Triumphrat

banzai7863 · 10-30-2008, 03:45 PM

Hello everyone,
It seems that my "good buy" was not good at all. I have an update from the shop. It seems that my Sprint has a bad main bearing or rod. They were confused as to how it went bad with only 18,000 miles. It appears that the oil pump failed. After a further inspection into why the oil light wasn't lit, they found that the light had been disabled.

I just learned a hard lesson. Don't buy a product you are unfamiliar with, without having it inspected by someone who is , PRIOR to paying for it.

I am pretty mechanically inclined, but I don't think I can take on a project like replacing a main bearing, rod or both. If the crank is damaged, I may need to replace the whole thing. I swapped the motor on my xj 900 but I have never rebuilt one. Not to mention, the cost of repairs will probably be close to what I paid for the bike. I think I may be better off trying to find a used motor from a crashed bike. Does anyone have any suggestions about where to look for "spares".

I would appreciate any leads on a powerplant. Otherwise, I may be parting this thing out. Lots of good looking parts

.

KitNYC · 10-30-2008, 04:06 PM

Ouch!!!!

You may have a court case if the dealer can say for sure that the light was disabled. If I were in your shoes, I would be considering several options for action against the previous owner. Court would be the legal one.

:

As far as motors go, eBay may be your best bet. My Sprint RS's motor came from Cycle Therapy in Ohio, but it cost a lot more than the T-bird motor I bought off eBay to put in the Trident.

Good luck!
-Kit

MotT3 · 10-30-2008, 04:13 PM

That is really bad news...have you been in touch with the seller or are you going to put it down to experience ?

banzai7863 · 10-30-2008, 05:02 PM

Hey guys,

I just got the news today. I have already started looking for a motor. I emailed cycletherapy.(thanks KitNYC) They don't have any in stock , but the will drop me a line if they get one in the near future.

I haven't heard from the seller yet. I dropped an email. Waiting for a response.

It's getting cold here in Wisconsin and I probably won't do much more riding this year. If I do get the itch, I can ride another bike.

I might pull the motor and see what I can see. If the crank isn't damaged too badly, I might try to fix it over the winter. My brother is a machinist and knows someone that could probably repair the crank. This might be a good opportunity to learn how a triumph is put together, for future reference. The worst case scenario is that I can't fix it and need a new motor. That's where I'm at now, so I have nothing to lose by digging in there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotT3

That is really bad news...have you been in touch with the seller or are you going to put it down to experience ?

daytona 750 · 10-30-2008, 07:21 PM

what i found when my big end went last year, was that, although most of the parts are reasonably priced, stupid things like gaskets, are rediculously high priced.
i priced it up as something like 500 quid, to replace my crank, bearings and gaskets (doing the work myself) and instead picked up a 2nd hand motor for £225, and had the bike on the road 2 days later!

peterrose · 10-30-2008, 07:24 PM

You'vr got nothing to loose by trying to fix it yourself, it may only need new bearings which you maybe able to do by just dropping the sump. I've done that real fast on my old Moto Guzzi.

If the crank is damaged I don't know how big a job removing it is, maybe someone on here can tell you. But getting the crank re ground isn't too big a job moneywise. Certainly worth looking into.

Let us know what happens.

I picked up a beautiful '95 Sprint a few months ago and am really pleased with it.

Pete

banzai7863 · 10-30-2008, 08:03 PM

hello daytona,
Prices on just the crank shaft in my area are upwards of $800. If mine is not too badly damaged, it would probably be worth repairing, although I agree. it would be much less hassle to just find a good used motor. keep your eyes and ears open for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daytona 750

what i found when my big end went last year, was that, although most of the parts are reasonably priced, stupid things like gaskets, are rediculously high priced.
i priced it up as something like 500 quid, to replace my crank, bearings and gaskets (doing the work myself) and instead picked up a 2nd hand motor for £225, and had the bike on the road 2 days later!

banzai7863 · 10-30-2008, 08:07 PM

You're right,
I really don't have anything to lose by taking a look. It could be as easy as replacing the main bearings. As I stated earlier, my brother knows someone that could spray weld and remachinine the crank if necessary, but that means tearing down the whole motor. I will play it by ear. This weekend, I plan on pulling the exhaust, dropping the oil pan and having a look.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterrose

You'vr got nothing to loose by trying to fix it yourself, it may only need new bearings which you maybe able to do by just dropping the sump. I've done that real fast on my old Moto Guzzi.

If the crank is damaged I don't know how big a job removing it is, maybe someone on here can tell you. But getting the crank re ground isn't too big a job moneywise. Certainly worth looking into.

Let us know what happens.

I picked up a beautiful '95 Sprint a few months ago and am really pleased with it.

Pete

KitNYC · 10-30-2008, 08:46 PM

Keep us updated on your progress. Here's the eBay search I used to find the new motor for my Trident:

Linky

Cheers,
-Kit

banzai7863 · 10-31-2008, 12:15 AM

Thanks Kit,
I just checked it out. Nothing at the moment, but I'll keep looking. I sent out a nationwide search to salvage yards for a motor. Someone found me a block in good condition. I would have to tear the head off of my bike and swap it out. I told him to let me keep looking for a complete motor for a few days and that I would get back to him.

I was really pissed earlier today, but that isn't going to get me anywhere. I really think that tearing down this motor would be a good winter project for me. The fact that it's probably going to cost me a bit of dough certainly stinks, but knowing how to repair my bike is priceless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KitNYC

Keep us updated on your progress. Here's the eBay search I used to find the new motor for my Trident:

Linky

Cheers,
-Kit