Would the real Motorcycle Mechanic please stand up ? ?

[sportyone]

Not a loaded question, but one that should be raised IMHO ?

out of all you guys who come forward so freely with advise on mods to make our bikes go & tuning tips etc, just how many of you are qualified Motorcycle Mechanics ?

Even better, how many of you derive your income from tuning Motorcycles or work for Triumph as a Mechanic ?

may I suggest not many ?

Buy this, Buy that, fit this, fit that, remove the Airbox, don't remove the Airbox, change the Jets to 150, nah, use 115 Thruxton needles, nah, America needles, mixture screws out 3 turns or maybe it's 2 turns, use Silver plugs, use standard plugs, nah, iridium plugs, fit NARK Kit, nah, just whip out the Airbox Baffle etc etc, wow, :flag:

apart from a few people like Pieman, Carlos & Matt and maybe a few I can't recall their names but may also be vendors, who have the runs on the board as they are really riding bikes that perform, :ride:

I reckon we should take what we hear & read with a grain of salt !
Otherwise one could get our machines really F#*%ed up !

I have found it not unlike going the the local pub & asking drunk how do u do Brain Surgery. that's we are on here, everybody is an expert ! lol

In the pub I drink at, I don't believe there would be even one actual Brain Surgeon on any night

lets have a show of hands guys, would the real Motorcycle Mechanics,

please stand up ! cheers

 

[Motley]

Nobody is twisting your arm. Take internet advise, or suggestions, for what they are.

 

[T-boy]

Sorry sporty, but I think anybody who has worked on their bikes with successful results is qualified to offer a suggestion or advice. There are many Members of this forum that are as good or better than some "qualified" mechanics. I think you stepped in it on this one...be prepared for some bashing, my friend. Were you in the pub when you started this thread?

 

[Kappy]

Sportyone, I am not sure what your issue is but I guess many of us forum members discuss the subject rather then go for it. Also, I do think that no one is pushing the community to modify the bike one owns especially performance mods to the engine.

I, for one, am a automotive engineer on executive level with a very big corporation, have real trade experience for many years. I work on bikes since the 70s and have over the years, even so I am qualified, fu...ked up a lot of engines of my bikes due to overdoing it. But it was my decision to go for it in the first place although I did listen to others more experienced guys what and how to modify. Is this not the fun of it, to achieve something special so to say and have a bike which is unique ? On the other hand, by making mistakes >>>?
I am still enjoying carrying out mods on my bikes as a hobby, I am still listening to others and I am still fu...king up engines sometimes (just recently an engine on my old Royal Enfield as I went a bit o.t.t.)

 

[BlueJ]

Sporty-

The "real" mechanics are the ones that are going to charge you for their work/advice. I get paid at my job all day. No way in hell I'm gonna come home and keep doing it for free.

You need to take everything you read here as sample points of data to learn from if you're going to go DIY on your own bike and start doing mods, and that's about it. You want factory Triumph certified advice, go to a factory certified Triumph dealer/mechanic, and take your checkbook.

Cheers!

 

[LoVel]

You should tell us what you did to f..k up your bike so we don't make the same mistake.

 

[AceT100]

You should tell us what you did to f..k up your bike so we don't make the same mistake.

I would have to agree....

 

[strokerlmt]

Hmmmmm...PMS...I have learned so much from forum members who have "hands" on experience with repairs and ohhhh m o d i f i c a t i o n s . I have also had two experiences with certified triumph mechanics, nice people, sincerely trying to help, but both could not figure out the problem. A RAT member had had the same issue and knew immediately what was wrong and I fixed it without paying a dealers hourly rate. Sometimes certified mechanics learn what a problem is and how to fix it on your nickel. Someone else said it, the thing about forums is .....you don't have to read it and you don't have to do it......and that is your right which I respect . It is also our right to do whatever we want even if we burn up a motor and we can pass on experiences to others which is our right.
LMT

 

