Triumphrat

Croak · 07-28-2009, 11:20 AM

Looking for a good source of used first-gen 955i mills, preferably tested and with some warranty. Any suggestions beyond Ebay?

The old girl is getting more and more thirsty for oil, to the point that she's drinking more than a quart every thousand miles or so. People don't like to ride behind me now because of the smell. Very little visible smoking, but it feels rougher and "tighter" than it used to, so it's just a matter of time before the end. I've already had the crankcase breather assembly replaced, no help. Pretty sure at this point its rings.

Rather than spending a small fortune in labor trying to rebuild the 55000 mile motor, I'm looking at just doing a transplant with a lower mile unit. It's that, or just call it a day and start shopping for a replacement scoot, but I'm still very fond of this one.

I've found one good 2000 ST motor on Ebay, with only 3000 miles claimed on it for $1200 before shipping.

But the thought of swapping in a 97-01 Daytona lump has also crossed my mind. A lot.

KitNYC · 07-28-2009, 04:21 PM

I think mine came from Cycle Therapy in Ohio. Other options include Triumph'ant in Wales, which is the only one I know of with a guarantee, and maybe Baxter. (Given that Baxter charges 50% of retail for its used parts, Triumph'ant may be significantly cheaper.)

Let us know how it goes!

Cheers,
-Kit

kredge · 07-28-2009, 05:35 PM

+1 on Triumphant.
I've got an '02 Daytona motor sitting in my garage waiting to be installed in my RS that I got from Triumphant. It was a little pricier than finding a used one in the States but this one's rebuilt so my thinking is I'll pay a little extra for peace of mind.
There are a few threads on this forum regarding your last comment on the '01 Daytona motor. My opinion is I prefer the Sprint's power band over that generation motor, hence the '02 gathering dust (closed escrow on a fixer upper the same day the engine cleared customs). That said, you might make an '01 Daytona motor punchier with a Tune Boy.

dshafer54 · 07-28-2009, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KitNYC

I think mine came from Cycle Therapy in Ohio. Other options include Triumph'ant in Wales, which is the only one I know of with a guarantee, and maybe Baxter. (Given that Baxter charges 50% of retail for its used parts, Triumph'ant may be significantly cheaper.)

Let us know how it goes!

Cheers,
-Kit

Wow it's a small world, Cycle Therapy is on my daily commute to work. I've driven/ridden past the place thousands of times and only stopped once. Kind of a little whole in the wall with lot's of parts laying around outside, I never would have guessed that they carried or had access to Triumph engines.

Oddly, on my five mile commute I pass two motorcycle performance shops and one dealer. Oh, the temptation!

KitNYC · 07-28-2009, 08:19 PM

That's funny. They look pretty big from the Internet.

Cheers,
-Kit

Croak · 07-28-2009, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kredge

My opinion is I prefer the Sprint's power band over that generation motor, hence the '02 gathering dust (closed escrow on a fixer upper the same day the engine cleared customs). That said, you might make an '01 Daytona motor punchier with a Tune Boy.

It'd nickle and dime me to death to get an 02+ Daytona (or even 02+ Sprint/S3) mill transplanted into the '99. Replace left fairing, replace harness, replace ECU. That's not counting the airbox/tank issues, header/midpipe/exhaust issues, cooling system, gauges, and so on.

If I bought a replacement motor, the goal is to have it up and be riding it in a matter of HOURS, not days or weeks. It's not a casual project, it's daily transportation and weekend entertainment that needs to be fixed ASAP.

As for the power delivery between the T595 and the 955 Sprint, I've ridden them both. The Daytona motor is simply a better lump, thanks to much more costly internals.

But it's not down THAT much on mid-range torque compared to the the Sprint, so its still quite acceptable for a Sport Touring application. It's not like I'm stuffing a D675 motor in there.

KitNYC · 07-29-2009, 01:12 AM

You need to call Sandy at Triumph'ant. That's your bolt-it-on-&-ride option.

Cheers,
-Kit

kredge · 07-29-2009, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Croak

It'd nickle and dime me to death to get an 02+ Daytona (or even 02+ Sprint/S3) mill transplanted into the '99. Replace left fairing, replace harness, replace ECU. That's not counting the airbox/tank issues, header/midpipe/exhaust issues, cooling system, gauges, and so on.

Tell me about it- although the RS has the same gauges and ECU. I collected all the parts while I waited for the engine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Croak

If I bought a replacement motor, the goal is to have it up and be riding it in a matter of HOURS, not days or weeks. It's not a casual project, it's daily transportation and weekend entertainment that needs to be fixed ASAP.

I've got a 100 mile daily commute on my 47,000 mile engine so I'm with you there. I understand you wanting to keep it simple.

I searched ebay and craigslist for months for engines- if I looked closely at the ebay ones there always seemed to be hole in one of the engine covers or a broken mount and craigslist sellers (always across the country) never knew what engine they had.

My attitude is I wanted something that I could count on for at least another 50,000 miles and the Dollar was pretty strong around the beginning of the year.

Croak · 07-29-2009, 01:28 PM

No luck on a decent low mile 97-01 Daytona motor so far, and I really don't have the luxury of waiting until one turns up. I'm about to pull the trigger on that 2000 Sprint engine on ebay, from Imperial. 3k miles.

Contacted the seller, hoping he's got a little wiggle room on the Buy It Now price of $1299. It's been listed for months now.

Not that it's a particularly bad price for a 3k motor, but it'd have to be shipped up here to Canada, which means higher shipping and duty and taxes, then I still need to pay the shop to do the swap. And with the funny money they use up here, it's over $1400 to start with.

I'm capable of doing the swap myself, but I live in a downtown highrise condo, with regulations so strict it requires me to sneak down to the parking garage in the middle of the night just to check the tire pressure. Was a regular commando raid when I changed spark plugs last month.

I also don't know anyone else locally that has an honest to goodness garage I could borrow for a day or so.

Ideally, I could have it shipped to somewhere near Seattle and swapped down there, saving me the shipping and the taxes, but the logistics of that are complicated, especially since the Sprint is my only transportation at the moment.

frider · 07-29-2009, 08:56 PM

"I'm capable of doing the swap myself, but I live in a downtown highrise condo, with regulations so strict it requires me to sneak down to the parking garage in the middle of the night just to check the tire pressure. Was a regular commando raid when I changed spark plugs last month."

Wow.....sounds like it's run by the Gestapo.........

When I lived in my 4 high tenement in downtown Dundee,Scotland the ONLY thing I had to worry about, as I rebuilt my Bonny, piece by piece, WAS the Bonny disappearing ........piece by piece, so I started rumours that I was a visiting English Hell's Angel.......and that seemed to do the trick, plus my (then) B- in Law WAS in a patch club........and wore it when he paid me visits!!!

I'd third Triumphant,in Wales..... I know quite a few over the pond who have NOTHING but praise for their expertise/long history of knowledge of the 885/955/1050 Triples...........