Trident problems?

[Trident_Dave]

Hi i went out for a long ride today with the nice weather.On the way back.I noticed the bike wouldn't idle properly.Instead of idling at 1000rpm it was idling at 2000-2500rpm.Then when i got it home.I was showing Dad and telling him about the problem.Thats when the worst thing happerned.The bike got really hot(went over half way on the temp guage).It boiled over and radiator fluid was going everywhere!

Has anybody else had this problem?Is it a common fault?Are the two problems connected?And how do i fix it?

[BIGMICK]

Did the electric fan come on?
The fan on my Trophy 900 came on last week whilst standing in traffic. It has a full fairing, so you would expect it to get hot. A naked bike such as a Trident shouldn't get as hot in simmilar circumstances.
I'm sure the fan should come on if the gauge goes much over halfway. Check that the fan is working by putting a live feed direct to it. If that works, then check the temp. sender with a multimeter, check the fuse to it and make sure it has a good ground.
Also, when you refill the cooling system, make sure to use a proper engine coolant mix, not just water.

Cheers, BIGMICK. :-D

[jedrake72]

Would the bike die below 2000 rpm? If so the problem is almost certainly a blocked pilot jet. As far as overheating goes, the blocked jet would of course not cause this but idleing or traveling slowly for a long period of time at over 2000rpm will certaily cause this, especially if your fan doesn't come on.

[Nic900]

What BIGMICK says aaand you might want to consider a stuck thermostat. If it's stuck shut or partially shut it will give you similar or identical symptoms. You can test em by immersing them in boiling water, but its hard to do effectively and you still end up guessing to some degree. If you end up checking it. Take it out and just look at it, firstly it should be closed fully and completely when cold. Then look at the general condition. You might want to run it without it if possible, it might be built into the housing though I can't remember. Any-who if in doubt change it.

Hope this helps

Nic

[Trident_Dave]

Thanks for all your input guys.Will check it out the weekend.Its a right pain in the but as i'm using it to commute to work at the moment.

[trypcil]

Was the choke on, even slightly?

[daveforty]

There are two temperature sensors on the bike, the sender for the temperature guage is on the top left of the cylinder head, take the wire off and ground it - if the guage goes to full scale them the wiring & guage are OK. The sensor for the fan is in the back of the radiator, on the left side, pull the connectors and join them together to check the fan and it's wiring are working. You'll know it when the radiator fan is running - its quite noisy.

In practical terms the temperature guage on my Trident rarely comes off the bottom of the guage, except for when I'm in traffic. The fan wont come on until the temperature guage is above the halfway point.

Idling speed is adjusted easily enough, there should be a knob beneath the carbs, on the left side. Turn it anti-clockwise to lower the idling speed when the engine is properly warmed up. If you suspect the chokes, check that the chokes are fully closing when you move the lever back, I have had trouble with the choke cable getting dirty / stiff and not working properly.

(If you cant sort the Trident, I expect there will be a few cheap BMWs around your way sometime soon )