Craigslist Triumph, Day 1 Update

Kinja'd!!! "Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
06/02/2016 at 14:13 • Filed to: Craigslist Triumph, Thunderbird Sport

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So as many of you know, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I didn’t really have a chance to dig too deep beyond just putting in some fresh gas and determining that she would run provided choke was full on. In this state it ran pretty OK save for some stumbling and a pretty mean mid throttle lean bog. Yesterday after work I decided to dig a little deeper and go after some of the lower lever simple fixes that didn’t require parts. First thing I noticed after taking off the seat and side panels was that the airbox was pushed back about 0.5".

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In this state only one of the three rearward mounting points was usable and no matter how hard I pushed I could not find a way to make them all line up. I thought initially that maybe this was a part off a different year bike, but once I removed a few rubber couplers and saw that it lined up perfectly I started looking elsewhere for source of the issue.

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I’d already corrected the issue here but this is where the middle carb was disconnected.

What I ended up finding upon closer inspection was that the center carb boot was not seated correctly and consequentially was pushing the entire assembly rearward. Additionally such a large air leak would definitely cause it to run lean and have bogging issues. After about an hour of cursing and contortion I got everything to seat and line up as intended. I put it all back together and started her up and sprayed some brake cleaner in the area to test for any more leaks.

Realizing that I hadn’t done it yet, I checked the tire pressures while I waited for the engine to come up to temp. Ended up being about 20psi low both front and rear along with a very questionable suspension tune (full hard compression damping up front with almost no preload). I corrected both and took her out for a ride.

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She runs good! Still a little bit of hesitation probably due to some carb buildup, but totally ridable now that the bogging and handling instability seem to be solved. Took her out on an uneventful 20 mile loop where she seemed to run smoother with every passing minute. It started to get a bit dark so I brought her back and completed some other minor items.

First, I cleaned and lubed the chain because I have no idea when that was done last. Sproket seems to be in good shape so doesn’t look like I need to do either in the very near future.

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I bent the headlight bracket back to center

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Sidenote, I’m actually really surprised at how well that little mirror works! Placement and angle is perfect, probably the best rear visibility of all my bikes.

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Finally I swapped it over to GP shift because that’s what I’m used to from the SV.

As for where I’m going to go next, I have some oil change hardware coming in Friday (who knows when the last change was, oil looks dark) and some spark plugs next week. There is a little bit of top end ticking so I’ll check the valves while I’m doing plugs just for peace of mind. I also noticed that the bike seems to burn a little oil on cold start but it goes away once warm so I plan to monitor consumption over time and see how I want to approach that. I’ll update more as I get more done. Maybe the next post will have a ride along so you can hear just how amazing these triples sound :)


DISCUSSION (34)


Kinja'd!!! Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 14:23

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That seat looks like it came off a Gold Wing. I've seen a T-bird around town with a low profile Corbin, and the guy put what looks like a HD bobbed fender with slight kick-up in the back. It's also lowered to close up the gap over the rear tire. That scoot looks badass.


Kinja'd!!! My bird IS the word > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 14:27

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gotta love when what seems like a serious problem is resolved with a small dumbassery fix. If it dosen’t need much else, that will be a hell of a find.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
06/02/2016 at 14:28

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Yeah, seat needs to go in favor of a more vintage styled unit. Believe it or not its actually a triumph branded part so it must have been offered as an accessory at some point, and while it is really comfy I cant really get over how it disrupts the rest of the bike’s lines.

I also found out that the entire bike was painted matte black at some point (and with some skill too!) Turns out it wasn’t a factory color.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > My bird IS the word
06/02/2016 at 14:41

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I’m hoping it was that simple! If everything dries up I’m going to go for a longer ride after work today and see how she does. Now that I have some more confidence in everything, got to go out and give her some aggressive throttle inputs to clear the rest of the carb passages. However, I want to get some fresh oil in there before I beat on her too much.


Kinja'd!!! Hammerdown > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 14:44

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Now the question is: Why was the carb boot seating improperly? Did the PO have it apart and slam it back together before the sale? Had it been that way for a long time? You’ll probably never know the answer, but it’s fun to speculate.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > Hammerdown
06/02/2016 at 14:50

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I think it was just difficulty, Triumph sure did make it hard to get at that middle carb. Only way I got it to seat properly was lubing each of the boots with some two stroke oil and placing my full body weight forward on the airbox. If that failed my next step was to remove the carbs and start the assembly from scratch.

No idea how long it had been like that, but the PO only owned it for 6 months and never got around to working on it (he said)


Kinja'd!!! Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 15:44

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I checked the tire pressures while I waited for the engine to come up to temp. Ended up being about 20 psi low both front and rear

I made this same mistake too when I first got my Vision. I took it out for a rip and was like “man this bike handles funny” I finally check the tire pressure and it only had 10psi in it front and rear. Bumped it up to 34psi rear and 30psi front and it handles much much better now.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 16:05

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That’s great! I was not expecting it to be that easy. You might just be able to bring it out Sunday!


