Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Question About Triumph Motorcycles

Hello Folks,
I previously have only had one motorcycle, a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard C50. I bought it in May after taking the MSF Rider Course.
Two weeks ago, a young woman in a car rear ended me and totaled my motorcycle. I received a concussion (even with a full coverage helmet) and am lucky to be alive.
I'll post a picture of it in a future post.
I'm trying to decide if I should even ride again.
My motorcycle was knocked 122 feet down the road from point of impact, and it was quite a horrid experience.

Anyway, for the past few days I've been looking at Triumph motorcycles on the internet and reading about them.
I particularly like the Triumph America, the blue and white one...however, I notice that it has carburetors instead of fuel injection, and a chain instead of shaft drive.
My Suzuki was fuel injected and started very easily in the morning. I have heard that motorcycles with carburetors can be very annoying to start and run before they warm up.
How is the Triumph America in that regard? Also, why would a motorcycle in this day and age have carburetors instead of fuel injection?
Also, how much maintenance is there with a chain drive? My Suzuki had a sealed drive shaft. What advantage is the chain, and why does Triumph use them on their motorcycles?

Thanks in advance for any answers and help.

Regards,
-Ward

Never had a problem with mine. You keep the chain oiled and it is fine. The BA is a well built machine with a lot of character. It rides well and looks great. I loved it from first sight, but I would not have bought one if it was a dog to ride or look after. Who cares about fuel injection. Like I said the quality is second to none. I have had mine since 2001 and I have never seen the need to get another!!!

First off........... WELCOME TO BA!!! Sorry about your bad luck, glad your doing well after that accident. You'll find plenty of friendly people here who love Triumphs, riding, and friendship who are always eager to lend a hand or atleast some sound advice.

Triumph's are great motorcycles...don't hesitate....BUY ONE and you'll look like all the time!! Honestly the chain is probably just cheaper to manufacture but the maintainance is almost nothing. Clean and oil occasionally and all is well. Today's chains are internally oiled and sealed so they last a long time with little wear, upkeep. I have never had a problem starting my speedy even though it is "carburated". I've started it up in temps in the high 30's lov 40's with no problem. Simply pull out the choke, let'er run for 30sec and you are good to go! Gives the bike a little more character too not that it needs more character.... you will have hoards of people looking at your bike all the time so get used to it! I don't know if you've ever seen the blue and white America in person but trust me, it looks even better in person! The bonneville family of bikes are bullet proof, practically maintainance free rides that are absolutely sweet to drive and look at. I have two suggestions 1) BUY ONE!! 2) spend the few extra $$ and get an aftermarket pipe right out of the box, you'll be happier. Best of luck, hope this helps!

I purchased my america(blue/white)in march and have 4600 miles trouble free..a small issue of tranny at first and fixed no problem)Carbs are choked and bike starts right up and ready to ride..chain needs lube weekly.not a problem as it gives me time to admire my bike and pat myself on the back.My reccomendation is to just do it...you will only regret waiting so long and be grateful that you dont ride that suzuki anymore!!!!

chain needs lube weekly

Whaaaa?!? Last time I lubed my chain was right before leaving for the 2006 GA rally! Maybe I ought to squirt some more blue goo on it soon, just in case

Cheers,
Brad

Modern O-ring chains last on average 20k miles or more with just a little maintenance(clean and oil every 500-700 miles or so, a 5-10 minute job usually), with the added advantage of easy gearing ratio changes, if you desire such. Can't do that with a shaft, ya know. And the carbs? No problem either.

Yes, both of these items are sort'a "low tech" nowdays, but they're both easy to maintain items also.

My suggestion, Ward? Make sure you're healed up(both physically and mentally) from your unfortunate accident, and then go buy the Triumph. The Americas and Speedmasters ARE the best handling cruisers on the market, in my book, with plenty of ground clearance so you have some fun in the twisties with 'em.

I can almost guarantee you will not be sorry you bought it, unless you are the sort who may not like getting constantly complimented by perfect strangers who will then bend your ear about their old "lost-loves"...their old Triumphs they had back in the day, and then all the usual questions which are sure to follow such as, "When did they start making Triumphs again?".

(Oh and BTW, say hello to June for me....your wife is HOT, dude!!!)

And EFI is here, just not in the US yet

Welcome.
Chain cleaning threads are like oil threads. Everyone's got a different opinion.

I got into the habit of using Chain Wax on my Speedmaster once a week. You can probably get away with going 500-1000 miles but it's easy enough to do.

The BA with a carb is a cold-blooded beast. However, it only takes some choking after a cold start and within a few minutes/miles it'll be warmed up.

Good luck & ride safe.

Ward, no probs with the Carbs. As for the Chain, get a ScottOiler, and even the weekly or however often chain lube is just a memory. As for WHY the Carbs and the Chain. Probably cost would be the main reason, in order to keep the price lower in the US where the main market for these bikes was probably intended to be. And probably somewhat for the same reason Harley still uses a belt instead of a shaft. On a bike like this, from a purely aesthetic perspective a shaft just looks ugly (IMO). Were I to have bought a BMW or Honda touring bike or something like that, I'd have thought nothing about a shaft (used to have a shaft driven Honda Sabre). Fickle, silly, yep, but that's bike buyers in a nutshell. Unlike cars, which are more like appliances to most people, bikes are very personal possessions and more susceptible to the whims of people. But, EFI is coming, and I wouldn't be shocked if a shaft drive made its' way down the pipe someday, but I've never had any problems with my chain, so I don't really worry about it. Just check it over from time to time, clean it when I clean the bike, and forget about it.

Gee Wally , what got into Dad ? I dunno , Beave .

Next week on Mayfield Ink - June gets inked .

i hate the chain. the carbs are a non-issue.

I love the bike overall though and the few faults aren't enough to make me switch.

Hey Ward, welcome to the site.
The thing about carberators, if they stop working, it's probably dirt or fuel residue(the last happens after long storage with no prep).
The fix then, is to take apart and clean various parts from the gas tank to the carb jets. This takes only time, not money.

If fuel injection stops working, it's probably a sensor or other electronic part that cannot be fixed, only replaced($$$$$)

Chains are easy to care for, and allow for gearing changes.
This is just a WAG, but I would say about 15% of our members have changed their gearing.

Sorry to hear about your ground-sky-ground thing, but your idea of going to a training course is an excellent one.
I would also recommend reading all of the posts in the Riding Technique section.
There's a lot of accumulated wisdom in there.

So buy the Triumph already!
Steve McQueen would want you to.

Ward,
where do you live?

I am selling my 07 blue/white america.
you are welcome to come look at it .
all dressed up and with the final belt drive conversion.
even if you don't want my bike you are welcome to come look
and see.

Cool luggage Pete. What, where and how much??

Hey, how do you like that belt drive conversion?

I have the belt and love it!

seriously, Ward, the carb. is a non-issue, no problems at all. The chain only gits sprayed by an aresol can of oil once in a while, or longer. The BA is easily recognized as a cool looking motorcycle, and will get complements from lots of other bikers, especially if you park next to anything else, including good looking hardleys. My advice, strictly from an economical point of view, buy a nice used one (some on this site, plenty on the web). Like me, you can save thousands of dollars, and usually on a bike that only has ten to fifteen thousand miles or less. With a quality bike like the BA, thats nothing in miles. Good luck, and I hope you join all of the other really happy Trumpet riders out here!

Don't let the chain drive stop you. It's not to bad but It would be advisable to get a bike lift if you don't have one already. With A bike lift it's a five minute job.

On other boards he hails from the Piedmont Area of NC.

Chains, carbs, wire wheels - get 'em while you can.