 Re: tbs needles ?
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Quote:
Just pulled my needles in my '06 speedmaster to replace them with Truxton needles (NBZ)...guess what I all ready have NBZ needles...so are Truxton needles stock ??? I have had this bike since new and I haven't change them
If you had the dealer install different exhaust system when new, they might have installed them then.
Are NBZ Thruxton needles? I don't have a clue what the codes mean? I go by length and shape. 
12 Rocket Roadster
03 Bonneville America
69 BSA Firebird Scrambler
73 Yamaha TX 750
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Thruxton needles are marked NBZT.
SM 865 needles are marked NBZY.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Jul 2006
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I just order a set from here: http://www.motorcyclestore.us/triumph/accessories/general/oil/index.htmlI pulled my needles and they looked the same, size and lenght and they have the same code on them...So any ways I have a set if some one wants them....cost of shipping No one else has touched the bike I terms of performance upgrades... Just check them again..both are NBZT
Last edited by SDKimo; 03/13/2011 4:26 PM.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Jan 2009
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I live in the sun downunder
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I live in the sun downunder
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Quote:
Just pulled my needles in my '06 speedmaster to replace them with Truxton needles (NBZ)...guess what I all ready have NBZ needles...so are Truxton needles stock ??? I have had this bike since new and I haven't change them
Jim, you are a letter short.
865cc Speedmasters came with NBZY needles as standard.
Thruxtons came with NBZT as standard.
That's out of the Triumph Workshop Manual.
FrankW
Ex Speedmaster rider, went to the Dark Side now riding an America.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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The ones I order were NBZT Thruxton needles...the ones that are in the bike are NBZT...same ones..the bike came stock with Truxton needles
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Feb 2008
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Quote:
The ones I order were NBZT Thruxton needles...the ones that are in the bike are NBZT...same ones..the bike came stock with Truxton needles
I understand what you are saying, however that is an exception & not the norm.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Jan 2009
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I live in the sun downunder
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Just out of curiosity Jim, have you checked what size jets were fitted from new. I was wondering if the carbs on your bike were meant for a Thruxton and were put on by mistake. Is that possible.
FrankW
Ex Speedmaster rider, went to the Dark Side now riding an America.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Oil Expert
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Guys, without trying to be a bit anal here but just for ease of understanding what needles are which, would it be possible to refer to what needles you are talking about by just calling them by the bikes they came from? I'm sure I'm not alone here when one is calling them NBZT's or whatever and the other is calling them TBS ( don't know if they match Btw and don't care either ). I mean, all we need to know is the bike they come from really and if you want to order a set just go to the Tech Vault for the code. It's doing my head in when one is referring to a code number cos I've got too many codes in my head from other sh*t to try to remember these ones 
Staintune Pipes, K&N Pods, 45 pilots, TBS needles and 145 mains.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Feb 2008
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Quote:
...would it be possible to refer to what needles you are talking about by just calling them by the bikes they came from? ...
Possible, yes. However, IMO that is far from optimal, just look at this thread to determine why.
4 digit alpha-numeric codes are stamped on the needles. Without that data it's a crapshoot as to which needle it really is.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Bike came from the dealer with stock pipe, 40/120 jet set up...I later put TOR's and K&N filer and rejetted to 40/135...since that time I have gone to pods with B&C shakers and jetted at 40/145...I added a 3mm washer to the needle when I put them back in...seems like it took out a flat spot I had between 1/8-1/4 throttle and 4,000-5,000 rpm
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Re: tbs needles ?
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With TORS & pods IMO the reason you have the off-idle flat spot is a too-small pilot jet, & the shimmed NBZT needle is necessary because the 145 mains are a size or 2 under optimal...absent some objective data to the contrary my theory is your bike is lean on the bottom & lean on top. With optimal pilot & main jetting if you continue run a shimmed NBZT needle then it will be rich in the middle. It works on the street because with the rich needle compensating for the lean pilot & rich main it prolly works OK. Just sayin'.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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I could go up one size on the pilot and drop the shim...the main is ok...by the way I have pods and BC shakers not TOR's
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Re: tbs needles ?
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The OEM 865/270 SM carbs should have had 42 pilots stock - how did yours end up with 40's?
Theory - OEM carbs were "damaged" before you got the bike & were replaced with Bonnie/Thrux-spec carbs?
The BC shakers should flow at least as well as TORS.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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For what its worth, my Haynes manual says the pilots for the 790 speedys are 42 and the 865's have 40's. Didn't look at this til just now. I never did pull mine out, at the time just assumed they were 42. Hmmm....
2005 Speedmaster, Tornado Red, AI removed, Uni Pods, JCW 19" turnouts
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Quote:
For what its worth, my Haynes manual says the pilots for the 790 speedys are 42 and the 865's have 40's. Didn't look at this til just now. I never did pull mine out, at the time just assumed they were 42. Hmmm....
SDKimo: If the bike was tuned for Denver & that's where you ride it then I understand the leaner pilot & main jets. I don't, however, understand the shimmed NBZT's "mile-high". Your sig indicates that you're at sea level, however.
