Terrot MT1 Motorcycle restoration project

[jjeffries]

Very adventurous and cool. Lovely workshop, too. First motorized device I ever got to play with was a Lambretta LI 150, which my brother bought as a frame and bag of bits, Bristol 1980. Taught us both a lot. Your mention of Lambretta's reminded me. Best, John in Connecticut.

[911hillclimber]

Thank you John, the garage I have is just a small double garage, 2 x 911's would fill it!

I had 2 Lambretta when I was 15 and these were my first 'apprenticeship' projects, learnt a lot and realised how much there was to learn!
I recently restored another, 49 years after those first 2, and after that a Honda CB175 Super Sport and now this little French Terrot MT1.

Still find I have so much to learn.

I have to admit this bike is not as exciting to do as the others, it is a fundamental bike, a utility bike used to go to work in a French town in the 1950's and it a dull thing but certainly cheaper to restore!

[911hillclimber]

Had a short afternoon on the Terrot today, and wanted to get the handle bars all assembled and on the bike.

New grips slipped on easy and the throttle mechanism which was hardly worn all greased and assembled well.
I tried to source the correct coloured grips but no chance, so used these modern ones.

I decided to make new lever pivots from stainless bolts and some hand work and all assembled and on the bike!
The original levers were bent and broken and very rusty, so modified some BSA Bantam parts, some cutting and welding and re-chrome.
Headlamp next and then the brake and gearshift mechanism.

[911hillclimber]

I keep on chipping away at this bike, but doubt I'll have it running by the end of April which was my goal.

Stainless came today so I could do the rear brake rod and later the gear shift rod.
These small details make all the difference to the build.

Headlamp shell on the front and the lights are ready for the trailer cable on it's way to me now.
Time to spend some more money for cables etc and then fitting the tank.

[Ashley James]

It's great to see it all coming together.

[911hillclimber]

Thanks!
It always takes me ages to do the re-assembly where others seem to zip these things together in a trice...

Dreading the engine ignition timing 'adventure'.

[Ashley James]

If the worst comes to the worst, just get it going and juggle the timing for the most power. It's what we used to do with Bantams when the main bearing bush was gone and you couldn't adjust points very easily.

[911hillclimber]

This bike has a lot in common with the BSA!

Spent some more time on the Terrot these last few days.

The bike had 'lost' it's stand, and I even found one for sale in France for 100 Euro, FAR too much, so after looking at the original design on Google, I made my own for £4.
Far more enjoyable making things than signing cheques.
I added small brass bushes in my effort simply because I could...

Enthused by this rush of DIY I made the loom following a circuit I think is right for a magneto, time will tell if this is correct. I found a lot of parts from my Lambretta parts stock so this all cost £0.

Exhaust is next and will be home made once I find a 2 stroke silencer, possibly off a Bantam D1.



Discreet kill button.







How it is meant to be, stand and exhaust.

[911hillclimber]

Each hour gets me closer to the 'destination' seems a long journey this one...

A set of universal cables came today and cut and fitted to suit the 1949 handle bar brackets and the Bantam levers, all good and pleased to have those sorted.
Next came the exhaust system.
A trip to Villers Services local to me allowed some parts to be 'guestimated' to fit this un-known bike.
£50 for a chromed 2 stroke silencer, some pre-bent tube off ebay and a steady MIG hand and the system is all together!
The stock Terrot system is 30mm tube, unobtainable now, esp in the very thin wall they used.
I had to weld a stub pipe to mate the 32mm tube to some good 30mm cut out of the old tube with a small flare end for mating to the head and allowing the collar nut to fit.

Problem with this method is chroming the down tube with the collar nut now trapped in place might be an issue and if so then it will be painted black.
I'll check with the chromer first though.

At Villiers found some 'period' handle bar grips to replace the modern ones I bought and a sey of BIG handle bar grips were adapted to cover the weird foot rests.
A new chain came from them too, brilliant place.

Engine timing next...

[smallspeed]

It's going to be such an awesome bike when its done

[Kneeslider]

Love the exhaust pipe. Looks like it really belongs there. My secret hate is exhaust pipe fitting. It should be so simple, but ends up being a fight because 99% of the time, the part you buy (when it is possible to buy the part!) doesn't fit 100% anyway, and a few bits of bent tube seem to be so expensive for what they are.

[yoda]

What a fabulous project, I love it. Impressed with your skills too!

[911hillclimber]

Thank you all.
I've been putting off doing the system until I had to as it is usually such a game, but for some reason the plan simply came together, and an hour later it was done!
I wanted it to look correct to period, and I hope the 'pea-shooter' look works.
It will be nice if I can get it chromed.

I think I've found a place in France who have a new engine sprocket for 30 Euro. The original is really worn, but I'll check first for fit. It is a fine splined hub fitting, quite unusual.
If it wasn't case hardened I would making a new sprocket machined out and weld the hub in from the original, but it is rock hard. (though worn and the wheel sprocket is like new...)

The engine has a pointer on the magneto, a mark on the magneto cover, so I think you set those two markers together, piston at TDC and set the points to be just closing.

There is zero info for this bike, and the French people on the Terrot web site never answer my questions even though the thread is in English and French.

It is not DDK quality!

Just as an aside, here is the stainless exhaust I made for my Porsche engine hill climb car, that took 2 weeks! Drove me mad, but was quoted £2K for the system, cost me £150.

[smallspeed]

awesome manifold work! i'm starting to think about one for my oldest 3-series, just because proper fitting RHD manifolds are like rockinghorse s**t. the wormy-mess I might need for a straight 6 worries me and my welding capabilities though!

I have a feeling the reason you're not getting responses on the terrot website is one of two things - either because you're not French, or because no one else knows either

[911hillclimber]

Ha!
I did tell them I wanted to stay in the EU, but....
And yes, possibly they have no idea either!

I did have one comment, in English, asking why I was working so hard on a shittly little MT100 and not a pre-war 350cc.