[danfandango]

I was out riding my 1995 S3 this Saturday, when the throttle caught and stuck a couple of times revving to five thousand RPM and forcing me to kill the ignition a couple times as well as downshift under load. Anyhow I got home and was tooling around in the parking lot and I noticed a scraping noise coming from the chain/sprockets. I tried to adjust some of the slack out to see if that would improve the situation and it seems to have had no effect. Anyway, I don't have prior experience adjusting chains and in general motorcycle maintenance, but it seems like the noise is excessive for something that would just need a little tweaking. I think it is possible that the chain, sprockets, or possibly transmission bearing (I read something about this in other posts) could be damaged. At this point should I take it to the dealership or is there no need for concern over the scraping noise? This bike is at 11K and the previous owner mentioned that there might be a need for chain replacement in the near future? Any thoughts welcome. Thanks-Dan

 

[durty]

sounds like a chain replacement is in order what size triple is it if its a 509 then chain 520 if 955 then 530

 

[Guest]

'95 Speed Triple is a T3 series bike that uses 530 chain. When a T3 starts making that noise, it's time to part it out. I'll give you $100 for the fork & shocks, or $500 for the whole thing... :wink:

Ahem. Seriously, get a new chain & sprockets. If you shop MAW Online for the chain & sprockets & BikeBandit for the gaskets, seals, etc., you should be able to get parts for around $200. If you've never dealt with an o-ring chain before, take it to a shop or buy a master link press (~$75).

There is a forum just for the T3 bikes like yours & mine; check it out.

Absolutely get a factory or Haynes manual before you start trying to fix it! It won't tell you *why* you have to drain the motor to change the sprockets, but it will tell you *that* you have to do so...

I'll see if I can dig up a list of parts required, just did the chain & sprockets on mine.

HTH,
-Kit

 

[danfandango]

Fortunately the previous owner included the Haynes manual, I have been thumbing through it. Normally, I would feel fairly comfortable tackling the swap myself (as I have done other mechanical work just primarily on cars), but I have a limitation in the way of facilities (apartment parking lot) and the dealer quoted me 275-375 (seems reasonable?) for the chain and gear replacement for parts and labor, depending on the quality I spec.

Plus I have AAA so I think I can get it towed for free.

That manual is definitely instrumental though, maybe I will tackle the valve adjustment at 12K. I just don't think my apartment manager will tolerate a disabled bike cluttering up the lot for too long and I have read horror stories about chain swaps. I expect as a novice it would take me three days more than it should anyway...Thanks for the input guys.

What about the noise, should I be concerned about having damaged more than the easily replaced?

 

[Guest]

The dealer quote sounds reasonable to me; I think I paid $200 for parts + $150 labor at the indy shop I use for stuff like that. (After wasting 2 days wrestling with the chain & running out of time & decent weather to do the rest. My labor was actually $300, but that included mounting a new rear tire & a whole lot of labor to get the new rubbing strip on the swingarm.)

That's actually very reasonable if you're talking about a genuine Triumph dealer! If you're not talking about a Triumph dealer, be sure to get all the Triumph parts you need beforehand & bring 'em with you. Be sure he's swapping out the sprockets, too. Old sprockets will wear out a new chain a lot faster.

I didn't hear your noise, so I can't be sure what it was. Your dealer sounds reasonable from the quote, so it wouldn't hurt to mention it. That being said, these are noisy bikes! If it doesn't sound like a diesel rock crusher at idle, there's something wrong, & a loose chain will make some noise. :-D I actually had an old Harley guy stop me as I was taking off one day & ask if my motor was okay! I think the engine was louder than the pipes & that confused him...

Cheers,
-Kit

 

[jimballard]

Hi Dan,

Check and see if AAA will take the bike. Last I knew, they didn't do motorcycles.

Hope they've changed their policy: Jim

 

[DOUBLEL]

While we are on the subject of chains, what lube should I put on my America chain? It looks dry and I have put about 800 miles since my last visit to the Dealer when I know he lubed it. I don't have a Dealer close so I may need to get it from a "Japanese" dealership. I remember the Dealer saying something about "wax" rather than oil, would this be correct?

