Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Question about Tune Up

As ive posted in the past I just recently bought my 2003 TBA. It has 900 miles on it and has essentially just been sitting in the previous owners garage for 6 years. The tires are still in good shape so I dont need to replace those.

What else should really be done and in order of importance?

This is my first bike and I'm a complete beginner so bare with me on some of these questions. For the oil change I want to use the correct oil. I want to be able to ride the bike ASAP since the months to ride are disappearing pretty quickly, so I was wondering what a good oil to use is and where I could buy it in Michigan? If no one knows of anywhere in Michigan could someone PLEASE provide a link to a site that sells the oil? I will probably need brake fluid too.

If there is anything else you guys can think of that I can do inexpensively before I take her out for a week or two let me know (In three weeks I get a nice refund from school that I can buy a new battery and a do some more maintenance, for now I just want to make it safe and make sure I don't do any damage.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Also, I read in my manual that there is some sort of special tool to do oil changes with, I dont have any tool kit or accessories that were given to me when I purchased the bike, will my mechanic run into a lot of problems?

Frankly, with that mileage on it, having just had the breakin service done, it ain't gonna hurt it to just ride it. An oil change can't hurt anything if you feel the need. Look in the tech vault for all the different oils we have been using. You can find many brands that will work just fine.

Drain the gas (see below) , change out the oil. Oil is a slippery topic here. Choose a brand and a filter yourself. then read your old thread.
Inspect your brake linings.
Break out a torque wrench and ensure everything is torqued to specs.
Check the chain for proper tension and to see if it is worn. Lube it.
Check all fluid levels and the battery charge.
Make sure the air box is free of vermin nest.
and the pipes are clear of nest too. Drain the bowls.
Check for fuel flow (using the gas to be drained out). Put a gallon or so in the tank and try to fire her up. When she runs good, then think about changing out the brake fluid, fork oil, and such.

Check the tires and tubes carefully to make certain the things haven't dry rotted. You're probably okay, though. Even so, I hate blow outs and flats and they never happen at a "convenient" time.

Welcome to the fold. I'm in the Livonia/Plymouth area. You're going to love riding on North Territorial and out in the Dexter/Chelsea/****** area.

Even though the bike's essentially new, those tires may be dried out by now. Check them carefully. Personally, if a bike's been sitting that long, I'd still at least change the oil and filter and replace the gas and drain the carbs to get some fresh stuff in there.

I live in Ann Arbor RonL, parents live in Chelsea and I also work in Chelsea. Small world!

The first order of importance is to spend some time completely reading info in the tech vault on this site, and becoming familiar with this site. Lots of great info, even more great people with riding and wrenching experience. Welcome to the bike and the site!

Put some new gasoline in her with some Seafoam additive to clean the carbs. Air up the tires and ride her. Your oil is fine.

My 03 TBA was the same deal. Bought it this spring with 1200 miles and it sat in a garage for 5-6 years. What did I do? Changed the oil, drained the old gas, checked the tires carefully for dry rot. It already had a good battery so no worries there. Checked the chain and adjusted and lubed it. Then I rode with no problems. Just know that the stock tires are not the best so I wouldn't push them but if you ride modestly there are no worries.

Oh, and try to find out if the rear brake reservoir was relocated higher from when it left the factory. This was a recall thingy covered by Triumph. Seems if you tip the bike over with the res in the old location it can introduce air to the system and you can end up with no rear brake.

If the break-in oil was changed at 500-600 miles like it's supposed to be, I wouldn't worry about the oil. The only "special" tools required to work on these bikes involve engine repairs and fork and triple tree repair/adjustment, neither of which should be a concern for a loooong time. Everything on these bikes is metric, with the exception of a few Torx screws (with metric threads)which can be replaced with regular metric bolts or allen heads and the security Torx which hold the tank badges on. If the brake fluid looks clear with no goobers floating in it and the level is correct, don't worry about it. If it is cloudy and goobery, change it.

Otherwise, as mentioned, replace the gas, drain the float bowls, add a little Seafoam, check for vermin in the voids, then ride the thing and enjoy. Any hiccups or burps, report back and you'll get lots of guidance from the cognoscente...

I would worry about the old oil because of possible condensation over that amount of time. In my opinion it would be a good idea to change it. Fresh gas as said above as well as the other checks mentioned are all a good idea.

Two questions, Where is the Triumph Allan wrench they include located on the bike? And how many quarts of oil should I purchase for the change? Thanks!

I think the allen wrench is under the right side cover. It takes 4 quarts. The drain plug is in the front of the engine. Also fill the new oil filter with oil before installing. The oil fill cap is on the right side of the engine above the oil level sight glass. I use a large flat head screw driver with the blade wraped in a paper match cover to unscrew it, won't get damaged.

good luck.

The allen is under the plastic cover that covers the ignition switch and fuse box.

And be sure not to overfill with oil. If you do... drain some out before tearing up the roads.

If the motor has been running, it takes a while for all the oil to settle down for an accurate check. I now only look at the indicator after the bike has been off for more than an hour.