tr7triumph.com

Yes unfortunately there has been a change in the forum population. In the early 2000s many of us used our 7s as daily drivers, or at least on a very regular basis. Many posts were on what happened today going to work/shops.

When I joined I was doing between 7,000 & 10,000 kilometres a year in the 7, & some thousand more in the 8. Today it is more like hundreds. I recently had to replace an 8 year old air conditioning compressor due to lack of use during use restrictions caused by the Covid problem.

I will shortly have to replace tyres on both the 7, & the Honda S2000 due to being 7 years old, about the use by date for tyres in our climate, despite being less than 1/4 worn. The 7 is also about due for a full rubber replacement. All hoses & brake replacement is probably a bit beyond me at 81, but we shall see.

Hasbeen

I would say long time no see John, but you popped up on YouTube yesterday.

Dismantling the front of a battered wedge.

I would say there has been a slight increase in forum traffic over the last few weeks. Goes without saying it’s up to us members to keep it going. Forum over FB for me, no competition.
Rich.

Hasbeen wrote:Yes unfortunately there has been a change in the forum population. In the early 2000s many of us used our 7s as daily drivers, or at least on a very regular basis. Many posts were on what happened today going to work/shops.

When I joined I was doing between 7,000 & 10,000 kilometres a year in the 7, & some thousand more in the 8. Today it is more like hundreds. I recently had to replace an 8 year old air conditioning compressor due to lack of use during use restrictions caused by the Covid problem.

Hasbeen

Exactly what happened over here. I’ve bought my TR7 in 1998 as a daily driver. I still have it, but this year I’ve driven it less than 100km’s.
Partly because of COVID, but mainly because of the need for a backseat.

Peter

Similar here, bought my DHC in 1988 as a daily driver. Was used as such till 1998, when she was replaced by 't Kreng.
Even manage an avarage of 15.000 km over the last two years the DHC was used in its original guise!

Both cars have been used less over the past two years than I would have liked. Mainly due to Covid, but also a private matter.
Hopefully 2022 will be better!

I don't think we will see TRs used as daily drivers much again.

However, on a happier note, I received in the nail today my 20 year membership badge of the Triumph club in STOCQ, triumph owners club in Queensland.

Hasbeen

Have just recently joined this forum after buying another DHC TR7 V8 at the beginning of August this year. Scrolling & searching through it has been immensely helpful as have the answers to the questions I've asked. Thanks again to those helpful folks.
30 years ago when I owned my first DHC 7 V8 there was no internet or mobile phones with WiFi, therefore no forums as such.
At that time though there were local Triumph/BL dealers where you could wander into their parts department with an obscure part & a knowledgeable parts person could likely identify it without recourse to a parts book. Also the availability of breakers yards where you could wander freely & usually find a suitable part (got my twin electric fan set up that way for very little cost) Sadly this has all but disappeared.
This makes forums such as this all the more necessary, if the wealth of knowledge and experience is shared by and to all.
I too used my first 7 as a daily driver/commuter but eventually circumstances meant it had to go.
Nostalgia got the better of me so I bought my present car although I'm beginning to think these old bones require an electric power steering conversation. 3 score + 10 is definitely a milestone not conducive to heavy steering, although it's fine on the open road.
So I'll continue to use this forum & possibly contribute if I can to preserve this valuable resource.

NOTE - ADVANCE WARNING!

I will be taking the forum offline in the coming weeks, saving all the comments, etc and then relaunching on a different dedicated host server ... it maybe down for a day or so.

Forewarned is for-armed........thanks for keeping us going and going to the trouble of upgrading

Hi, irco you are spot on with your observations. My original fixed head and the drop head that followed were both used as daily drivers when I was a somewhat younger man. Trips down to the local Mann Egerton BL dealership parts department were also a regular feature of my Saturday mornings in pursuit of service items and advice. The local area group of the TR Drivers Club was always an essential source of knowledge and assistance, and still is. The forum serves as a valuable depository of information as well as a contact medium for likeminded wedgeheads around the world. I totally agree with your sentiments Cobber.
Rich.

I understand what you are saying irco, at 81, I am finding tight turns when almost stationary getting a bit heavy, however I simply remind myself that the exercise is saving me a gym membership. [also a bit heavy at 81], & enjoy what is in my opinion the best weighted & rated steering of any road car I have ever driven.

I then remember how dead the over light, over fast steering is in my Honda S2000, & decide I will live with a bit of weight at near stationary speeds.

Hasbeen

Aye, I don't suppose the smaller TR8 steering wheel is helping matters much. Maybe going up to a standard diameter wheel would somewhat solve my minor problem. Or there again the extra exercise may tone up the old muscles

rugbyref1 wrote:NOTE - ADVANCE WARNING!
I will be taking the forum offline in the coming weeks, saving all the comments, etc and then relaunching on a different dedicated host server ... it maybe down for a day or so.

Thanks for all the time (and money) you are spending to keep this forum going!
Hopefully it will be used more in the future.

Look foreward to seeing it back on line in the new version. Its been very helpful over the years.

Howard

Beans wrote:

rugbyref1 wrote:NOTE - ADVANCE WARNING!
I will be taking the forum offline in the coming weeks, saving all the comments, etc and then relaunching on a different dedicated host server ... it maybe down for a day or so.

Thanks for all the time (and money) you are spending to keep this forum going!
Hopefully it will be used more in the future.

I second that, thanks Christopher. It would be a great shame to lose this resource and all the knowledge contained. While I do use the FB forum too I still come back here most days. Hope the new one will retain the avatars, mine was produced by the late J Clay (who seemed to prefer a US waterfall to the Kent country garden I originally had!).