Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Just Bought my 2003 Bonneville America!

Thanks to a few members on this board I found an amazing deal in Ohio for a 2003 Triumph Bonneville America with only 900 Miles!

Its has some incredibly minor and light surface rust in a couple places, and the front wheel needs to be respoked, other than that its perfect!

Since this is my first bike and ive only rode a bike twice im not entirely sure of all the mechanical stuff I need to do, I was wondering if someone could help with a list of things to check, replace, maintain, etc... The bike was garaged since 2003 and started up randomly each year just to let the motor run.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

congrats on your new ride .off the top of my head i,d say look at changing all the fluids oil and brake , air filter, maybe lube the cables , check your tires for cracking (they'll be 6 or 7 y o),clean and lube chain ,try some NevrDul on them rusty bits cleans it up no problem, maybe check your electrical connections /fuses for corrosion, a wee dab of dielectric grease here an there and maybe run over all the fasteners with a tork wrench . i,m sure theres more stuff you could look at . check the tech section theres a ton of good info in there,buy a maintenance manual haynes or the triumph one .good luck and enjoy .

goodluck with the bike

Thanks Celt. If you had to put a rough estimate price tag on the total of all those services what would think?

Hey Steve, congrats on the '03. I have the same year with a couple more miles, 36,000
Celt's suggestions are spot on and should not cost a lot on greenbacks.
Go to the local autoparts, Pep Boys etc and pick up a can of Seafoam(yea I know it's a wierd name but it works great). Pour 3-4 oz in a full tank of gas. Do this a couple tank fulls. This will clean out all the gunky stuff in the carbies.
Mike

well up here in Canada these things are a bit more pricey. oil change $70ish, brake flush maybe $100, probably 2 hours labour for the rest. if you got a Triumph dealer close by maybe run it by them . you should put your location in your profile, you may have someone from the site close by that can help you out with info on good dealers locally or with some of the stuff youve mentioned . i forgot to mention on my first post maybe run some Seafoam in the tank with some new gas . best o luck

These are DYI things, f the dealer and save the $85.00 per hour labor rate.
M

Yeah-don't go to the dealer (depending on where you are in MI we have Life Cycle and Detroit Triumph).

Oil filter was $13 (I put a K&N on) and oil was ~$30 for me this year. I would do like all before me said. Really your not looking at a lot of money, seeing how you got a killer deal on the bike. But definitly get a manual and read over all these sections and the recommended fluids etc. I got mine here for a little cheaper. Becuase I'm cheap!

http://discountautorepairmanuals.com/Mer...tegory_Code=TM1

And I can't find it now, of course, but somebody found a downloadable version and posted a thread about it.

Everybody's already said it all, but congratulations on the '03 TBA. Same year as mine... what colour is it?

Nice purchase. One other thing to check, chances are it never had the rear brake reservoir moved. There was a recall on these things in late '04 which had a bracket aded to mount the reservoir higher. Seems if they lay over they could get air bubbles in the brake line and the rear brakes would stop working at a random point. If your reservoir is down near the pedal take it to a dealer for a free bracket.

Good call Sandman!!

Just added it in. Im in Ann Arbor Michigan. Thanks for all the help!

Another quick question guys. Like Ive talked about a bit in the past this is my first motorcycle Ive ever owned. Ive never rode one either, so Im really a complete newcomer in the motorcycle world.

Ive already bought the bike so whats done is done (and I really DON'T regret it at all). Ive talked to a few people about the bike though, and while everyone is extremely jealous, Ive had a few negative remarks in terms of it being my first bike and not having rode a motorcycle in the past. Will this be a good bike for a beginner? From what I understand the America is an all around amazing bike, perfect for a beginner and even better for a veteran. Is this at all accurate, or do I really need to practice on a lower power bike first?

I just posted this today in the "she popped the question" thread...

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Let's be honest here. Does anyone really want to drop and damage a new bike they are making payments on? For a first bike, an old piece of crap bike that runs is just fine for learning, and if it hits the pavement, either straighten it out or throw it away. Plus, the Jap bikes from the 80's are plentiful, very light for the cc's, run almost as reliably now as they did new, and parts are still available either from dealers or ebay and other online sources. Ride it, learn, move up to a nice bike. Or decide riding isn't your thing, but only be out a few hundred maybe a thousand bucks.

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You circumstances are a bit different than mine were. I started out riding small bikes as a kid and as I got older and bigger I was riding bigger bikes.

Remember what it felt like to ride a bicycle at first? How foreign it felt, how awkward? Then you gradually got used to it and started experimenting and the rest is history? Well, I imagine for you riding your new TBA will feel a bit the same. Awkward and unusual at first... then more and more familiar as you go along.