[Skeeter]

i dont know if sporty is mad at us or not :huh:

 

[Bonneville09er]

may have been the drink talking

 

[mikenva]

I have made a living pulling wrenches on about any thing that goes down the road since 1975.I am not a full time bike mechanic(it dont pay enough).I been playing with bikes (building motors and such )since I was a kid.I had a shop building race motors for about 10 years am semi retired now,work part time and have a small cnc machine shop at my house.
If tell someone something its more then likely I have been there and done that with these bikes .I have learned as much what not to do to these bikes as what to do to them.So far I have built a 904,988 and a 1087 on these bikes.
Sporty if someone tells you something that they have tried you might want to hear what there saying you may learn something.I learn something every day.

 

[sportyone]

oh hell yeah, I do learn something new each day, that's called life !

Wow, if I was fishing I'd have a few bites, eh ? :lol3:
I didn't mean to put the cat amongst the pidgeons, I was just making an observation, I use this forum as most do, as a great source of generic info, it can be at times frustrating or a wealth of great info, however more often than not, much what is said seems without much real Motorcycle Mechanical knowledge behind it ? mostly heresay, that was what I was getting at.

There are so many of us on here with the same bikes, I find it quite strange that there is not more definitive answers to what works & what doesn't.
A lot of time & $$$ is spent experimenting with what someone has heard from somebody else or read what a vendor says as to the way to go or maybe what just a bloke, like I said, a mate from down the pub, to find out it doesn't work ? :d
Hence the title, I don't care if your a photographer ( like I am ) or a motorcycle mechanic, BlueJ to say that your not going to give info away for free is ridiculous. we are all on this forum for mate-ship and some unity because of the machines we ride. But your comment isn't a worry, it is beside the point.

just thought there could be a simpler solution to getting our machines running as good as possible by having a more uniform approach to the things and various stages one can take these great machines through & to.
Like if someone buys a Bonneville & signs up to the forum and seeks more info on what he can do to have his machine going well & fun to ride.
He then has to wade through truck loads of posts with various conflicting & assorted info about the same question & try to dicifer which is the one that really works, before being taking for a ride ( excuse the pun ) & doing something that doesn't.

perhaps a New table of mods & tuning tips could be helpful, I know Jenks have one but it is a 2005 version, so far out of date, a lot of fuel & air has past through pipes since that was put out, after all it is now 2012 ?

A simple table like:
If you are at sea level & have a carb'd 865:
Fit a Pieman igniter, remove the Snorkel, drill the slide to 3mm, fit 42 pilots, mixture screw 2 turns out, fit D&D pipes, fit DNA filter,
change main jet to 125, now your bike will produce 75HP @ the rear wheel !

SIMPLE ? :banana:

sorry if anyone out was offended by me seeking a simple definitive answer ?

 

[sportyone]

i don't know if sporty is mad at us or not :huh:

Let me get this straight, I certainly are not mad at anyone on this forum !

mealy asked for an answer ? :up:

 

[Sal Paradise]

As a home mechanic, I have to pay for my mistakes with my own money. What more qualification could there be?

Seriously, motorcycle forum advice is far far better than car forums. That world is a nightmare.

The answer is everyone is qualified. The question is; "in what?"

I probably know more about old Suzuki Twins than 99% of americans. I have a manual. I have dissasembled and reassembled a working example. I've modified it. I rebuilt the carbs. Doesn't help me troubleshoot the fuel injection system of a Victory Vegas.

 

[jphickory]

I think you misinterpreted BlueJ's remark. He was just saying a professional mechanic is likely not going to visit a forum dispersing his knowledge, after wrenching all day, simply because he needs a break from it.
Your main point is well taken, I too am suprised that performance mods and methods are not more standardized.

 

[koifarm]

Idea

oh hell yeah, I do learn something new each day, that's called life !

