Triumph Scrambler

[panthercity]

Originally Posted by M700

Good info there Foot Dragger - I've been dreading a flat for the past two and half years because I ride my Scram in some pretty remote areas w/o cell coverage... My mechanical skills are only fair - I've never changed a motorcycle tire myself... Time to get busy and learn I guess.

Would really be nice to have a plug & compressor setup though. Much easier...

Plus for tubes?

[TStorm]

Originally Posted by Furious D

Heatwave, Like the look of those mirrors. How do they work? Been thru four sets of mirrors and I still have not found a set I like.


British Customs makes a set of control clamps minus the mirror mounts. I have a set that came with my bike, I have been holding on to them in case I decide to go with bar-end mirrors.

If you want the cheap (i.e. free) way of cleaning up when you switch to bar ends, just flip the original mirror bracket upside down. Did that to one side of my Thruxton back when I had it. Looked better, didn't cost a cent. Screwed in a RAM mount to the other one.

[Foot dragger]

Originally Posted by blacktiger

I find it advantageous to completely remove the RH chain tensioner. You can then get everything else in line and push the spindle through up the end of the last spacer then thread the adjuster back in whilst easing the swingarm apart slightly.
I'm thinking of getting both spacers turned down 0.5mm each to make it all easier.

That sounds like a good idea,the caliper is kind of a sloppy fit on the swingarm and I dont have enough hands to hold everything in place.Getting the axle started through the left side and through the caliper helps quite a bit. This wheel change was the first time I tried it on the Scrambler so it will go better next time. Its due for a tire so I will get some practice in then. When the tire went flat I rolled to a stop in a driveway,soon the couple that lived there came out to see what I was doing,he helped me push the bike up hill into some shade,their dog/kitten/child also came out to watch. He helped hold the caliper in place and pushed the axle through while I lined things up. Help was welcome as It was time to be getting home.
If I hadnt made sure all my tire change stuff was in the tail trunk It would have been a very long day.

[M700]

"Plus for tubes?" - I'll take it that means "Plugs for tubes?"

No, not plugging the tube - I just like the convenience of a tubeless tire setup where one can simply plug the hole in the tire, and re-inflate the tire then motor happily away.

As opposed to two hours of wrestling the rear wheel off the Scram, breaking the bead, replacing the tube, re-seating the bead, and re-installing everything... I do a lot of bicycling, and fix a lot of flats on road bikes & mountain bikes, but that's quite different from two hours of wrestling with recalcitrant motorcycle components!

There were several things I thought needed attention when I first got my Scrambler:

1. The low-hanging rear brake caliper. A major design weakness on Triumph's part IMHO. Rhodie came out with a kit to fix that, but I guess they're no longer available. Phooey.

2. Wheels that require tubes... I like the plug, inflate and go simplicity rather than the tear the bike apart hassle.

3. Power - took care of that with some pipes, air-box mods, re-jetting and a dyno-tune. Big improvement. There's more to be had if willing to spend the time and money on cams, big bore pistons, bigger carbs etc... Mine is making plenty of power to satisfy me now, so I'm through with that. At least for now.

4. Suspension - Forks are a little firm for rough-road riding. That can be taken care of. I don't have a big problem with the rear shocks. They'll be replaced eventually, but they're what I expect from stock shocks.

5. Protection - Scramblers really need some bars and a skidplate to protect things.

There are simple fixes to some of these things. Not-so-simple fixes for other things. I keep wondering if I can get my wheels sealed, and do without the tubes... It's expensive to go with alternate wheels... Then again, I could just get smart about how to change a tire/tube on these things and only be out the cost of some tools and a spare tube!

Regards, Guy

[Heatwave]

M700,

As a fellow bicyclist I have always had great success with Stan's No Tube sealant in my bike tubes. I was wondering how that might work in moto tubes? I have seen other tube sealants, Ride On, but never a mention on Stan's. When it comes time to change the Trail Wings I might have to try it and then have a few punctures...

[panthercity]

Originally Posted by M700

"Plus for tubes?" - I'll take it that means "Plugs for tubes?"

No, not plugging the tube - I just like the convenience of a tubeless tire setup where one can simply plug the hole in the tire, and re-inflate the tire then motor happily away. ...

Sorry `bout that, New laptop = new keyboard = old mistakes...

In the past 40-odd years I've patched a bunch more tubes on the side of the road/trail than plugged tubeless tires.

Still and all, the R1100RS is tubeless and I like the stop-n-go kit.

Over on ratnet, I've read about folks sealing their rims with varying success.

[ChrisLX200]

Rode my furry Scram on our local Triumph RAT run to Wales on Saturday. Very comfortable ride and I have no doubt that touring would be a breeze on it. Had to wring it's neck on the way back to keep up with the sports bikes but the Scrambler did really well.

