Triumphrat

steevg · 12-05-2006

Hey Guys!

A Couple of questions for you technical people out there:-

1) I received this from a guy with a 2002 Sprint ST recently -

"I have discovered that the 02 sprints have a tendency to break crankshafts, this seems to be due to the starter clutch becoming loose.
There are several documented cases of this and unfortunatly I didn't know
about it which is why my sprint is on a truck as I write this.
The problem is easily checked by undoing the 17mm bolt on the right side of
the bike and making sure the bolt is tight. "

What's he talking about (which 17mm bolt?) and how do I check to see if my 2003 model has a problem?

2) My 2003 Sprint ST was imported (I'm in NZ), and someone in their wisdom saw fit to cover the chain in thick black grease - it's everywhere - what do I use to clean the bike up? I understand that I have to be careful not to "wash" the chain, as I might be in danger of removing the lube in the chain rollers?

Any help on the above would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Steve

[ This message was edited by: steevg on 2006-12-05 12:40 ]

sweatmachine · 12-05-2006

I don't know if you have it in NZ, but Simple Green (automotive grade) works very well for cutting grease. I get the bike wet with a light misting from the hose, then spray the stuff liberally all over the bike (undiluted), let it sit a minute or 2, then go over the whole thing with a soft wheel brush.

I dunno about the crank, sorry.

steevg · 12-05-2006

Thanks, don't think we have that here - what about "Gunk" or similar?

I also hear that kerosene is fine to use, but I'm still concerned about it washing out the lube in the chain rollers.

Anyone else care to help here?

Ta!

LaneSplitter · 12-05-2006

Steevg:
Most chains are "O" ring sealed, if you look closely you will see the "O" ring between the side plates. You should be able to clean it with kerosene and not hurt anything. There are also some products made for cleaning chains, take a look on the web or go to your local cycle shop.
I clean my bike (chain and all) with S100 cycle cleaner which works pretty good, then lube chain with PJ1 chain lube.

Scott

steevg · 12-06-2006

Scott, thanks for the info, S100? Who makes that?

I going to have a look at the weekend for some chain cleaner, going to check out some new boots, so the shop should have a selection of stuff I could use.
May also try the kerosene for the hard to remove stuff.
Why Kersone though?
Is it Paraffin based or something?

Thanks.

SprintRide · 12-06-2006

Don't use kerosene (or anything else "fuel based") for that matter. It will dry out the o-rings and cause your chain to fail prematurely. The 17mm bolt is actually a crankshaft inspection plug you'll find it quite easily once you take the right side panels off.

Cheers

LaneSplitter · 12-06-2006

Kerosene (or paraffin oil) would probably not hurt the "O" rings if you use it to clean the chain just to remove the grease that is on your chain now and then use a good chain lube right after. I don't use anything other than PJ1 or Maxim Chain Wax to lube my chains and usually get about 20K miles from them (there are other good lubes out there).
S100 is the brand name of an all cycle cleaner which I like because it seems to clean most of the residue off without a whole lot of extra work (only if the bike is not really cruddy) and it leaves a protective film behind after its rinsed off.
(www.s100.com). Of course this is all just personal preference. :-D :-D :-D

steevg · 12-06-2006

Can anyone in NZ or Australia let me know if any of these products (or similar) are avalable here.

What do you guys use?

Thanks
(Summers' finally here guys)