Let's put it this way... does your bike feel comfortable? Does it seem to 'fit' you or... do you 'fit' it? Like a good pair of shoes. In other words, can you sense having a relationship and spending time with it? Can you in fact IMAGINE riding your machine down a road?

Of course it may feel intimidating. Maybe even the few negative remarks have made you feel intimidated. But I can tell you, if you gain confidence in yourself to succeed at something new, you will be fine. Riding is a skill to be sure, and over time it becomes an art but in the beginning just stay cool and trust in yourself.

Someone once said to me, 'you gotta be a bit gusty to ride a motorcycle.' True, it is not to be taken lightly and it does take a certain spirit to go out face the world on two wheels. You need to know it is not for the faint-of-heart. But if you have a strong sense of adventure and listen to the beat of your own drum you should be fine.

Just have an immense amount of respect for your bike. Learn to ride defensively like you've never done before. And practice, practice, practice. Go to empty parking lots, quiet lanes and roadways. Maybe even cash in on a course to get yourself going. I must tell you... even today, and I've been riding for over 40 years, I practice stuff. Solo run a few quiet twisties, practice fast stops, pull through a few tight swerves (to miss potential objects) and so on.

And ya gotta have presence of mind. Just today I was daydreaming about my daughter I think it was, and I entered a corner a little faster than I felt comfortable with. Sometimes the sun, wind and rumble can lull you into a trance. That's okay... and it's a lot of fun but stay awake.

Finally... don't listen to others unless they offer constructive words. Listen to yourself and get up the confidence to learn a new thing and do it well. Okay... I think I'm finished for now. Let us know how it all goes.

And I'll be honest about the TBA... it's not the easiest bike to ride. Of course a Honda Jazz or Vespa is gonna be easier to throw around. But if you are a big enough lad to pick it up if it falls over, then the bike will work for you. But have a look at what roadworthy said here and maybe that will help too.

I definitely respect your input and agree. The reason I went for the TBA was 1) Its the most beautiful bike ive ever seen 2) I am parting ways with my special edition mustang that I love more than anything (insurance a bit too high though, as well as gas). I decided that if I was going to get rid of my Mustang I would replace it with something else that gives me that same attraction it did.

Im a pretty big guy, 6'2 200lbs so I dont think lifting the bike should be an issue. Just today I saw what had to be a 17 year old girl ride by on a new Honda Shadow. That gave me a lot more confidence!

That was a good soapbox by mountainman. I agree with everything he said. It does take guts to ride a bike. And you probably have to be a little crazy too. I used to say the same thing when I would pole vault.

As for me last winter I was watching motorcross and said "you know what, I want to get a motorcycle." I had never ridden, sat on one and for that fact never even heard of Triumph, Ducati, KTM, Norton... Pretty much everything to me was a loud Hardley. So I started looking for bikes and what I liked. Like you I feel in love with the look of the America. I bought it in April and then took the class thru the state in June. So I bought a bike (actually bought 2-maybe a little impulsive) without being able to ride the darn things!

I think it's a good size to learn on. Because if you had a 250 by the end of the season I promise you'd want more power. Now if you bought a new T-bird maybe that's a different story. Bike heavy powerful bike. But a mid weight, mid power cruiser is nice. Like mountainman said you have to ride within your limits. There will always be guys faster and better in the twisties than you. Your bike is for fun and transportation. Not to be world champion or impress anybody.

There will always be nay sayers...just get loud pipes and drown them out

Here's the link to the class thru the state. It really is a good class to teach the basics in riding skills and gives you a lot of time on a bike. And it's only $25 when I took it. When you're done you'll have more confidence and if you don't have your cycle endorsement yet this will get it for you.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/motorcylc_rider_and_safety_education_courses_90018_7.pdf

wow 08America we have a very similar story. Im taking a 4 day 10 hours each day beginners course late June. I'll have the bike sitting in my apartment parking lot for a week though, I dont think I will be able to handle not trying to ride it! Dont really want to make a dumb mistake and drop the bike though!

Welcome & congrats. I sold my '96 Firebird Formula for my America. No harm practicing low speed (crawl) turns in your parking lot. Get comfortable manuvering the bike. Lots of beginners keel over going 5 mph. Use that rear brake only for low speed parking lot travel and putting the bars at a pretty good angle (figure 8's are good practice).

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wow 08America we have a very similar story. Im taking a 4 day 10 hours each day beginners course late June. I'll have the bike sitting in my apartment parking lot for a week though, I dont think I will be able to handle not trying to ride it! Dont really want to make a dumb mistake and drop the bike though!

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thanks for the advice guys. Yeah Im hoping to avoid dumping the bike for as long as possible, but Im trying to be realistic. It will happen sometime.

The shifting is gonna be something completely new to me also. Thats where my concern is