Curt Haring’s restored 1970 Triumph TR6C.
At about 16 I badgered my dad into letting me buy a used CZ 125 two-stroke, then soon a 1965 Honda CB160. I rode that bike for a couple of years, then joined the big boys club when I bought a 1961 BSA 650 A10 Super Rocket. I hung on to that Beezer through a stint in the Air Force and an all expenses paid trip to Vietnam courtesy of Uncle Sam. When I returned to civilian life I entered college, met my wife and got married. Unfortunately, the BSA was an asset that was turned into cash as we started our new life together.
The demands of starting a career and raising a family took precedence over my motorcycle yearnings, so it wasn’t until my youngest graduated from college that I began to think about getting back on a motorcycle. Coincidently, in 1973 my brother-in-law traded a pickup for a chopped 1970 Triumph TR6C. He put it in his barn and there it sat. We both remained off the road for the next 34 years. My wife, knowing how long I had yearned for another bike, and knowing I was considering buying and restoring that Triumph, bought it for me as a gift in 2007. I spent the next two years restoring it, but with a great deal of help and advice from two long-time British bike enthusiasts, Bill Chedeville and Chuck Davis.
The Triumph TR6CÂ before restoration.
I’m quite happy with the way it turned out. It is my first restoration, but may be my last on such a scale — I guess I never believed experienced restorers when they told me, “You’ll spend more money than it will be worth when you’re done.” Turns out they were right! But it was a great experience and I enjoy riding it whenever possible. Nevertheless, it seems that one bike is not enough; I’ve just picked-up a 1982 Honda CB900F Super Sport, which I became attracted to after seeing it featured in the November/December 2010 issue. It’s not the prettiest example out there so I’m prepared to do a mini-restoration (more like a spruce-up) this winter.
Read more about the motorcycles mentioned in this article:Â
• 1981 Honda CB900F