 

[Guest]

The most important thing about chain lube is that you have some on there. WD-40 is probably too thin & wrong for other reasons as well, but there are people who swear by it. My guess is that it works for them because they use it frequently enough that it keeps the chain lubed in spite of being sub-optimal.

As far as proper chain lubes go, there are plenty of greases, waxes, & who-knows-whats made specifically for bike chains. They all work, as long as you use them frequently enough. I believe ~500 miles is the spec for my '96 Trident, but that might be a general rule. General rules are good enough for me, since I'm running the same 530 chain a whole lot of other street riders use.

Personally, I used to use 80W90 gear oil in a LoobMan semi-auto chain luber. It eventually clogged the head of the LoobMan, which I didn't notice for 1000 miles or so. The second time that happened, I ditched the LoobMan & started using the can of chain lube I had around. (PJ-1 maybe?)

When I got my new chain, I also picked up some DuPont Teflon® Multi-Use Dry, Wax Lubricant. It's quite a name, but the stuff is half the price of some of the bike-specific lubes & it's hard to argue with Teflon. The techie, do-it-right, side of me likes the idea of a dry wax lube with Teflon, & the cheapskate side of me likes the price. This is one of those rare products that gives both sides what they want. No idea how well it works long-term, though, as I've only put about a thousand miles on the new chain. (Hey, I put it on at the end of December!) I first read about this stuff over at WebBikeWorld

Cheers,
-Kit

Edit: D'oh! Fixed URL...

[ This message was edited by: KitNYC on 2007-01-30 09:33 ]

 

[danfandango]

That quote is from a bonafide Triumph dealership, like I said the price seems reasonable to me.

At least I had an opportunity to get used to the noise of the motor before the chain went, and I was able to isolate the noise to the chain. The motors are definitely loud but not in an objectionable kind of way. I read up on the bike before purchase so I was expecting the sound of gravel, or nickels in a washing machine to quote a couple descriptions.

I will give AAA a call this morning and see if they are willing to take the bike otherwise would there be any problem with trying to ride it to the dealership since I am going to get the parts replaced anyway? It's only about 12 miles away.

I also want to see what the dealer recommends on lube, I was hardpressed to find anything but solvent type penetrating oils at the local auto supply shops.

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[danfandango]

I just upgraded my AAA Plus to RV coverage, that applies to motorcycles, ATV's, campers etc. The overall membership goes from $69.00 to $101.00 for the year. Even if I ride it to the dealership on Saturday it will be nice to have the additional coverage if stranded at a later date.

 

[Guest]

As long as your wheel didn't get misaligned, you should be okay to ride it there. Please don't hold me responsible if your worn-out chain snaps on you. :-D

The Teflon stuff can be found at Lowes and some Ace & True Value hardware stores. If you're looking to lube your old chain for 12 more miles, anything'll do. If you're talking about som elube for your new chain, the dealer will probably have a few different options in stock.

HTH,
-Kit

 

[danfandango]

I qualify for the benefits of my new AAA RV policy on Saturday morning, so it might be worth it to just get it towed out...At least I will get to ride it home. :-D

 

[Mojoinco]

Don't forget AMAs MoTow. My MC insurance (Foremost) also has towing.

 

[LT]

On 2007-01-29 12:49, danfandango wrote:... throttle caught and stuck a couple of times revving to five thousand RPM..... scraping noise coming from the chain/sprockets.... This bike is at 11K...

Unless I'm missing something, I don't see the connection between 5k RPMs and need for a new chain. 11k miles seems soon for a chain unless you haven't lubed it in that time. Can you see where the scraping noise is coming from? Busted chain guard or something?

 

[danfandango]

5,000 RPM upshifts don't bother me, but there were some pretty nasty downshifts with the throttle basically free-revving as soon as I pulled in the clutch due to the aformentioned stuck throttle. The drivetrain didn't seem to appreciate the maneuver, given the violence of the shifts. I noticed the scraping noise when I got back to my apartment. Anyway the dealership is supposed to be giving it a once over today so we'll see what happens. Hopefully it doesn't need to be replaced. I could only locate the noise to the chain area although there is a possibility it could be something else.

 

[danfandango]

Just heard from the dealer, they have adjusted the chain but said it is otherwise fine...so I'll get to hold off on spending some money. Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate the input.-Dan