new to the forum / trident 900 1996

[steve 900]

I have recently purchased a 1996 trident. I would appreciate any feedback on this bike.
My first question would be why the bike steam forms the exhaust after a good rain.
It seams to collect moisture in the pipes. Thanks

[NewMetal]

Any feedback from me on a trident 900... i love my trident 900 its a great running bike... anything with the T3 motors are great...... i installed D&D slip ons... woke the bike instantly up..... i haven't had any problems with my trident except erratic spark... and thats due to a dead battery.... the only compliant anyone has with this bike is its a little top heavy and the front suspension is VERY squishy... rides great for long trips and has plenty of torque... have put on 9,000 miles on my bike and its still running great.... i think the only problem those bikes had was an alternator problem... correct me if im wrong.... but i haven't experienced any problems.... and yes the bike will blow out some water on the left side.... the other side has the chain and warms up a little faster and even with slip ons my bike as well gets condensation.... so no problem!

[steve 900]

I appreciate the response, It had concerned me to the point of removing one of the cans. I could not believe how much the stock can weighed. D&D seem to be popular option. Are they lighter?

[Bad Monkey]

I bought my '96 Trident new in November of '96. I immediately dropped the stock cans and put on a set of Micron slip-ons (I got them for $200 from a guy that had them on a Sprint that he totaled). In the summer of '98 I spent 18 days going from middle Georgia to Victoria, B.C. (spending a few days here and there). I had a set of Tour Master saddle bags and a tent and sleeping bags strapped to the passenger seat. Then she sat up for three years while I was over seas. Uppon returning I took her out of storage and aside from having to replace some o-rings in the carbs it has been a great bike. With 23,000 miles and 12 years on her she has seen better days but the problems are minimal. I've got some wierd spark plug issue going on right now but I think if I had the carbs adjusted and sinked it would work out. In short it's a great bike and you should get years of enjoyment out of it.

[daveforty]

You will find it is generally a well engineered thing, most of the weak points are electrical.

There are many threads here concerning ignition pick up coil failure and HT coil failure. Pick up coil problems usually involve the bike cutting out when its warm and re-starting when its cold. HT coil problems bring about rough running.

There is a bolt in the alternator drive which is prone to failure, it will manifest itself as a rattle from the top left of the engine when it is idling. Triumph have a kit of re-designed parts to fix it.

I get thoroughly bored with the brake calipers, they are forever seizing / binding. Either the sliding body binding on its pins or a piston binding on the dust seal. I have that problem right now and it needs fixing (again). It is one thing that puts me off uprating the calipers, twice as many pistons to seize as there are now. (dont have this problem with the Lockheed or Brembo calipers on other bikes). This is on a bike that is used every day.

You may find that on a bike of that age that the rubber petrol pipes and vacuum hoses will have hardened and may leak or split when you disconnect them, that may cause bad running or cause the petrol tap not to open due to poor vacuum.

I have had trouble with wear in the carbs, but parts were replaced and it is now OK. Mikuni carb. bikes are thirsty, expect low 30s mpg.

I have also been through several sets of wheel bearings over the years, but they are easy enough to replace.

I have not modified my bike, it is still largely as it left the factory (apart from some grime and rust).

[steve 900]

Thanks for the replies; I found this bike in the corner of a Triumph dealership w/ 3200 miles. It had belonged to someone in the military and sat in a storage facility for several years. The dealer had to rework the carbs, install a new gas tank, replace the fuel tap, new tires; and so on. I have had the bike for two weeks, and ride to work (due to outrages gas prices). So far the only complaint I have the exhaust is too quiet, so if anyone has a sound bit of a trident 900 w/o stock cans it would be greatly appreciated.
Steve

[trypcil]

It is strange, the steaming pipe phenomena. My Sprint (with a S3 stock system ) does it worse than my S3 (3-1). My crankcase(on the S3) vent is finished with a little k&N vent filter at the end of the tube - sometimes a white emulsion forms, usually in winter, in that tube and she steams a little more. The Sprint on any cool morning does it - so do cars for that matter. I imagine that somehow water does enter the system, maybe it's the fuel - ethanol or some such augmentation that might be the culprit. Even engine design, cooling characteristics of partial solids and their fluids - but it is annoying! It seems on the Sprint, to be worse from the higher pipe when on the side stand, guess water finds it's own level!

[seumas]

Originally Posted by steve 900

D&D seem to be popular option. Are they lighter?

They are much lighter. They are also almost obnoxiously loud, but have a great tone. I leave for work at 0530 and find myself short-shifting til I get out of the neighborhood. Once I hit the highway I let 'er rip.

[menelfloss]

My 96 Sprint has the same engine as your Trident. No problems with pipe steam, but the bike has a half fairing, and the pipes are open.
Mine has about 40,000 miles on it now and runs just great.
I put on a pair of Micron exhausts I bought used. They sounded a bit too bright for my liking. I have heard the D&D's are a bit loud. Last winter I found a half price overstock sale on Staintune exhausts. They are one piece, no mid pipe and fit perfectly. They are really light and have a nice low note. They come with a pair of inserts that quiets them down a bit if they sound to loud un-choked.
I really like them.
Mike