Triumphrat

Fool · 10-11-2008, 12:06 PM

so here goes..
I am a total newb to this forum so if I have gone about this the wrong way please let me know.

alright... one of my best friends bought a new sprint rs off the showroom floor back in the day. '01 in Lucifer Orange. it was his baby and it was the bike I learned to ride on back then.
fast forward to about 2 months ago, he offered to sell it to me as he wants to move on to some sort of cruiser. my buddy took great care of this bike. the worst treatment this bike got was sittin for 2 years in storage while he was in iraq. after a trip to the dealership for new everything... the bike was back to running like new. so in my time "thinking about it" the bike was stolen. I live in south Texas, and you just dont see triumphs around here. so the cops told my buddy that it was probably long gone.
well a week ago it was recovered. only now it is rattle can black, everything that required a key is broken, and i may need to replace the clutch cover, if I still want it.
so the help I need, is can anyone tell me what years would work on this sprint as far as interchanging parts? I am lookin for stuff on ebay, and just want to make sure I get the right things to make this beauty run like a champ again.

thanks for the help
Xavier

BTR01 · 10-11-2008, 01:18 PM

Hey F,

Sounds like a bad luck story for sure. I guess that the question that you'll need to ask yourself is, how much does this bike really mean to you? If you feel like it's a family member, then I say, go ahead and bring it back, and this time hook it up with an alarm and a tracking system to make sure that if it gets taken again, at least you'll be able to track it down a whole lot easier.

However, if you decide that it's just a bike and really not all that important to you, then it might be time to part ways, and pick up a good used Triumph and use it as a part bike for that one (provided that you need parts). Oh, and by the way, I also have an '01 RS. Love the bike, wrecked it, and had it rebuilt (not a cheap thing to do, either! Let me tell you). I've even got a spare black tank for mine (I picked it up on Ebay).

Regardless of what you decide, good luck with this.

Ciao...

DaveM · 10-11-2008, 05:07 PM

Hi and welcome aboard Fool to our Sprint forum here at TRat

I will let those more qualified than I answer your questions about parts interchangability but I can tell you that the 955i had two generations 1 & 2 and the Gen 2 engines came out in '02 to '04 the gen two makes 10 more horsepower and has certain engine changes the main one being to do with the alternator.

Enjoy the forum.

Don and I ask all noobs to please take a little time to read our forum sticky for new members.

Enjoy.........................

cheers,
DaveM

Fool · 10-11-2008, 05:23 PM

well thanks for the quick responses both of you...

first off BTR01..

I dont know if the bike is so much as a "family member," but it does have some nostalgic qualities... as it was my buddy's first bike, and the bike I learned on... and it would be my first bike I have ever owned. the big draw here, is that he is giving it to me for next to nothing... as for the work to get it running right, I know it can be costly, although I can handle it. I have friends who build choppers for a living, gorgeous bikes, just no real experience with triumphs. also, I work in the auto industry, and through this job, a good paint job will probably cost me a nice bottle of scotch. so what I am gettin at is I think I can get this one back to being a very respectable bike, I just need some more know how... thanks!

DaveM
thanks for the help, this is the type of thing I need to know. I appreciate all the knowledge I can get on this subject. I am a member of several message boards(this is the first bike related) and I got the general rules down. I did read your intro and it has great info! thanks for the help and if there is anything I can do to help anyone with anything, I am always willing!

thanks again!
Xavier

KitNYC · 10-11-2008, 10:16 PM

Welcome, Xavier. If you have a hookup for paint & can handle the labor, it sounds like you can get this puppy back on the road pretty easily.

Fairings, mirrors, shocks, bars, & instruments are the major differences between the ST & RS models; almost everything else will swap between them. 1999-2001 bikes had the G1 955 engine, so that's where you'll be looking for parts. 2002-2003 bikes will have some non-engine parts in common, & the 2004 RS is mostly an ST with RS fairings. 2005-> ST models have almost no parts in common with your bike.

Anyway, if you need a clutch cover you can use one from any '99-'01 Sprint &, I believe, '99-'01 Speed Triple or T595 Daytona. Not sure if a T509 ('97-'98) Speed Triple part would work. They turn up on eBay fairly frequently.

Cheers, HTH,
-Kit

Fool · 10-11-2008, 11:23 PM

KitNYC,

thank you so much... this is exactly what I needed to know. the main parts I am lookin for are the ingition switch, the fuel cap, and the seat lock(everything that requires the keys). the clutch cover is iffy at this point, but you are right I have already seen one on ebay. however, on that particular cover, I learned that biddin on ebay via iphone isnt quite the same as sittin at the pc... lol.. but no fear! I will continue the search. hopefully tuesday afternoon I will get the bike to the mechanics to see just how much work I need to get it goin right. if not one of them will buy it to take the engine and tranny and build a righteous old school chopper... again thanks!

Xavier

p.s. this past summer I made my first trip to NYC and I cant wait to go back!

Xterrable · 10-12-2008, 03:05 AM

Man, that is sad.... How bad is the bike overall.? Will you ever be happy with it? It may hold meaning to you, but not knowing what it went through could be bad. I would not want it back, IMO..

Fool · 10-12-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xterrable

Man, that is sad.... How bad is the bike overall.? Will you ever be happy with it? It may hold meaning to you, but not knowing what it went through could be bad. I would not want it back, IMO..

well it looks horrible. that is part of why I want to get it goin right. I know what the bike has been, and I know what it can look like again. however my buddy(who still owns it at this point) just wants it out of his sight, which is why he is givin it to me for near nothin. I feel like with my friends who are mechanics, and my friends in the auto industry, I can get this thing runnin great, and lookin better than ever in time. this week I am hopin to get it to the mechanics so we can really see what we need to do to get it right... I will keep everyone posted on whats goin on.

Xavier

BTR01 · 10-12-2008, 06:33 PM

Hey F,

Well it seems like this is pretty much a done deal. Glad that your buddy got the bike back. It's also good to have friend in the industry. Getting things done cheap, from good folks that know what their doing is great!

If you get the chance, would love to see what it looks like now? Just out of curiosity.

Also, are you planning to go back to the original lucifer orange? Or are you looking at moding it out a bit. You know, a little metal flake in the luci orange might be a nice but subtle kick to the old standard, know what I'm saying?

Ciao,

Lee

Fool · 10-18-2008, 12:01 PM

just a quick update.
I tool the bike to my mechanic friend and he gave it the once over. because of the hotwire job, the lack of a real ignition, and no battery in it, we did not get it running. but lookin it over and checkin what he could check, I was given the advice of buying it, and once we get it going if we find it has been ruined, I will probably just part it out. I am waitin to take posession till I get some parts in, and then I will get started on it.
thanks for the help!
I will try to take some pics of it and upload them next week. they arent gonna be pretty, but I figure I should document the before and after restoration process.
ahhh color.... lucifer orange is such a nice color. back when my buddy got it we used to refer to his bike as "lucifer." but alas, I think this lucifer in particular is dead. so the project is either going under the "Triumph Zombie Project"(since it is back from the dead)
or the "Triumph Beast Project" (just cause I dig that name).
so I think the bike is just going to be black when all is said and done. Although I might have another friend in the industry do some old school pinstriping somewhere. that guy is extremly talented and if I ask for his help, will add some real class to the project.
thanks again! I will update again soon!

Xavier

(votes on the project name?)