Featured What you been doing with your TRIUMPH today??

So today wasn't quite as planned.....

Up reasonably early, mot booked in for 09.00. Bike out of the workshop and myself then kitted out, helmet on, ready to go.
Press starter ....... nothing, absolutely nothing!

Dash lit, sidestand up, starter, no show. Umm

Ok, so no mot today.
Workshop reopened and voltmeter says 9.7 volts
Optimate after 10 minutes shows red light on .... err cell failure quite possible I start thinking, new battery required and start again ( pun intended ).



A quick ride out in the car and problem sorted for £35.

 

So arrive home with the new battery, "I'll have this done in a quarter of an hour", I think I said to myself

Who are you kidding?

The battery, after removing a few ancillary bits and the ecu, was absolutely solid
It was like it had been put in onto a bed of "no nails"
The battery trough had built up with mud off the back wheel and packed the battery in tightly, as in solid!.

 

Best laid plans and all that! I know the feeling.
A few years ago, prior to a few days in Scotland on the ZZR, I checked the bike over the day before, tyre pressures, chain adjusted, fitted a new air filter I had waiting and took the bike for a quick test ride to make sure all OK, then got back and loaded the bike up with camping gear ready for an early start......No.
Got up next morning to an, almost, flat tyre. WTF!
On that "quick" test ride I'd picked up a rusty screw in the back tyre. B*llocks!
So, out with the roadside repair kit, fitted one of those mushroom plugs and away around a hour later. Thankfully no further dramas, even after some, erm, high(ish) speed miles. I kept the speed down initially but soon got fed up with that!
In fact the plug lasted the life of the tyre around 1500m later.

 

So whilst the battery is out let's look at the drainage.
What a joke Triumph, a crappy little 3 or 4 mm hole in one corner.

Now if reading this and planning on doing similar, bear in mind the plastic battery trough, airbox, electrics tidy is quite complex.

DO NOT DRILL DRAIN HOLES THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE BATTERY TRAY!!!

That will only empty water into the airbox


The screwdriver head is the pathetic drain hole provided by Triumph
Note the new, more generous, aperture next to it. This is the nearside and the factory drainhole wasn't even apparent until I'd drilled mine, as the buildup of crud had totally hidden it.


This is the offside behind the relay block.

And this is the newly cleaned perch for the new battery.

 

And eventually we set off for a nice run up to Masham for dinner.



A nice panini and tea with the wife having a bacon sandwich, good food at Johnny Bagdads

A steady wander through the lanes back to home, 104 miles covered with no issues, and the dash claims 70.4 mpg

 

Top design there Triumph!
How does water and road crud even get into the battery box in the first place?

 

The rear mudguard area isn't fully sealed and road grit/dirt, will find a way with the spray off the rear tyre.

Nature will find a way to get in to human created things, it's then up to the designers experience to give it a way out, something I learnt many years ago.
The best thing I did in my Landrover days, was going around the chassis with a 20mm holesaw providing proper drainage holes. After any muddy days, or periodically, I'd literally jetwash the 5hit out of it and so avoid festering corrosion.

 

A few days of holiday to see some of my favorite performing artists. A 3 1/2 hour bike ride? Hell yes.



Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Support your local theater.


Of course I got there in style.

 

So all good plans and all that
Really bright and sunny at home so bike jeans over Richa goretex, a quick visor change from pinlock clear to dark smoked and I'm off.
Decided to take the 765 out to Kirby Stephen to see a new bike shop.
You know when you look forward into the sky and get that feeling that you're aiming straight into the rain
Yep!



Called in the butchers for a cornish pasty and then into MHB bike shop. The front looks like you're going into a t shirt shop but don't be put off. The front half sells outdoor wear and clothing, the back half sells motorbikes, clothing, helmets, oils etc.

And the very back bit has a free coffee machine, sofas and a fire
Call in, Martin the owner would be pleased to see you and happy for you to grab a drink.
The rain didn't stop, so I ended up buying some cheap waterproof trousers from there, can't argue at £10.99



176 mile round trip.

 

Rain? Would not mind a bit of rain here in East Anglia. It's boil in the bag and set to continue getting even hotter! Too hot for me to venture out on the bike.

 

Take a ride to Kirby Stephen, they had hours of it today. You know the sort where you don't bother putting waterproofs on because it isn't too bad only then half an hour later your undies are sticking to you
especially with the additional spray off the back wheel.

 

Been there many a time before I decided to go fully waterproof goretex then no need to stop when you encounter a deluge. I know Kirby Stephen well as I used to live in Lancashire and spent a lot of time riding roads around there.

 

Hi guys I’m looking for some help. I posted this in the tech section so I’m not sure if it has been widely seen.
https://www.thetriumphforum.com/threads/handle-bar-grips.44271/

 

What were the bikes we are trying to match the grips to?

 

They are all triumphs. They could be from the following:
Thunderbird LT, Street Twin, Speedmaster, Speed Twin, Thruxton R and a Tiger 660?

An outside chance also a Sprint ST 1050.

Any help appreciated.

 

Need to narrow it down to 3 bikes including year of manufacture if possible. Set 1 appears to be for a cable operated throttle so that would be Thunderbird LT, Speedmaster or Sprint ST 1050. Are they all for 22mm diameter bars?

 

Ok, I will try and get the year of manufacture, not sure I can whittle them down though I will try.
Yes they are all 22mm grips.

PS: thanks for looking

 

I have updated my original post in the tech section, so as not to derail this one.
https://www.thetriumphforum.com/threads/handle-bar-grips.44271/#post-662233

 

I am off work until Friday, so took advantage of the beautiful hot weather and did about 177 miles today on my Street Triple, getting some stamps in my Bike and Brew Passport, stopping at Montford Bridge Cafe Shrewsbury, Inglenook Cafe Welshpool and Ty Morgans Rhayader.
This was the route, give or take a few minor alterations:

Inglenook Cafe:

Ty Morgans:

 

Might give the last 2 a try sometime soon. We went to the Poolehall cafe last week, and that was very good.