Last edited by B02S4; 03/14/2011 8:30 PM.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Yes I live at sea level now..my last tuning was going up to 145 main when I moved here and put D&D pipes on it. I ran them for about 1.5 years, then went to the cocktail shakers. I kept the jetting the same because BC sent me 145 mains with the shakers and said that should be the jetting for them....The odd thing was when I changed from the D&D pipes to the shakers the bike seemed allot quicker..the bike pulls real hard from idle to WOT. Like I said earlier I had this "flat" spot around 4,000-5,000 rpm @ 1/8-1/4 throttle...the shim seems to fix that...right now I am real happy with the jetting..
one more thing my Factory Manual says the pilot jet is 40 for the 865 speedmaster and the main jet 100, needle is a NBZY.....
Last edited by SDKimo; 03/14/2011 7:53 PM.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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My 07SM had 42 pilots. I bought it new. Go figure.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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My manual is listed as Issue 2, 2006...later years could be different...
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Re: tbs needles ?
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You know, Haynes & Triumph may be right - I could be wrong - it's possible the dealer slipped those 42 pilots in mine before I picked it up. Dunno.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Guess I'll have to wait until the carbs are off again to see what pilots I actually have. The original mains were 120 and the needle was NBZY.
2005 Speedmaster, Tornado Red, AI removed, Uni Pods, JCW 19" turnouts
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Learned Hand
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Well I don't know if its the fact that I haven't riden in a few months but the TBS needls sure feel like they added somthing. I realy want to have it put on a dyno this year
Life need a little Triumph!
2008 Triumph Speedmaster, Single baffle drag pipes, lots of black powder coatin,K&N pods, AI removed, TBS needles and a procom cdi.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Don't quote me but from a memory, I had 40 pilots in my 05 Tornado Red Speedie. Also, I doubt whether I would have bought a set, but I do have a pr amongst my others. Regarding the TBS needles though. I'm very happy with mine and no amount of opinion is going to make me change. Btw, before anyone looks at my sig and says " your mains are too small", which I intend to tweak sooner or later if I don't get the a/f sorted soon, let me tell you I don't get much of a chance to go wot. That's because the TBS ars so strong mid range, I very rarely need to. I'm also getting 5.56 ltr's per 100k's round town which appears to tell me I'm running well IMHO. 
Last edited by Stacka; 03/21/2011 6:48 AM.
Staintune Pipes, K&N Pods, 45 pilots, TBS needles and 145 mains.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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What I have done has fixed the "flat spot". What I have noticed is the inside of the pipe is now black, when before it had no color...maybe too rich ??
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Jan 2009
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I live in the sun downunder
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I live in the sun downunder
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I know the thread is about TBS needles, but I went with the Thruxton needles because they were easier to get than TBS's.
Also it would give me the difference in performance and fuel economy over stock needles.(I was running stock with one shim)
My ar$e dyno tells me I do have an increase in performance in the middle throttle range, but also an increase in fuel consumption. Whether my current fuel usage is below what is normally considered acceptable for these bikes I don't know.
My bike is a 2004 Speedmaster with a 790cc engine.
Setup is as my signature.
5.5 litres per 100 klms. 43 mpg US. 52 mpg Imp.
With stock needles and I shim.
5.1 litres per 100 klms. 46 mpg US. 55 mpg Imp.
I did the comparisons to give me the information and to also give them to Stacka who I know tried the Thruxton needles and wasn't impressed with the fuel consumption he was getting.
As far as I can tell from the information I have tried to glean from this site and other sites the 790cc engine with its different cams and Igniter (Ignition timing) performs completely differently than the 865cc engine with the same carb setup.
FrankW
Ex Speedmaster rider, went to the Dark Side now riding an America.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Hi Frank, I've been meaning to suggest you try the TBS needles. I know we have the different cams etc But I've found them almost perfect for me compared to the Thruxtons which as you rightly point out were to rich form me. The TBS are giving me about 5.5 L per 100k's which is fine in my books. That mid range is something special with the TBS and now it's just tweaking the mains. Not that I need to go above 3/4 throttle much now though. Btw, when I get a few moments for a chat I'll ring you on Skype 
Staintune Pipes, K&N Pods, 45 pilots, TBS needles and 145 mains.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Quote:
...It works on the street because with the rich needle compensating for the lean pilot & rich main ...
Whoops...typo...that was intended to be "lean pilot and lean main"... 
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Joined: Jan 2009
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I live in the sun downunder
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I live in the sun downunder
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Quote:
Hi Frank, I've been meaning to suggest you try the TBS needles. I know we have the different cams etc But I've found them almost perfect for me compared to the Thruxtons which as you rightly point out were to rich form me. The TBS are giving me about 5.5 L per 100k's which is fine in my books. That mid range is something special with the TBS and now it's just tweaking the mains. Not that I need to go above 3/4 throttle much now though.
Btw, when I get a few moments for a chat I'll ring you on Skype
Give it a couple of weeks before you try and call.
I will be relaxing and drinking Bintang in the sun on Bali. 
FrankW
Ex Speedmaster rider, went to the Dark Side now riding an America.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Lucky baste*d 
Staintune Pipes, K&N Pods, 45 pilots, TBS needles and 145 mains.
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Quote:
Guess I'll have to wait until the carbs are off again to see what pilots I actually have. The original mains were 120 and the needle was NBZY.
Pulled the carbs today. They were 40's. Replaced them with 42's.
2005 Speedmaster, Tornado Red, AI removed, Uni Pods, JCW 19" turnouts
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Re: tbs needles ?
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Quote:
...Pulled the carbs today. They were 40's. Replaced them with 42's.
Thanks for verifying.
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