Triumphrat

04-02-2005, 06:46 PM

Help!! I have found a very clean '94 Trophy 900 with 25,000mi. for sale. Can anyone give me some feedback on this model? I am a bit worried about it's age. Are there any maintenance issues or bugaboo's I should know about before buying? I would appreciate any feed-back on this model! Thank you....

tango · 04-02-2005, 07:33 PM

Oldboy2,

I haven't had my bike long, same as yours with slightly less mileage.

I've been wrestling with bad running problems until recently, but I'm pretty impressed with it now.

Some of the problems were caused by bad maintenance by previous owners, with the coil being the exception, they can break down anytime.

Do you know anyone localy who knows this model, if so take them along to look at it.

Providing it has been well maintained it should be ok.

Have the chain and sprockets been replaced, if so, when?.
Was the major 24k service done, again, if so who by?.
Is the service book complete.
Is there any visible crash damage, if you can't see any ask the seller if he knows of any.
Open the filler cap and check underside of the cap, it's made of steel and alloy, not good bed partners. If there is excessive oxidisation there may well be rust deposits in the tank.
Were the valve clearances done at the last service and also the air box replaced?.

It's a good strong engine, the gear change is a bit clunky, I gave up using the clutch to change up, too many missed gears and I find it goes in easier without it, maybe that's just my bike though.

It has only done 25k miles, that's less than 2.5k per year so it's done a lot of sitting around, not necessarily a problem if kept in a dry, well ventilated area. Check all the steel fixings for rust.

Routine maintenance is much the same as any other bike, though the thick spine frame makes working on the head a bit awkward.

If the bike has been well cared for and it's a decent price then go for it. On the road it is very comfortable and deceptively quick

Make sure you get a test ride first, no test ride no sale.
Good luck.

gararnett · 04-02-2005, 10:23 PM

After doing some basic maintenance on my '95 (oil/filter, chain/sprockets, battery, brake pads, tires) I then upgraded the suspension with new fork seals, oil and race tech springs, then replaced the shock with a Hagons. I have only had a few very minor problems with the bike: I sprang a leak in the cooling system, which I fixed with some water pump sealant from autozone. The gasket from Triumph was less than a dollar, but shipping would have been about $8-12, since I don't have a local. That's why I went to the zone. Other than that, the clock went haywire, so I unplugged it. The light for the temp guage needs a new bilb (been burned out since purchase) and the horn died. That is it, and really not much at all. The bike came with about 38k on the clock and I rode it to Kansas and back (over 1800miles in 52 hours) with only doing an oil change before I left (none of the other maintenance was done before the ride). The bike was wonderful, and the maintenance and a few other mods have made it even better. I do need to get that horn fixed before the MD 20-20 though.

Don't worry, ride Triumph. :-D

[ This message was edited by: gararnett on 2005-04-02 20:25 ]

tango · 04-04-2005, 04:26 PM

Oldboy,

Also find out if the sprag clutch had been done, it's an expensive job at a shop.

tango · 04-04-2005, 04:26 PM

Oldboy,

Also find out if the sprag clutch had been done, it's an expensive job at a shop.