Wow, if I was fishing I'd have a few bites, eh ? :lol3:
I didn't mean to put the cat amongst the pidgeons, I was just making an observation, I use this forum as most do, as a great source of generic info, it can be at times frustrating or a wealth of great info, however more often than not, much what is said seems without much real Motorcycle Mechanical knowledge behind it ? mostly heresay, that was what I was getting at.

There are so many of us on here with the same bikes, I find it quite strange that there is not more definitive answers to what works & what doesn't.
A lot of time & $$$ is spent experimenting with what someone has heard from somebody else or read what a vendor says as to the way to go or maybe what just a bloke, like I said, a mate from down the pub, to find out it doesn't work ? :d
Hence the title, I don't care if your a photographer ( like I am ) or a motorcycle mechanic, BlueJ to say that your not going to give info away for free is ridiculous. we are all on this forum for mate-ship and some unity because of the machines we ride. But your comment isn't a worry, it is beside the point.

just thought there could be a simpler solution to getting our machines running as good as possible by having a more uniform approach to the things and various stages one can take these great machines through & to.
Like if someone buys a Bonneville & signs up to the forum and seeks more info on what he can do to have his machine going well & fun to ride.
He then has to wade through truck loads of posts with various conflicting & assorted info about the same question & try to dicifer which is the one that really works, before being taking for a ride ( excuse the pun ) & doing something that doesn't.

perhaps a New table of mods & tuning tips could be helpful, I know Jenks have one but it is a 2005 version, so far out of date, a lot of fuel & air has past through pipes since that was put out, after all it is now 2012 ?

A simple table like:
If you are at sea level & have a carb'd 865:
Fit a Pieman igniter, remove the Snorkel, drill the slide to 3mm, fit 42 pilots, mixture screw 2 turns out, fit D&D pipes, fit DNA filter,
change main jet to 125, now your bike will produce 75HP @ the rear wheel !

SIMPLE ? :banana:

sorry if anyone out was offended by me seeking a simple definitive answer ?

Sportyone,
I've looked at your posts and the one thing that keeps coming back to mind is that you're correct in your sensing a need for a cohesive well planned website or even forum to help those less mechanically talented complete a task with good sensible methodology. It's kind of like many solutions to a single problem and much like a manual, made up of individuals opinions, ideas and what works for them in a particular situation.
What comes to mind was that since you recognize the need for such a website and also have some forward thinking ideas about how such a program might function that it would behoove you to think about hosting such a website or forum that would help fellow riders solve problems without having to chase around all over the net.
I'd wonder if Bonafide might consider hosting such a forum on NBR, it certainly would enhance the programs and forums already in place but the addition of a cohesive index followed by separate headings for types of bikes would further enhance the information already there.
You would be the perfect one for such a venture mainly because you have a nuclear beginning of such a forum in your mind and could likely organize such a forum in a way that would help your fellow riders and those of us who don't wrench a lot and just need some feedback from others with the same problems...
Just a thought.....

 

[BlueJ]

I think you misinterpreted BlueJ's remark. He was just saying a professional mechanic is likely not going to visit a forum dispersing his knowledge, after wrenching all day, simply because he needs a break from it.
Your main point is well taken, I too am suprised that performance mods and methods are not more standardized.

That's exactly what I meant. And the reason it's not standardized is that most of the folks on here have "done it themselves" (after lots of research and ZERO experience at the start (like me) or years of experience and innate know-how (like Mikeinva, sweat, rodburner, etc. etc.)). And there's quite a bit of wiggle room at that "sweet spot" so everyone that landed closer to it than where they started is telling you what they did. Doesn't mean that it's the best, just that it worked for them.

To be honest, for me, half the fun is getting out there and doing my own experiments. Change the jets, tweak the airflow, drill holes in the carb slides, etc. These motors aren't built to such exacting standards that any two are identical. Bonnielass' bike and mine have been different since fresh home from the dealer 5 years ago, even when the "mods" were the same (they've since diverged).

