triple newbie...

finally bit the bullet and bought the bike i wanted ten years ago when i was graduating high school... a 95 speed triple with 7,500 miles on it. it was great deal that i couldnt pass up no matter how reasonable and rational i tried to be :wink:

been riding her for about a week now, and i've noticed two things that are making me a little bit nervous.

1) i'm seeing a white exhaust from one of the pipes (brakes side) and not the other. also the exhaust from that side is much warmer to the touch than its opposite pipe...

2) just noticed a pinging sound and can feel a vibration only through the left footpeg. i'm assuming (actually hoping ) that this is a kink in the chain that is hitting the back side of the footpeg. happens at regularly timed intervals even in neutral while coasting...have thought about tightening the chain, but the bike has no center stand.

please forgive me for sounding like an idiot about these things. just trying to get some answers and probably putting my head on the chopping block with some of you, but everyone has to start somewhere!

thanks in advance for any comments or advice, and i am looking forward to being a part of the triumph family...

[TripleThreat]

bfishma,

Welcome and congratulations on your purchase. Others with older S3's may have some suggestions on the knocking on the footpeg. Your suspicion sounds reasonable.

The white smoke out of one of the exhausts makes me think that you have a coolant leak into one of the cylinders. This could be anything from a bad gasket to a cracked cylinder. The resulting hot moist exhaust would feel warmer than a more normal dry exhaust.

I would get that one checked out by a dealer asap. if it's a simple fix, you can avoid costly damage from running it with the leak. If it's a cracked cylinder, you will want to get it fixed anyway and could avoid more costly repairs by getting on it quickly.

JM$.02

TripleThreat

[Klugman]

Check your plugs if you havnt done so already.

Also, does your chain have any tight spots? If so, its about time for a new one.

[Aggy]

I had a similar knock years ago with an old Gpz I had rebuilt from a box of bits. The chain had sat in a bag of grease for about a year and I assumed it would be fine. When I put it on the bike it seemed to move okay with no tight spots but I would get a regular clunk as it moved. My problem was two things the chian and the front sprocket. The front sprocket was not tightened down correctly and was moving from side to side (my fault I should have checked!). How I found it was the chain was to lift the rear wheel of the bike off the ground (no centre stand so a car jack, plank of wood and a pile of bricks worked for me!) and slowly rotate the wheel. Each time it clunked I made mark on the chain with some chalk at the highest point of the rear sprocket - this wouldnt tell me where the chain was tight but it gave me a good idea that the clunk was always in the same place. I removed the chain and cleaned it with fresh engine oil and removed all the old grease then re-lubed it and made sure each joint worked fine. This cleared my problem (although it took ages to clean the chain) but I was never 100% about the chain so for peace of mind I swapped it and the sprockets.

Welcome to the fold, it certainly isn't idiotic to ask for advice.

I agree with TT that white smoke sounds like water. Is it only when the bike is warming up, or all the time, and have you checked your coolant level? If only when warming up, and you're not losing coolant, it could just be condensatition being burnt off. I've noticed since the summer ended I get a fair bit of condensation in my 04 S3, and I don't do lots of short journeys. If you do short journeys, and the fact you have twin pipes, this could be the answer, although why you should get more from one pipe than the other seems strange. If you are losing coolant, as TT says, get straight to a dealer.

For the chain, give it a really good lube, and adjust it. The low mileage on your bike would suggest it's been standing at times, so possibly the chain needs a little TLC. It is a real pain lubing the chain with no stand, but it can be done, and it can be adjusted on the ground too.

I hope she doesn't end up costing you too much to sort, let us know how you get on :-D

[SlvrSurfr]

I would assume that if your having a coolant leak from with in the motor that your temp guage is showing hot ? Otherwise if its just cold outside it may just be condensation. No problem there. Check your coolant level and give her an oil change. Pay special attn to the oil. If you see white stuff in the oil pan you may have a problem.

For the chain problem the solution is pretty cheap. Get a new chain and sprockets. Atleast that will give you some peace of mind knowing that the chain is not an issue any more.

[StoneTriple]

I also get the condesation vapor out of one side only on cold mornings that SlvrSurfr is talking about. I would definately still have it checked just to be safe. Like the others mentioned, the pinging is most likely just a loose chain. You'll notice it most when you go from neutral to first while at a light.

thanks to all of you for your advice on my situation. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the problems i've been so concerned about have simple and easily fixed remedies.

called to find out what the service department hours are at the ONE triumph dealership down here in the big easy only to get a recording that they will be closed for the holidays and will reopen next tuesday... what the 'f'! i'm at work this week and what the heck holidays are these guys celebrating anyways? :evil:

so the riding will have to wait at least til next week, and G-d only knows how many days i'll have to wait to get it back...sure hope there are no holidays next week! :wink:

keep any relevant advice coming and thanks again for taking the time to ease my mind!

thanks to all of you for your advice on my situation. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the problems i've been so concerned about have simple and easily fixed remedies.

called to find out what the service department hours are at the ONE triumph dealership down here in the big easy only to get a recording that they will be closed for the holidays and will reopen next tuesday... what the 'f'! i'm at work this week and what the heck holidays are these guys celebrating anyways? :evil:

so the riding will have to wait at least til next week, and G-d only knows how many days i'll have to wait to get it back...sure hope there are no holidays next week! :wink:

keep any relevant advice coming and thanks again for taking the time to ease my mind!