[dandares41]

Hi Guys

Im Dan new to the forums and need some advice. Im changing bikes from my fireblade to a T509 triple. Now heres the dilema, ive been offered a vvvery good condition T509 43000miles well serviced ie valve shime new t.chain & tensioner, for my mint blade 22000 miles.
Is this high mileage for one of these on a 97. I only do around 3500 a year but are these bikes good for it with that mileage. Thought id ask some Triumph experts as i am (was a sports bike rider only and fancy one of these. Hope you can help

Dandares

 

[Stampy]

Hi Dan, T509 of '97 vintage have a notorious 4th gear issue, Do a search on 4th gear and VIN no's to see if your one is affected, I had a 509 and loved it!! I had no issues with mine.

 

[mycalldoe]

Hi Guys

Im Dan new to the forums and need some advice. Im changing bikes from my fireblade to a T509 triple. Now heres the dilema, ive been offered a vvvery good condition T509 43000miles well serviced ie valve shime new t.chain & tensioner, for my mint blade 22000 miles.
Is this high mileage for one of these on a 97. I only do around 3500 a year but are these bikes good for it with that mileage. Thought id ask some Triumph experts as i am (was a sports bike rider only and fancy one of these. Hope you can help

Dandares

Hi Dan,

I have a 97 t509 with 34000 miles on the clock i bought recently...

the only problem i have had is with the battery, they need a really good charged battery to start them. I always as a matter of course change the oil and filter and use 15w50 4T oil as reccomended by my dealer for mileage.

Things to check.

1. Recall has been done on the fuel connectors
2. Start the bike and if it starts easy with no obvious starter spinning, it should be ok as far as the sprag clutch is concerned.
3. Have a good look over the bike for corrosion etc.
4. test the bike for relatively non clunky gearbox, a little is ok.
5. Look in the oil sight glass and if you see milky substance then the oil definitely should be changed, but this does not mean there is a problem. I had both these with my sprint and my t509 when i bought them. Changing the oil gets rid of this.

You may thing the sound of the bike is a bit mechanical tractor like but they all seem to be like this except the newer bikes.

You should be able to see if it has been well looked after. If you do buy it you should look at doing most of the servicing yourself except maybe valve shims and maybe throttle balancing. The rest is easy and straight forward.

Hope this helps..... I am no expert just my experience. My sprint ST had done 59000+ miles and was still good for many miles.

I have a triumph race can with mapping to suit and a new K&N filter with iridium plugs and has really nice torque. These bikes feel big and beefy and always puts a smile on my face when i open the throttle.

Regards
Mike.

 

[mycalldoe]

Stampy pitched in while i was writing my post......

I called Hinckley regarding the 4th gear issue and they said that as they were a small manufacturer compared to say honda/yamaha etc cost was never an issue and if there was a notified problem they would recall their bikes. They said there is a bone of contention with the 4th gear issue and they have not had course to recall bikes because of a manufacturing defect on them. Maybe some guys were unlucky.

If you put into perspective the qty of triumphs on the road and the amount that suffer serious problems you will see the same on every car/bike/tractor/jetski etc forum there is.

I was told if you ride it hard and crash the gears hard ....!!!!

You can read into these forums what you will but you should not assume one persons problem will be yours.

This is a great resource for knowledge.

 

[DEcosse]

CYA response from Triumph - there were a LOT of bikes that had this problem and there does not seem to be any safe mileage that says "if it hasn't happened by ...... then it won't"
That's not to say avoid it. Just giving you insight that this is not as uncommon as Mr Triumph made out.
Probably more prone to fail on the higher HP T595 Daytona of same vintage.
Both also suffered from a weak sprag clutch and a poor electrical grounding scheme (which is much more easily resolved than the former two issues).
955 bike also got a bigger radiator and the aformentioned issues were resolved.

My bike started life as a T509. It's not a slug, but certainly the lowest performer out of the FI Triples. It has a smaller motor (885cc) and rated only 108HP (at crank).

If you can stretch to an 00 955, I would certainly say it would be a better buy; better, more refined ECM & fuelling control. More HP.

 

[mycalldoe]

DEcosse may be right.... as a matter of interest the sprag clutch is not an easier fix as the engine has to be split to do this on this model so its the same as the gear as well....engine out strip down etc.

What i have just learnt is that this model has the earlier IAC valve which cannot respond to and in turn assist with throttle balancing with say a dealertool. All to do with the Sagem ECU. This means you need say a morgan carbtune and the dealertool if you want to do your own throttlebody syncing and reset the TPS etc.

