Hi All, another owner on the other forum has suffered an idler gear boss breakage on his Bonnie. The Safe Start is cheap insurance against this occurring on your own air cooled Triumph twin. Don't be caught out by the only weak spot on the 2001-2016 twin engines.
I've had the kit for months, waiting to fit until I changed the oil and filter, which I did this weekend... and I've only gone and forgot to install the Safe Start
I just ordered the Safe Start Boss Reinforcement for my 2005 Thruxton. It’s at Heathrow at the moment. I was looking TTP’s PDF and I was wondering if you could elaborate on the gear removal part. It mentioned turning a larger gear to help it out. Not sure exactly what that entails. I’ll pull the cover soon and have a look while I wait for the part to arrive.
Hi Sikatri, the starter motor idler gear meshes with another gear that meshes with the clutch drum. The idle gear can be awkward to get out without removal of the other gears, but once you pull out the idler gear shaft, it is possible if you rotate the other gears a small amount. It's hard to explain, but once you get in there, you'll understand. Regards Mike
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking that pulling the shaft out might be a way to get the idler gear out. I’d rather not remove the other larger gear since the bolts appear to be single use and recommended to be replaced if removed. Glad you confirmed my thoughts. Waiting on my TTP Safe Start to arrive. I’ll start taking the cover off either today or this weekend while I wait. Thanks again.
This really is a no brainer. If you have one of these machines you'd be a numpty not to do this mod. Ok so most folks get away with it but if it happens to yours it's very very bad news. It's easy enough to check visually whether you have a susceptible machine...e.g. look at the inward facing side of the primary cover on the top ...if the breather tube emerges straight from that ..you need a safestart ...if there's a metal cast box-like housing then you're fine.
Mine is the early version 2005. I call it piece of mind. Plus I decided to do a clutch job at the same time. Note how thin the idler boss wall is on the right side. That’s also the side that shears.
This isn't quite correct. There have been many later model engines that have the same breakout problem. Triumph upgraded the lower crankcase in 2006-2007 and added a buttress on either side of the idler gear boss, but the buttresses weren't meaty enough to stop the breakout problem. It is still happening. Here is a couple of pictures of later model engines with the "improved crankcase", Triumph should have made those buttresses thicker. The Safe Start covers all models 2001-2016. Regards Mike (UK) 08 Bonnie Black Special https://www.triumphtwinpower.com
Well! Everyday I learn something new. Just when I thought it was safe to stop taking my anti anxiety meds. 'We're all doomed Captain Mannering'.
Well! Everyday I learn something new. Just when I thought it was safe to stop taking my anti anxiety meds. 'We're all doomed Captain Mannering'.
Absolutely safe to stop taking your meds, if you fit the Safe Start! Regards Mike (UK) 08 Bonnie Black Special https://www.triumphtwinpower.com