A few edited vid clips from my ContourHD helmet cam here (2 parts). Not very exciting perhaps but the scenery is nice (and the barbie was good when we got back )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OilZNeKmVc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ps8MR1QB8E

[Foot dragger]

Originally Posted by Heatwave

M700,

As a fellow bicyclist I have always had great success with Stan's No Tube sealant in my bike tubes. I was wondering how that might work in moto tubes? I have seen other tube sealants, Ride On, but never a mention on Stan's. When it comes time to change the Trail Wings I might have to try it and then have a few punctures...

I used to work in a bicycle shop eons ago,the Slime was what people were putting in their tubes then,it never worked as far as I could tell but did make it impossible to patch a tube. We must have sold thousands of bottles of Slime,great money maker.
Theres a tubeless system for dirt bikes that works well but as far as I know they only make em for 21 and 18" wheels. Its called Nubliss or something like that. Its like a big rim lock that goes all the way around the rim,seals the rim and holds the tire to the rim solidly. I would like to have some thing like that for the Scrambler. My Strom sold yesterday so the Scrambler is now the main trip bike.

[Mista Vern]

Originally Posted by M700

NoPoChicken - great action shots!

For sure!! Looks like the training at All Women's Adventure Camp really did the trick!

[TStorm]

Shifter arrived! Thanks Mista!

[Mista Vern]

Originally Posted by TStorm

Shifter arrived! Thanks Mista!

If a guy ain't handsome, he should at least be handy! Glad to help.

[blacktiger]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

Theres a tubeless system for dirt bikes that works well but as far as I know they only make em for 21 and 18" wheels. Its called Nubliss or something like that.

http://www.nuetech.com/
Tubliss

I did e-mail them about bigger ones for road bikes and they are working on them but at the moment they're not approved for sustained high speed use. They do a 19" so you could try one on the front but most punctures occur in the rear.

[TStorm]

Originally Posted by Mista Vern

If a guy ain't handsome, he should at least be handy! Glad to help.

Someone's watched a bit of the Red/Green show sometime in the past.


Took the shifter down to the shop the bike's been sitting at for the past little while. They gave me a list of damages:

• mirror assembly
• handlebar
• clutch lever assembly
• left grip
• left barend
• left front turn signal assembly
• left rear turn signal assembly
• headlamp bucket
• seatcover
• front footpeg
• passenger footpeg
• fuel tank
• side cover
• clutch cable
• clutch engagement stalk
• left shock assembly
• left side engine/transmission cover

And then they told me that there was some internal damage too, since no matter what gear they put it in, the bike still rolls freely.

With everything being so cosmetic, I was going to save my $1000 deductible, but with the transmission damage, that could be more expensive than I feel like paying out of my own pocket. Guess I might file the insurance claim after all.

[Foot dragger]

Originally Posted by TStorm

Someone's watched a bit of the Red/Green sometime in the past.


Took the shifter down to the shop the bike's been sitting at for the past little while. They gave me a list of damages:

• mirror assembly
• handlebar
• clutch lever assembly
• left grip
• left barend
• left front turn signal assembly
• left rear turn signal assembly
• headlamp bucket
• seatcover
• front footpeg
• passenger footpeg
• fuel tank
• side cover
• clutch cable
• clutch engagement stalk
• left shock assembly

And then they told me that there was some internal damage too, since no matter what gear they put it in, the bike still rolls freely.

With everything being so cosmetic, I was going to save my $1000 deductible, but with the transmission damage, that could be more expensive than I feel like paying out of my own pocket. Guess I might file the insurance claim after all.

I think the gas tank alone is 1000.00+.
These arent cheap bikes at all,but then what is?

[TStorm]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

I think the gas tank alone is 1000.00+.
These arent cheap bikes at all,but then what is?

But it's just a dent from where the lighting control switch panel on the handlebars slammed into it. Does it hold fuel? Yes. Does it leak that fuel? No. Verdict: no new tank needed.

Same thing with the shocks, grip, footpegs, barend, stock seat, headlamp, and the left side engine/transmission cover (I forgot to add that to the list above. Now edited for correctness.) It's all just scraped and scratched a little, but still 100% functional. If it wasn't for the internal stuff...I'd ignore it all, just replace that shifter, clutch lever, toolkit cover, and turn signals, and then call it good. Wouldn't cost more than a few hundred bucks. Depending on how bad that handlebar felt, I probably wouldn't even fix that.




But that does make me wonder: if I had the handlebar brace, would the handlebars be as easy to bend when sliding down the highway with the bike's weight on top of them? Would it have helped protect that $1000+ fuel tank?


Also, apparently I didn't have medical coverage, so that ambulance call won't be covered, but the $300 tow charge will be...if I can find that receipt.