Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Triumph America/Speedmaster Lifespan

Hi, I just purchased a low mileage 06 Triumph America and planning on putting some miles on it. I'm curious, how many miles have some of you put on your bikes and any serious mechanical issues in a certain mileage range?

How about mods, any negative effects down the road from doing them?

i beat my bike everytime i ride it, 22,000 miles and nothing but oil and brakes and tires. there are guys with 50k plus with no issues at all. and just about everyone has pipes and some airbox mods or no airbox at all. u have no worries. there is the rare occasion where someone has problems but that is with anything weather car or bike. so dont worrie about reliability. just enjoy it

Frank

The bikes seem to be tough and well built.

As a retired engineer, I can tell you that they are very well made. With reasonable care, it would be reasonable to expect 80 to 100 K miles. You must use the proper oil and change the filter on time. The weakest mechanical point is the oil pump drive gear, and that has probably been upgraded. Even on the older bikes, it takes something strange like something going through an oil pump that shouldn't or maybe adding to the pump load with very thick oil to break the drive.
The electrics, while not as good as they might be if the bike cost 4 times as much, but they are as good as most.

I've owned a lot of different kinds of bikes through the years, and my America quality is outstanding! You'll find that out as you tinker with it a little. And welcome to the ownership and site!

I've owned a lot of bikes including a Triumph in the early seventies, but this is the first bike I've owned this long that has never stopped impressing me. Extremely well engineered package.

They're horrible bikes, just horrible. You should sell yours to me very cheap before it explodes.

Oh, um, 37,500 miles, no major problems that weren't mistakes on my part.

8/04- 26,000. Front brakes still have stock rears, tires. one set of front rotors standard weak spot. Oil and that is all.
Oh one thing that makes them go faster and run longer is a FeS Brake res decal!

The most serious effects from doing mods are the toll it takes on your wallet, and the time added to every trip you take from people wanting to chat about the bike and the mods you made.....

My BA 2002 Beast has almost 20,000 miles. I have lubed the chain, changed the oil & filter every 4000 miles, changed the spark plugs every 4 to 5000 miles, gone through two sets of brake pads front and rear, changed front and rear tires once, installed new battery once, and installed a new speedometer cable within the last 200 miles (Maybe I should have lubed the old one). She has D&D pipes with a jet kit and I ride her like I stole her. She runs like a raped ape. She doesn't care if it is raining or sunny. She likes to be ridden. I keep checking the Valves and believe one adjustment will work for me.

Excellent, that is what I was hoping to hear. Comparing apples to oranges, but snowmobiles typically don't start breaking down until a person starts tinkering with them.

Glad to know mods on a Triumph will not induce negative effects.

Anyone out there got more than 50k on their bike??

Charlie in LA has btwn 80-90,000 on his

I've got 1100 miles on mine and still running strong!!

'03 with over 26,000 miles and nothing more serious than a broken speedo cable, and the little lenses on the dash popping out.

do you really need to change the oil and do things like check the valves? about 85,000 miles and the only real problem is the cdi went out few months ago. I think that was only cause i bought a sprint and was not riding the speedmaster as much and it got mad.

bad,
changing the oil, DEFINITELY. The one "achilles heel" in these bikes is that the crankshaft and the cams ride directly on the crankcase and head material, which is aluminum. There are no replaceable journals like some engines, just the cam and crank against aluminum. Therefore, if you neglect your oil, and screw up your head or crank, you can't just go out and replace the journals, you have to replace the whole head. SO, it comes down to that money for oil buying you peace of mind or not. As for the valves, well, if there is too much slop or too little, you can damage your valves, or your pistons among other things.

Hi People,sold the bandit and treated myself to a new BA.Aint taken delivery yet though. Midlife crisis, born again biker an all that.
Good to know the lifespan is looking good.

I never looked into the crank bearings. If they infact ride on the case with no bearing I never would have bought my bike. That means once it wears out it can't be rebuilt. So my 54 Triumph will be going strong long after my 04 is shot and scrapped.

32,000 with no problems. The engine is very tough.

these motors DO have crank bearings, but no cam bearings

Frank

Thanx Frank, I have never been in the bottom end of these yet so didn't know and didn't open the book to look yet. I'll have a peek tomorrow for my own piece of mind during the storm. I thought it a strange design to not have main bearings but I also thought it strange to not have cam bearings.

These sickles is ok. Deon neon was sayin thet the mo you mod the longer the jaw sessions. To cut the jaw get a black un. To get mo jaw than one of them greet wheats, get a red un. I need to learn meself to fire fight. Ole Charlie has 85 now! I think he had some cplates put in some months ago but i wish i could ride as much as him. two 02s. the no jaw one shows 66.5, the jaw endowed shows 25 of which i put 10 on her since i expatriated her from the lone stars college station july 31 2007.

bad406's trumpet: jan 07

My 08 Yamaha 650 Special didn't have cam bearings.
Just rode in the aluminum. eventually they wore a bit and the bike rattled. when I stopped riding it, bply had about 12,000, and then my ex rode it 50 miles everyday to work for about 6 years. maybe longer. I have no idea how many miles it really had. Still ran ok, just sounded like ******.
mary

no problem,a nd from what i understand with the cams, as long as we run good oil and keep it clean there should be no problems. also heard there are some bikes with mixed and matched crank bearings, cheaper then machining it to perfection i guess, and nobody has seemed to have any failures because of it

Frank

Quite a few bikes with overhead cams have no bearings in the top end. At first I was ****** about this, than I talked to a German automotive engineer about this and he told me it is very common. He told me a lot of reasons as to why its done this way, but that was 5 years ago. CRS hurts!

I would expect that a new model Triumph built today using synthetic oils to least 2 times longer that the Triumphs of the 60s or 70's before a major overhaul. Maybe longer, who knows with some decent care, common sense riding, regular maintenance.

Jerry

From what I have seen and personal experience with the old bikes I would say 3 times as long since I was doing top ends anywhere from 35,000 miles to 50,000 miles depending on filtration,maintenance,and usage. I am not and wasn't too concerned with no cam bearings,not that I like it but I do know from the automotive world they seem to last quite a while with the modern syn. oils. And replacing a head is one thing while a whole engine is quite another. So when I heard both no cam or main bearings I wasn't liking it. I have quite a few of the 50s ,60s ,and 70s Triumphs and they are nearly eternally rebuildable. I can't count the times I have rebuilt my chopper engine (in reality 5 I think)but with no mains it wouldn't be the case.

08/02 black and silver 49,000 miles. 4 frint tires and 3 rear 3 front pads and 3 rearand 1 stock chain kit. Love that bike.

seems people are getting the wrong impression, I love my SM just scared me for a sec that I might not be able to rebuild the bottom end when the time comes. Glad it was misinformation (I hate her )

Wow only one battery!!!!! I am on my third or fourth I think. If I get 18 months out of a battery I am happen. Not sure exactly how long Ive had it. Got a few days after the factory burnt down.