You can find threads with the information you ask for... but for every cell on the spreadsheet (altitude X, year Y, model Z), you can find 10 different blokes with 10 different settings of what they think is "best" because NOBODY has the $$ (well except for BJDickens) to pay for and try EVERY combination out there and then go dyno the bejeezus out of it to come up with "the best".

Well, OK, benefit of the doubt, subject to emission and efficiency constraints, I'm betting Triumph did it. But everyone here seems to be willing to throw emission and efficiency to the winds in order to outrace those winds! So go take advantage of your lovely summer weather and RIDE!!!


Cheers!

 

[mikenva]

You can not get a bike tuned right going by a chart .Most of the guys that put those things on the net dont know the first thing about tuneing a motor.Jenks knows no more about tuneing a carb then any of the guys here.He use to go on a old forum some of us use to go on he couldnt even tune his own bike lol.
Even a guy with many years tuneing motors cant tune these bikes right with out getting a/f numbers off a meter or hp off a dyno and guess what there not all the same from bike to bike or place to place.On the other hand the guys doing it for a living only cares about it being close enough to get your money,and as far as dealer mechanics go triumph dealers dont have the best mechanics most are mom and pop shops with some guy they dont have to pay much doing the work.
dealer mechanics in most cases dont know jack about doing hp mods.

 

[benjamindickens]

As a mechanic I am a dam good fireman bahaha, but I agree with you sportyone you know how much I have spent on my bike and sometimes I should throw the cash into a fire to keep warm but it is nice to be able to help somebody else avoid repeating my mistakes by the way the nark is awsome thanks pieman a true knowledgeable guy. Without a forum such as this its hit and miss with vendor promises etc, so if we all share our information we will help others in the future. I also agree that it would be of fantastic help if we had sticky threads on customisation development, links, performance upgrades and the end result for various bike models etc, T100,SE Etc it would be most helpful but life is a journey and the help I have recieved from all of you regardless of your qualifications has been invaluable to me CHEERS , Thank you all

Ben Dickens

 

[sportyone]

As a mechanic I am a dam good fireman bahaha, but I agree with you sportyone you know how much I have spent on my bike and sometimes I should throw the cash into a fire to keep warm but it is nice to be able to help somebody else avoid repeating my mistakes by the way the nark is awsome thanks pieman a true knowledgeable guy. Without a forum such as this its hit and miss with vendor promises etc, so if we all share our information we will help others in the future. I also agree that it would be of fantastic help if we had sticky threads on customisation development, links, performance upgrades and the end result for various bike models etc, T100,SE Etc it would be most helpful but life is a journey and the help I have recieved from all of you regardless of your qualifications has been invaluable to me CHEERS , Thank you all

Ben Dickens

yeah your right Ben,

I just wish 'cose most of these guys have done it all before & either been very successful or have stuffed up, it would be IMHO a damn site easier for a newbie to the forum & someone new to Triumph, to just to select their bike and the mods desired, suiting their budget & away they go, a simple written chart that if followed reasonably closely an outcome would be assured. like I suggested earlier:
"If you are at sea level & have a carb'd 865:
Fit a Pieman igniter, remove the Snorkel, drill the slide to 3mm, fit 42 pilots, mixture screw 2 turns out, fit D&D pipes, fit DNA filter,
change main jet to 125, now your bike will produce 75HP @ the rear wheel ! "
very simple, no pain !

Not everyone just want to tinker about trying to set new landspeed titles etc & race their machine, if they did they perhaps would buy a different Brand,
but most do want a machine that's reliable, fun & great to ride, that's a well tuned Triumph Twin !

I know it's been said that even though our Bikes are the same Machines pretty much, there may be some small differences, but it certainly would be a great starting point for some & more than good enough for many others ?
saving all a truck load of $$$, time & headaches too.

Incidently, for those who are interested or concerned from my beginning post, my machine is going like the showers, simply rocketing along and so much fun to ride, so much so, I stayed out riding all day !

just had a great ride again today mate :woot: