There is a cylindrical electricial component (oriented horizontally) on the front of the engine. For the longest time, I thought it was the starter. However, the starter is much larger and mounted a little low behind the engine. Nowhere in my shop manual is the mystery component mentioned, pictured or discussed. Does anyone know what it is?
That does sound mysterious. Nothing like that on the front of any of my engines. I used to have a T-100. Must be something aftermarket I would say. Especially since you say "electrical". Why don't you try uploading a pic, I'm sure you would immediately get millions of peeps saying "Oh that's a Bla Bla Bla".
I take it back. After much more pondering, I am now 95% sure that the smaller component in the front of the engine is the starter. I traced a lead to it from the rear side of he starter relay (aka, solenoid). So the real mystery component is the larger cylindrical electrical component behind the engine. If the Triumph service manual (which the dealer charged me a whopping $120 for!) was properly composed, I wouldn’t have to be posing such basic orientation questions. As a technical writer myself, I have always found that manual to be frustratingly deficient on several levels, and poorly organized. Pictures or diagrams of these 2 components should be clearly presented in the manual, along with a functional discussion.
So the large mystery component isn’t electrical after all. What I thought were electrical wires were actually tubes. This component is the Evaporative Vapor charcoal emission canister (#80B57Q). It’s pictured (diagram) on page 10B.118 of the service manual, but no context as to where it’s located on the bike !!
It is possible to remove this component and its associated system to improve engine running. There is an environmental downside but I’ve never seen my MoT tester bother with emissions. https://www.britishlegends.fr/en/evap-elimination-triumph.html
I update my last post, where I said: “It’s pictured (diagram) on page 10B.118 of the service manual, but no context as to where it’s located on the bike !!” In looking further, I see that it’s described in page 10B.117 - 10B.119 and on p. 10B.117, it does say where both the Charcoal Canister and the associated Purge Control Valve are located. The diagram, however, on all 3 of the pages leaves a lot to be desired. The end of the canister where the tubes connect should be shown but it isn’t. Therefore, you don’t really know where at least one of the tubes attaches. • I have also read on Google posts that the Evap. Emissions Control System is really only required for motorcycles in California. However, Triumph installed the system on all bikes delivered to North America, certainly to the US. • There are a number of Triumph riders who have chosen to remove the system and there are a number of posts and guidance on how to do so. An excellent post from March 2018 on the procedure for this is here: https://motoadventurer.com/2018/03/...e-california-evaporative-loss-control-system/ In that post, Drew didn't address is whether the ECM will somehow detect the removal and throw a nagging TDC. My reading in other places suggests that this will/should not happen.
