Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

Thanks, @Johnjo. I'll look forward to seeing a photo one of these days when the weather cooperates. Mr. Sandi and I have a ride buddy who until recently had a newer Bonneville (T20, I think) in black and white. He named it "Oreo". He sold the Bonnie to his brother which left him with one Triumph, a red 2006 Thruxton named "Thunderball".

 

Bloody ell, how many bottles did you drink while you was doing that? No wonder you couldn't get the hose unclipped

 

I installed the Street Twin bars on my Street Cup. The SC bars were about and inch or so narrower with more pullback which I liked. I'm now sitting further back on the seat which is a fair trade-off. I have a few other bikes that fit me better and would rather ride but none a beautiful as the SC . The only other modifications I plan to do is the Tec cam and X-pipe. Haven't looked at the intake snorkel, yet but that typically becomes a bottleneck after the other restrictions are removed.

 

That's what I did for checking valve clearances. But to check the timing you need to get alternator cover off to get to the timing hole which locks the crank shaft, so you can then check the cams are in the correct position relative to that. If I knew that timing hole was aligned with TDC then I could instead get a gauge down the spark plug hole to get pistons at TDC and check the cam timing without getting the alternator off.

It's getting the alternator cover off that's the part of the service I'm dreading, as by all accounts it's a right pain to seal right when putting it back together (because of the rubber grommet where the alternator leads exit). In fact the factory got it wrong when they assembled my bike, giving me an oil leak in the first few hundred miles

 

I didn't realise the valve timing was adjustable on these engines. The Z1000 engine I rebuilt and tuned back in the 80's had slotted cam sprockets for advancing/retarding the cams and adjustment of valve timing. Most standard bikes I've come across have fixed sprockets and non adjustable timing.

 

@brown mouse: I am impressed of your technical skills. With the help of your "electrolyte drinks" you can obviously hold out even longer.

 

Triumph water-cooled twins have a slotted cam sprocket too. The service schedule has 'camshaft timing check' listed, not 'check/adjust' like valve clearances so unsure if bad timing means worn stuff needing replacement, or just adjust. Also, the service manuals doesn't mention a timing check procedure, just how to set timing when installing a sprocket, which I guess is same thing. Support guy at triumph confirmed that, though couldn't explain why the engine service kit they sell didn't include alternator gasket, just the cam cover one.

 

That's interesting. I wonder why they've done that, possibly to compensate for and adjust out any valve train wear maybe? If you've had the cams out, for whatever reason, timing shouldn't be affected if the sprocket bolts haven't been touched. Reading through the timing check and adjustment procedure it appears Triumph special tools are required to pre tension the chain, due to the fact the tensioner is hydraulic no doubt. If you know what the valve timing figures are, a degree wheel and a dial gauge is the most accurate way to check them but in the absence of any such data you can only rely on the timing marks.

 

The timings are listed in service manual, perhaps I should have a rethink

I guess I hadn't cottoned on the tensioner may be hydraulic. I didn't order the chain tensioner tool, thinking that there wouldn't be significant slack in the chain, because the tension produced by turning the engine (or pushing against sprocket by hand) would be enough to give a sense that the timing wasn't too far out.

The guy a TEC Bike Parts didn't do anything special for tensioning when showing how to fit their cams.

Edit: I'm lying, he takes out the tensioned and changers the circlip to a 'pre loaded' position.

Edit again: No, I wasn't lying, that tensioner change is the specified procedure for refitting tensioner, which he has removed to get chain slack when swapping camshaft. He does the timing for the new camshaft with this tensioner still compressed, presumably meaning there it's not forcing the chain to be tensioned, unless it has snapped back out into position by itself (before the rotate engine backwards step at the end designed to get this to happen).

 

It's the Haynes manual I have and I can't see valve timing specs anywhere but, thinking about it, with a SOHC setup you can't adjust inlet and exhaust valve timing separately anyway. You need some tension on the slack side of the chain at all times to prevent overun on the cam when turning the engine over.
Here's a good demonstration/explanation by Dave Hopkins, well known in dirtbike circles....

 

Thanks, that's very interesting. BTW, I did start a thread a few days ago in the Technical Help part of the forum, which may be a better place for this conversation and not bore other people here with this?

I just added there that the Triumph service manual seems to say the timing slot on camshaft corresponds to TDC on cylinder one, and I can get that position via the spark plug hole, no need for removing alternator cover.

 

Fitting new metal fuel connectors under the tank to replace the crappy plastic ones that Triumph insist don’t break and never cause problems. Like hell!

 

That sounds a very worth while mod. The OEM plastic connectors can be a bitch to release, requiring such force I always expect it breaking.

 

I’m surprised mine lasted as long as they had. Of course, they could have already been replaced with the standard ones more than once before I got the bike.
It’s not really a mod, more an essential upgrade. If yours has the plastic ones, you need to swap them for the metal ones.
Part number for the ones I got is LCD10004V 1/4 BSPT male thread. I paid £21 inc vat each from RS Components in Northampton. If you have a 955 any model they will be the same.

 

Link below.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/hose-couplings/3872511

 

Shortened the indicators on the Scrambler. I like the fact that they're quite large and bright for good visibility, personally I'm not a fan of those tiny smoked LED offerings, but they stick out quite a bit so I shortened them by about 1" which I think has improved things slightly.

standard.....



comparison....



result, minus the barn door number plate...

 

Day 3 of servicing. Alternator and rockers off to check timing, which looks OK. Laborious scraping of old gasket off. Then 3 of 4 rockers back on, with some smaller shims on one. Measured clearances and found the shims I hadn't changed had gone down, and the ones I'd changed for smaller sizes were still the same clearance (yes, I rotated engine loads to try and get things seated right).

Called it a day and opened a beer Still waiting on more shims, so will be a few days before re-assembly).

 

At least you have a nice dry comfy working area. My Street Scrambler is the first Triumph I've ever worked on and found it a bit of a breeze after the ZZR which is a nightmare in comparison. Not only a lengthy job to even get to the valve gear but you get to take the cams out to change the shims. Not a job to do when you're in a bad mood!

 

Beautiful day today, so I just had to get out on the Rocket, roads were a bit wet with the snow melting, but still great fun