Hiya Trophy section...I am usually found lurking the Speed Triple section (and elsewhere in general).... As you may have seen, I am considering a Trophy as a "different" bike to my Speed Triple 955i. T3 is a bit too sporty/juddery/snatchy...I am looking for something more sedate...more in keeping with my silver fox years... Any thoughts? Opinions? What to look for when buying etc? I have my eye on this for the moment: https://www.gumtree.com/p/triumph-motorbikes/triumph-trophy-1998-885-cc-/1420860885 Budget dictates this end of the spectrum. Will use the bike to commute, pootle on Sundays, and would like to start gentle touring.... Am happy to get my hands dirty... All opinions welcome. Thank you!
Nice looking bike. However you might want to have a look at ST 1050. There a few good examples about and. IMO would be a better bike
That's fair enough...all opinions welcome! I fear tough, from a very rough search, that it pushes the budget too far...
I replied in the other thread but am minded to ask what is your budget? The carburetted range of bikes are heavier and taller than their fuel injected counterparts and they 'carry' their weight quite high. The later FI bikes with a perimeter type frame are substantially lighter and - if you're in any way vertically challenged - easier to lift and manoeuvre. Pretty important if you're going to add luggage and contents to all-up weight.
Picking this up from the other, General thread...now hopefully moved to here. Thank you for all opinions, makes for interesting reading. In summary,.I think I 'get' the Sprint may be a more similar bike to the originally enquired Deuville 650...but, from what a fuzzy search shows, they are above budget Budget being "whatever I can get for my Speed Triple"; so £1500...nearer £2k if lucky? I don't mind a "big bike" that I believe the Trophy is compared to the Sprint or indeed Deuville. I am happy with the size and weight of my T3. I wonder if the Trophy is the compromise I'm searching for? Alas, the other options offered are just too far beyond budget... Continued opinions and thoughts very much welcomed... Thank you, it's all really useful!
DanielB That Trophy looks quite decent. Yes a little heavier. But they are all the same weight when motoring. The particular bike seems to have had a caring owner and it has the service history to back it up. The sprints are a real favourite of mine but they can motor some aswel and do hold their value. It is worth a good look. Don't forget now on till next spring dealers are willing to to talk as bike are sitting there and getting in the way especially when the new stock will be arriving after new year. Joe
What to look out for... I'd say they are pretty reliable, but apart from the usual wheel/head bearing, chain/sprockets checks (obviously can't see the gearbox sprocket). I'd check for any oil/coolant leaks around the head gasket, oil condition, I think that one has a screw in dip stick rather than oil window. Check the charging system with a voltage meter at the battery (it's direct access under the seat). Start her up (don't forget it's a choke on these bikes), let her find a smooth idle, then turn on headlight, full beam and see if revs drop significantly. They shouldn't, if they do it's probably an old battery that needs replacement. It should idle perfectly with no popping from the exhaust. Check the fuel tap is working, sometimes they fail, try it on main/res and briefly on prime. Try and run the engine to hot and make sure the fan kicks in. While under the seat see if the remote reservoir for the shock is there, if it's original it's probably shot by now, but check the adjuster and run it through the range as they can seize/leak. There should be resistance thru' the whole range. Also not sure if this one has a wheel on the side to adjust rear shock damping or you need a long flat head to adjust it on the bottom of the shock, but check it works. Also the coolant tank is under the seat so have a quick check that it looks ok. The exhausts look original motad ones and I think that version has a wrap around outer that is riveted under the exhaust and it can trap water/crap in and rust there so have a ganders. The front disks are not OEM so give them a good check for running true etc. Try and find out when the valves were last done and the airbox was replaced, both take a bit of work or are costly to have done. The air filter lasts 24000 miles and the valves need checking every 12000. The headlights might be a bit fogged up if it hasn't been used for a bit, mine do, but the fogging/fungus gets sorted after running the bike for a bit with headlights on. It's an aftermarket screen on there, might be worth asking if the have the original just as an option. I have heard that there could be an issue with the crank position sensor which causes the bike to stall when hot and then won't restart until the engine has cooled down, so I would assume that might show up if you get the engine hot as I suppose you probably won't be able to test ride as it's a private sale. I'm no expert and have just put down my thoughts on issues/checks I've done with mine over the years. Can't think think of much else at the moment but maybe other will chime in... Good luck.