 

[cave1]

I have a T509 and Tuneboy, and it looks to me as if I can reset the TPS using Tuneboy. It also looks as if I will be using a Carbtune to balance the throttle bodies, but I don't think I'll need the dealertool as well. Can confirm all this in another 4-5K when I have to do the next 12K service.

The HP difference between the 97-98T509 and the 99-01 955 Speed Triple (not Daytona) is pretty small. Triumph claims 106HP at the crank for the T509 and 108HP at the crank for the 99-01 Speed Triples. The big difference is not HP but torque. The 955 engine makes something like 10 ft/lbs more than the T509 at their respective peaks, and it makes it a lot earlier in the rev band. Everybody likes torque, so this is of course a big plus of the 955 engine. But I have to say, the 885 mill has a character all its own. You have to spin it a bit higher to keep it in the sweet spot of the torque curve, which is its own kind of fun, and because you're spinning it more, the sound with a race can is pretty sweet. My bike came with some mid-range fueling issues, but Tuneboy has pretty well sorted them. Both the T509 and the 955 will go way faster than they are comfortable to ride (the wind blast at a genuine 120 mph on a speed triple, for instance, isn't exactly conducive to relaxation). The 955 will get up there a bit quicker, but not by much.

When I bought my T509, it wasn't because I couldn't afford a 99-01 model. I'd already spent years bringing another bike (BMWR100S) back from decrepitude, and I didn't want another ongoing project. It came down to which available bike was in the best shape and had a decent known history. I took near-mint T509 over a couple of clapped-out 955's that were available for a $500-$1000 more, and I'd do it again. The $500 more than paid for a Tuneboy and an E-bay race can at the prices of the day...

 

[mycalldoe]

I have a T509 and Tuneboy, and it looks to me as if I can reset the TPS using Tuneboy. It also looks as if I will be using a Carbtune to balance the throttle bodies, but I don't think I'll need the dealertool as well. Can confirm all this in another 4-5K when I have to do the next 12K service.

You would not need the dealertool as well but i was told by dealertool about the sagem ECU not being able to talk to the dealertool. This is what they said:

" The Keihin system has a sensor connected to each cylinder. It can see the suction on each cylinder and DealerTool access this information to give you an easy to use bargraph to balance them.
On the Sagem system the sensor does not exist so the ECU cannot tell if the throttles are in balance or not.
The only way to tell is to connect a gauge to each cylinder and read off the values."


regards mike.

 

[DEcosse]

That is the same for all Sagem ECMs though 2004 models
The 97/98 has MC2000 and 99+ has the MC1000
It's not just the ECM - there is no MAP sensor on the pre 05 engine control system.
Neither can be balanced via Tuneboy of Gameboy alone and need external vacuum gauge (like Carbtune).

Moot in the T509 vs 955 argument (or discussion - no argument, figure of speech)

 

[Edgar]

Mike
You may be able to help me...I have the same bike as you, with the same can...can you tell me what tune you are running ? (I am assuming yours does not have a massive dead spot around 5000rpm!)
Cheers
Jonathan

 

[DEcosse]

Doubt if you will hear back from Mike, Jonathan - his last visit to the site was almost a year ago April '09

 

[cave1]

Man, I barely remember this thread. I'm not Mike, but cave1. I have a 97 T509 with the stock 885cc engine. When I got it, it had a stock low mount can and the dead spot you describe. I installed the Triumph high mount can and a (Tuneboy-tweaked) version of the base 9854 tune at the same time, and the dead spot disappeared. Makes for a much nicer bike to ride, I must say. I am not sure if the base 9854 tune along with the high mount can does away with the dead spot, as I never rode my bike with that combination. You'd only be able to install a tweaked tune if your bike has a Tuneboy key and you also got access to a Tuneboy cable. Not exactly a cheap proposition, unless you are already set up for Tuneboy...

 

[bigshineybike]

My T509 1997 has done over 60,000 miles now. I stopped servicing it properly at 30000 miles when it last had a new air filter and plugs I figure its not worth as much as the cost of main dealer service and its paid for itself, it refuses to die. I do always change the oil at 6000 intervals with Mobil 4t racing.
Mine broke its forth gear at 22000 miles and the new gear is a different design, triumph thought something needed fixing.
In over ten years ive owned the bike Its been garaged alongside loads of other bikes but its still the one i will choose over all the others.

 

[rubber biscuit]

I wonder what dandars41 bought way back in '09?

 

[DEcosse]

I wonder what dandars41 bought way back in '09?

Since that was his one & only post I'm suspecting it was NOT a Triumph