Proud New Steamer Owner!

[sevenpointsixtwo]

First things first; pics!



Paperwork complete!


It was listed as a 1997 Triumph Tiger on Craigslist, but the title actually says '98 model year. 28,300-ish miles. It's been well looked after by owners who know Triumphs and took good care of it. Supposedly the sprag clutch was "taken care of" (whatever that means) and valves have been checked, and there was no DAR to speak of when we fired it up. It's been jetted and is running a K&N filter, and supposedly pulls strong (it was 0 degrees out - too cold for a test ride!). New-ish Shinko 705s, center stand, bash plate, corbin seat, hard top case, soft panniers and tank bag included.

The ugly: presumably due to ethanol in the gas, the paint on the fuel tank has bubbled and started to flake off. It needs a complete repaint job, but I'm concerned that it would just happen again. Is there a way to properly seal the tank so that paint will stick and be resistant to this? On the cheap, preferably. I'm thinking rattle-can tan or OD.

All in, $2000. I'm thinking that's a helluva deal; what say you inmates in the know?

[Animo]

I say “ Go and ride, after a few hundred miles of dirt the tank will go unnoticed” Nice bike

[birddogone]

Hey Congratulations, She sure looks nice!

[GSAragazzi]

Great buy! Congrats

Always loved the looks, plus that engine is just a delight.

[jwdub]

Congrats on your new ride. I had a 95 Steamer and only have one suggestion. Don't let the bike sit for long without treating the fuel with Stabil. I let mine sit for 3 months during the winter and it took hours of work to take everything off to get the pilot jet out of the center carb. The backbone frame comes down right in back of it and it's a real bitch to get to. Depending upon your height, you may experience a lot of turbulence at head level. I'm sure that there are a number of windshield options out there that weren't available when I had mine. Most of all, have fun!

[markbvt]

I had a funny feeling you might have already posted here, David.

I think you're going to love that bike. The paint may be rough, but it sure runs great and sounds awesome! And for the paint, you might look at using the two-part PPG epoxy primer on the tank first, then painting over that. A friend of mine has an HVLP paint rig I'm sure he'd let me borrow, and come spring we could strip the tank, shoot the epoxy primer, then shoot an automotive paint of your choice. It'll give better-looking results than rattle-canning it; don't know why I didn't think to mention it last night.

--mark

[pluric]

Originally Posted by sevenpointsixtwo

Paperwork complete!


It was listed as a 1997 Triumph Tiger on Craigslist, but the title actually says '98 model year. 28,300-ish miles. It's been well looked after by owners who know Triumphs and took good care of it. Supposedly the sprag clutch was "taken care of" (whatever that means) and valves have been checked, and there was no DAR to speak of when we fired it up. It's been jetted and is running a K&N filter, and supposedly pulls strong (it was 0 degrees out - too cold for a test ride!). New-ish Shinko 705s, center stand, bash plate, corbin seat, hard top case, soft panniers and tank bag included.

The ugly: presumably due to ethanol in the gas, the paint on the fuel tank has bubbled and started to flake off. It needs a complete repaint job, but I'm concerned that it would just happen again. Is there a way to properly seal the tank so that paint will stick and be resistant to this? On the cheap, preferably. I'm thinking rattle-can tan or OD.

All in, $2000. I'm thinking that's a helluva deal; what say you inmates in the know?

Just keep wearing the hat. No one will notice anything else.

[sevenpointsixtwo]

Originally Posted by pluric

Just keep wearing the hat. No one will notice anything else.

What can I say? Vermont does things to my inner hillbilly!

I plan on painting my helmet flannel-plaid to complete the look. Or camo.

[M Bouthillette]

Congratulations on the new bike. It looks great. Is it a first bike ?

Now the waiting game begins.

[markbvt]

Originally Posted by M Bouthillette

Congratulations on the new bike. It looks great. Is it a first bike ?

Note in the sig at the bottom of his post that he already owns two other bikes.

And then there's this ride report that we did on the Labrador/Newfoundland trip we took at the end of this past summer:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=823825

--mark

[High Country Herb]

Nice. Sounds like you got a good deal, too, with all those farkles. The paint looks fine from here...

I almost bought one of those a couple of years ago, for quite a bit more than you paid. I didn't know much about them, so I hesitated and it was gone.

[Dubl-A]

That's a STEAL! Be safe and post up progress of the paint fix

[snakeroll]

congrats on the bike......7.62! love a .30 cal also!

[sevenpointsixtwo]

Originally Posted by M Bouthillette

Congratulations on the new bike. It looks great. Is it a first bike ?

Now the waiting game begins.

Merci! Nowhere near a first bike, although I've only been riding 6 years or so. Most of my previous bikes have been sport-y bikes, and I've finally had enough of being uncomfortable on long rides. As Markbvt posted, we did a Trans-Lab trip last summer and I took the DRZ400E - certainly not my first choice to be riding 4000 miles on, but actually a lot more fun than a sportbike in many ways. I wanted something that could haul my ass all day and get dirty at the same time, and I think the Tiger fits the bill!

[gplassm]

I owned a 1998 Triumph Thunderbird Adventurer, which had much the same 885cc engine. I ran into a couple of problems at mileage close to what you have on yours. First, the alternator drive failed. The gear bolt on the clutch side just shears off. There is an "upgrade" which consists of a new, hollow splined shaft, and a long, grade 8 bolt that goes all the way through the new shaft, with a lock nut on the end. Installing this shaft is a bit tricky, as you have to carefully push the old shaft out with the new one. Any "backing off" or releasing of pressure will allow the sprag clutch assembly to drop, requiring engine removal, and case splitting to re-install. Fortunately, mine went in easily.
Another issue I ran into was the neutral indicator stopped working. This was due to the switch tip contacting a rotating brass plate that is affixed to the shift drum. The tip eventually wears a groove in the plate, and contact is lost. This can be temporarily remedied by replacing the aluminum washer underneath the switch with a thinner one.
I also started encountering strange electrical issues - the idiot lights would start doing strange things, and the headlight would go out intermittently. I tore the wiring harness apart, and found some questionable wiring practices (unsoldered junctions - just twisted together). I was never able to permanently repair the wiring, and intermittent opens, and I eventually sold the bike.
There were also issues with the 885's of this era losing the sprag clutch entirely. Mine held out, but I would recommend that you keep a strong, healthy battery in that machine at all times, as this is the best defense against premature sprag wear.