox from my 1975 Triumph Bonneville T140V. I bought this as a project bike, and when I tried to remove the cylinder head I found that it was stuck solid. It may take some time to resolve that problem, but I want to get on with the rest of the project, so I decided to remove the engine and deal with it separately.

Here are some of the tools I am going to be using for this bike:
Motorcycle lift: https://ebay.us/xlgM8p
Motorcycle scissor lift: https://ebay.us/OQBmur
Imperial Combination Spanner Set: https://ebay.us/gYz85M
Imperial 1/2inch Socket set: https://ebay.us/jylH05
Imperial Allen Hex Bit Sockets: https://ebay.us/iFV0OQ

This bike is an import from the USA, and I doubt it had been ridden for over 30 years.
I managed to register the bike within 4 weeks. I explained this in an earlier video we have on the channel which you can watch here:    • How To Fill In A V55/5 Form - Importi...  

Having stripped part of the bike to enable the attempted removal of the cylinder head I had a bit of a head start in removing the engine. In that the fuel tank, rocker covers, exhaust, and carbs have been removed.

Although taking the engine out of a Triumph twin is quite easy, it is usually made harder by years of rust. Luckily this bike although it does have rust, isn’t too bad and apart from the cylinder head most parts are coming apart quite easily.

The hardest, or probably the most annoying part, is removing the right hand engine plate. In principle it is only held on by 5 nuts and bolts, but because of the engineering required to provide a disk brake at the rear with the foot brake lever on the right there is one big problem. The bottom nut and bolt is covered at the back by the mounting plate of the rear brake master cylinder. This takes quite a bit of dismantling to remove. But if this is the biggest problem there really isn’t anything to complain about.

The engine is reported to weigh 130 lb or 58Kg. This is quite a bit lighter than the CB750 SOHC engine. It is probably OK to take it out on your own, but it always helps to have another pair of hands ready if you have a problem. This is even more important if you have any concerns about the cosmetics that may be harmed while you get the engine out. In this case this wasn’t an issue 😀

Overall this job went quite well, the job didn’t expand because something was seized or got broken. I now need to decide which engine stand I am going to use, but I think I might be working on the frame next. I want to get it painted during the Summer, and time is quickly running out.

For more helpful how-to guides and restoration project logs, visit our blog: https://www.spannerrash.com/

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