Buckle up
Q: I have recently restored a 1967 Triumph 650. My question concerns the way the seat strap is attached to the seat. Photos I’ve seen of 1967 Triumph 650s with seat straps show the chrome buckles tilted backward, not forward as on my bike. The tabs on the 1967 pan have three holes to permit the buckles to be tilted forward or back. Seems a bit odd Triumph would bother to give two alignment options. Do you know why this is so? Is either direction considered correct? — Mark/Knoxville, Tenn.Â
A: I can’t say whether one orientation is correct, but I will say that the majority of period advertisements I’ve seen show the buckles tilted backward toward the passenger. If I remember correctly, they were an optional accessory. When I recovered the seat of my 64 T100SC a few years ago, I took note of the rust in the screw holes where the safety strap was attached and opted to not re-install it. MCÂ