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
06/02/2016 at 16:12

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Yeah, after that I’m going to be a lot more vigilant about pressures on my other bikes. I’ve been pretty lax about checking but it really makes a HUGE difference.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/02/2016 at 16:17

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If I can get the oil changed Friday and hit some corners it’s a distinct possibility! Got to see how the front end reacts to being pushed a bit as I’ve still got that seal leak. Going to try the business card trick after work today and see if it helps.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 16:22

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Either way it can’t be much worse than stock Harley suspension.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/02/2016 at 16:39

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I’m just excited to get that all sorted out! Minus inverted forks this appears to be proper sportbike suspension and braking components.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/02/2016 at 16:42

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Also just got work my oil came today! looks like I’ll have that part done tonight


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/02/2016 at 20:40

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Nice! I’m being bad and looking at used triumphs now. Latus in Gladstone has a used street triple. Wonder if they would trade straight across.... I think the wife might kill me though.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/03/2016 at 04:10

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Do it, the noise from the triple is so cool! In other news oil changed (with some difficulty) and fork seal leak stopped. Gonna try a commute tomorrow and if she does well that’s what I’ll bring Sunday! :)


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/03/2016 at 09:51

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I will if I can. Looking at it it’s even got a few upgrades, probably at least a grand worth.

That was quick! I hope it goes well.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/03/2016 at 12:28

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The business card trick performed perfectly! Ran it along the inside diameter of the fork seals and bang, no more leaks. Still needs more fork oil to replace the stuff that leaked out, but for now it’s ridable and has stopped leaking further. As for the oil change, there were two custom washers around the filter I was missing, had to fab up some replacements. Engine sounds a lot happier with a crankcase full of Rotella T6 and that top end ticking is noticeably reduced.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/03/2016 at 12:38

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You got a killer deal on that bike.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/04/2016 at 21:08

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So like 103 tomorrow, you still down?


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/04/2016 at 22:13

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Definitely. Just won’t fully gear up and make sure to put some sunscreen on.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/04/2016 at 22:35

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Awesome, was planning to do the same Jacket , gloves, and boots. The route we’re taking only has like 15-20 minutes of slab so we shouldn’t hit much traffic.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/04/2016 at 23:28

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Cool. I want even planning on the jacket. Mine is not vented well enough for that kind of heat. I’ve been meaning to get a well vented, mesh jacket but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/05/2016 at 00:07

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Yeah, my dad is in town and might join on one of my other bikes. If that’s the case, I’ll give him my vented jacket and squid it up a little bit with a hoodie. :)


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/05/2016 at 14:41

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I’m running a little late but I’m leaving my house in a few minutes. Should be there by 12:15 I think.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/05/2016 at 15:01

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Cool we’re here, near the back in the shade


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/05/2016 at 19:21

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Just got home. We’ll have to do that again sometime. Totally forgot, but we should have swapped numbers. Oh well.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/05/2016 at 19:32

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Yeah realized the same thing about half way home! Definitely down to do it again sometime, just hopefully on a (at least slightly) cooler day.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/05/2016 at 21:23

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Hope my Dad wasn’t holding you up too much on the supermoto? I think the roads might have been a little outside his comfort zone given the roads in his area of PA, plus unfamiliar bike and all.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/05/2016 at 22:58

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Nah. I wouldn’t have pushed much harder with my terrible suspension and all. If the roads were real nice would have definitely like to go faster, but my suspension is to easy to upset and I’d rather that not happen mid corner. So it’s all good!


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/06/2016 at 01:03

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Glad to hear it! Hope the second leg was a little better overall? I think I remember only one section where the pavement was real choppy (unfortunately it was choppy on riding line in about three consecutive corners) but otherwise it seemed pretty smooth.

Hit me up on here when you want to go again (and we’ll be sure to actually exchange info this time!) , lots of twisty roads in that general area and a little north into Washington.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/06/2016 at 01:35

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Yeah for sure. Second run was only bad for a mile or two. Definitely a fun road though. I think tomorrow I’m going to take a little pre load off the rear of my bike. I’ve been playing with it to see what works best, but for Oregon roads stiffer is not better.

Of course. We could even get a bigger group together sometime. I’ve even got a map of Oregon made for motorcyclists, I should really look through it sometime.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/06/2016 at 02:14

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Yes definitely! I tried to get three of my normal riding buddies to come out but one of them had plans and the two others wussed out due to the temperature :/

Now as for suspension setting, I’ve always had good luck setting static droop (with rider) at 1/4-1/3 total available travel.


Kinja'd!!! AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Decay buys too many beaters
06/06/2016 at 02:28

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Oh well. Can’t hardly blame them.

Good idea. I’ve just been bumbling about with it, because meh.


Kinja'd!!! Decay buys too many beaters > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
06/06/2016 at 14:07

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Nope, can’t blame them one bit. I mean the ride was fine, but getting from North Beaverton to South Beaverton after the ride with my radiator fan slowly roasting my genitals was less than pleasant.