Hey Guys My fairly recently purchased Thunderbird 900 2002 has started running pretty rough/missing etc at low revs once it is warmed up. It's fine at first but after 15 or 20 minutes it's skipping badly between 2000 and 4000 revs. Above 4000 and it's pretty much fine. I strongly suspect it to be one or more of the coils. I noticed the one of the exhaust pipes seems cooler than the others too, which I seem to remember being another indicator. Does anyone have any experience of this? If it is coils, how difficult a job is it? Does anyone know the best place to get parts, I have heard that the nology/pfc coils are better than OEM Gill. Cheers in advance Minski
Sprint Manufacturing http://www.triumphparts.gbr.cc/ If you want to scare yourself look on the W.O.T. site and see their prices http://www.worldoftriumph.com/triumph-motorcycle-parts.html Youre right about the cooler pot,usually tells all you need to know,it could be a lead gone tho however Easy job on my sprint so see no reason why not on yours,seat off, disconnect battery, tank off to get at coils and bingo.Not sure but think your coils may be under a plastic cover
Also have a look at www.squaredeals-ltd.co.uk in the Thunderbird 900/ workshop section. Both SqD and Sprint are recommended by many.
Just a thought, try changing the leads around and see if a different exhaust cools if it does its a lead if not then the chances are its the coil That is of course if its not the 2 into 1 ..? unless the down pipe is cooler.( not recommended to touch)
Thanks for all the advice so far. I swapped the number 1 coil for a new one (possibly the easiest job I have ever done btw!) and there is marked improvement, but there is a still a stutter when pulling off or when revs are low after its warmed up. Any thoughts? Could another coil be dodgy? Or could it be something different, carbs balancing etc? Is there any way to check?
I'm afraid its a matter of just ticking one box at a time. Its possible it could be either. More than likely carbs if i was a gambling man. Also check air filter. I changed mine to K&N rather than change the whole box as Triumph would like you to do..
Thanks for the reply. It only seems to be once it's warmed up, would that have any bearing on it? Also how do you change to k and n airbox? Is it a straight swap?
Firstly check the choke is completely off . As that would affect the engine when warm. ( check at the carb as they can get sticky) im guessing an air intake issue if not or fuel. It could be a coil but unless you have a spare one to try .........its a prosess of elimination In relation to the K&N . its a replacment filter that goes into your old airbox. I mentioned this on a thread here before. You remove the airbox and undo the screws that hold it together......now....just to let you know on mine the brass threads that hold the screws Just spun in the plastic. If this happens just drill them out and use self tappers to put the box back together. Its not a big job very easy to do. just one other check i would do is the rubbers between the head and carbs, they are a nightmare for splitting and cracking. Check them and replace if need be. They will make the bike run rough as they will allow air into the mix . Good luck and keep me posted . K&N filters are on EBay i think they were around £30
Be careful with the airbox. The buggers are made of brittle plastic which is easy to damage. If you suspect muck in the carbs and/or gummed up jets, put a healthy slug of Redex or similar in the petrol and let it work its cleaning magic. It's surprising how many people use it to good effect on carb'd models.
Hey guys, thanks for all the advice, I actually have a bottle of redex lying round somewhere so will throw some in and see if it's any better. Incidentally, coming home yesterday I went over a bump and suddenly found myself riding the a jumbo jet in terms of noise. Upon inspection I see that the silencer has completely sheared off from the exhaust! I had a feeling it might have been blowing a bit but I guess it was pretty rotten! What is my best option for a new set of rear cans? The cheaper ones all say 'not road legal', so any ideas where to look? Cheaper options best atm as money is a bit tight...
