Triumphrat

meinschaft · 06-07-2005, 09:59 AM

I rejoined the world of Triumph after nearly 40 years. My last Triumph was a '65 Bonnevile I rode during high school. Two weeks ago, I bought a 1999 Legend TT with 2200 miles. The right fork seal was leaking so I took it to the dealer and had both replaced.

As I drove it home, it began to miss; when I accelerate in first gear, the bike hiccups or stumbles, then accelerates smoothly. Similarly, when I upshift and began to accelerate, the engine will again hiccup/stumble, only briefly. This does NOT occur when the bike is at a steady speed.

Similarly, when I'm in 5th gear, let's say at 50-60 mph and I twist the throttle wide open, the bike accelerates strongly, but misses while it is accelerating.

This behavior is VERY similar to what my 23 year-old Yamaha did, which went away when I cleaned the carbs. I have added some Prestone carb cleaner to the tank and drove it about 50 miles, but it's still missing.

The other thing I've noticed, is that when the bike is hot (after driving 10 miles or more), when I pull to a stop sign, the engine initially idles high, then drops below 1,000 RPM, and I either have to give it choke or blip the throttle to keep it from stalling.

OK you Triumph Wizards, anyone want to suggest a cause/fix for this problem? I SO want to love my new Triumph. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

j98sprint · 06-07-2005, 10:42 AM

These carbed 885cc triples can run smooth and strong for a long, long time. Don't fret. I'm guessing one or more of your coils is going south. It is a way too common problem on these bikes. There must have been a huge batch of poor quality coils that Triumph got a hold of. Your dealer should have tool called an ignition system tester and it should spot a week coil.

Another simple common fix for these bikes is to reset the air mixture screws. For EPA reasons the carbs are set VERY lean at idle and initial throttle openings. The adjustment screws are capped off at the factory but the caps are easily removed and can be reset to a richer mixture that will make a big difference.

If you're confident and handy with tools that carb fix is fairly easy. If you want to do it I could walk you through it. If not the shop may charge you an hour or so labor, no parts should be required.

Again, don't fret. Once you get that Legend dailed in I know you'll be very satisfied.

j98sprint

meinschaft · 06-07-2005, 10:58 AM

Xtreme,

Thanks for the quick response. I think I'll take it back to the dealer to have them check the coil. Hope it's an easy fix, whatever the problem. I haven't bonded yet with this bike, I've only put maybe 200 miles on it.

meinschaft

jimmyj900 · 06-07-2005, 01:09 PM

Need a bit more info....

In what rpm range(s) are you experiencing the misfire?

It's pretty clear that it's occuring during a transition but can be either a carb or ignition/electrical problem.

Weak coils will show up as a rough idle and also at the transition from battery power to alternator power between about 2500 and 3500 rpm.

If your idle is too far off from 1000 rpm, it can cause hesitation and misfiring during acceleration under about 5000 rpm. That usually occurs with acceleration from low rpm, but can be exacerbated by other problems.

A misfire between 4000 and 5000 rpm with small throttle settings can mean dirty pilot jet circuits and/or stale fuel.

Jim

meinschaft · 06-08-2005, 06:38 AM

Jim & Others,

I was able to take the Legend for a ride last night - which as Martha Stewart would say - was a 'good thing', since it was about 92 degrees. It idled a little rough when started, leading me to think the carb cleaner had not worked. However, when I drove it, the missing has nearly disappeared - it only happened a couple of times, and it was barely noticeable. I ran it pretty hard, trying to make the miss happen, but it didn't. Shift to second gear and roll on the throttle - nothing. While in 5th gear I twisted the throttle wide open and it just went FAST. The couple of times it did miss was in 1st or 2nd gear, low speed (like after downshifting to turn a corner) , then, upon acceleration, it gave just the slightest stumble.

At stoplights, the idle was smooth and was not 'hunting' (i.e., going from 1600 to 800 and back) like the day before. So MAYBE, just maybe it was dirty carbs and the Prestone carb cleaner had a chance to work. I'll try it again tonight and update you. Thanks for the benefit of your knowledge/experience.

I think I'm starting to love this bike! But I have another question: At around 80 mph this bike feels 'squirrelly'. Not an imbalance, rather the entire bike kind of wobbling. It has the large Triumph windscreen on it (the one that looks like what you see on a Fat Boy) and I'm wondering if this is what is causing this behavior - due to the drag/turbulence it causes.

Any comments?

idahotb · 06-08-2005, 01:08 PM

Congrats on the new purchase. I doubt that the wind-screen could have that much of an effect. These bikes are pretty heavy, and I have never felt mine to be unstable except at parking lot speeds. I would first check out the the tires and wheels. Are they properly inflated, and true? Any weird wearing on the tires. If that all looks good, check the head bearing freeplay. My bet is the tires.

Good luck.