Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Just purchased an 06 America, needs some TLC...

Hi all, new to the forums and Triumphs, looking for some expert input...

I purchased an 06 America that had been sitting around for a few years - it has 6k mi and some signs of neglect. I'm trying to put together a list of things to recondition her, and would love some input from others.

So, here she is:



Overall, in good shape, not showroom new, but I'm not one to get hung up on "character" flaws.

1. Front tire has dry-rot looking lines, so I need to replace it. Not sure if I need to replace the rear as well, or what ya'll think.

2. After I rode the bike home, I noticed oil on the right side, seemed to be coming from the cooling fins/where the spark plug is - third up from the bottom:



Only seemed to be a drop of oil, but there was some splatter along the body as it was pulled back by the wind... Is this the common issue with loose bolts I've read about? What specifically should a new-to-Triumph owner check out?


3. The pipes are blued, which I'm okay with, but I noticed some bluing on this cover as well (to the left of the table leg in the reflection) - is that an exhaust leak?




4. This black crud - is that chain gunk seeping out?




5. Also, I noticed when riding her home that the top of the speedo was dark - is that just how the speedo is designed, or is there a second bulb in there that should be replaced?

6. The brake lever is bent from what looks like a fall, but there's no other damage on the bike, so I assume it tipped into something in a garage.



At any rate, any good place to get a replacement?

7. Lastly, the rear wheel has a broken spoke - looks to be on the chain side, broken at the rim, not the hub. Is there a "best" solution for replacing the single spoke? Should I just buy a new wheel?


Fwiw, I love the Triumph America - I've ridden one for a short stint in the past, and decided it would be next bike. My plans for her, other than getting her fixed up, are a center stand for repairs and some kind of exhaust, which I'm reading up on here - lots of good info, and seems like good people!

First of all welcome to the site!Alot of great folks around here that are very knowledgeable and willing to help.
1.I would think that if there are are no signs of dry rot go with it but keep an eye on it when it's up and running.
2.Possibly running down an oil line?
3.No clue.....
4.Yep.
5.Never had to replace mine but speedo should be nice and bright.
6.You may be able to score one right here in our classifieds.If not try Pinwall cycles on e-bay.
7.I would simply have the broken spoke replaced by a reputable shop,surely would be cheaper than replacing the whole wheel.
That my friend is just my opinion and you will find out that around here we all agree to disagree.Good luck and by the way where are you located? Charlie.

At 6k miles those are likely to be the original tires and six years old. You'll enjoy the bike more on fresh rubber, trust me.
Clean the fin and revisit after riding for a few weeks.
Polish the heat shield and revisit after riding a few hundred miles.
Yes, it's chain lube...excess lube gets flung under the cover and makes a mess.
You need a new lamp for your speedometer, it is always on.
You might be able to pull the lever off, apply heat from a portable torch while the lever is clamped in a sturdy vise then lip a pipe over the bent section and slowly bend it back. A factory replacement will be pricey, check Bike Bandit and find out.
A single spoke won't disable the wheel but it does need replacing. The bigger issue is the nipple which if left unsecured could puncture the tube, always at the worst possible moment. You could do the replacement yourself but if you are even the least bit apprehensive let a shop do it for you. Any local bike shop with a good rep can do this, it isn't a brand specific repair. Again bike bandit can source the proper spoke for you but fair warning...it's difficult to purchase one single spoke, you might hit a minimum quantity.

Pretty much what Ed said except I'd do those tires and spoke ASAP. Riding is risk enough. Right after YOU/YOURSELF, tires and wheels are your first line of defense. Try to straighten the lever, but, expect it to break, and it will break just before you get it where you want it - just sayin' - don't ask me how I know. Levers are pretty cheap, so don't panic when it happens.

Agreed. Also, components like the levers really aren't Triumph manufacture but the product of OEM suppliers. I risk a guess that like the tappet shims in the engine they can be sourced from your local Japanese brand dealer. You'll just need a good relationship with that shop...the bonus is that almost everyone is interested in our bikes in some way. You'll get used to gabbing about it at the pump...

#2 Problem: Check your valve cover for tightness, I adjusted my valves recently and neglected to do the final torque down on the lid. Found oil dripping exactly as you did. If it's tight, suspect a faulty rubber gasket. Torquing the lid bolts solved my leak.

Yeah, thanks all. Had the bike in for safety inspection and not much news from that. New tire/tube are on order for the front, but I didn't have any luck with spoke relacing locally yet. Local dealership did quote me $82/hr to relace the entire rear wheel, but no one to replace a single spoke yet. I tied the broken spoke to its mate, but I need to go over them all...

I will try to bend the brake handle back to straight, otherwise, I assume any aftermarket handle thats built to fit would work, right?

The spoke nipple is your main concern. If that migrates into the tube while your riding the bike your safety will be compromised.

You should enjoy your 06' America, I have an 06' America, 51,000 miles of excellent riding. Dealing with a Triumph dealer can be very expensive. But in the long run I've found out no other local bike shop would do routine maintenance as they can not get Triumph parts. Getting parts from Triumph can be a hassle, sometimes long waits if parts come from Hinkley England. Not too long of a wait if parts come from Atlanta. Get the bike ready and then ride her hard, the harder the better. Good luck.

Spent the week doing some digging, finally found a good source for work thats near me. Starting with the rear wheel repair, so we shall see.

I did change the oil once it was home, the bike had about 4L of black oil in it, and the drain bolt has had at least one big stripping event. It did have a K&N filter on it at least...

Thanks all for the feedback!

Lots of fitter choices out there and while the K&N has a convenient bolt head on it I'm not fond of them. Purolator makes a superior filter PureOne and the price is right, often available right off the shelf at big box auto stores. I'm thinkn14612 but that's just from memory...

I have ridden on some pretty bad tires over the years, belts showing through and such. Stupid thing to do, you are betting your life on those tires.

The rear tire was replaced at some point, but the front was done for - old, cracked and at the wear bars. Its moot now as I have a new tire on the front. Rear wheel is fixed too, ended up replacing the rear pads which were worn I can only imagine from the previous owner dragging the brake.

Now I just need a brake lever...

oil change ...check
brake pads......check
new tires ..... check
runs good ..... check
steering head tension ........check
ok sounds good ride it baby ride.

Get yourself a bike jack...you might get one on cl for $50. A shop manual, I just got one off eBay for $40. If you every owned a bicycle and replaced broken spokes, it's basically the same. Just your time. Ditto on the oil leak front the top cover. I just got and 05 and I am already doing some small mods. Removed the finder seat, put eye lid cover on the headlight and now installing mini bullet lights on my shock or struts. Same color as yours...black.

Thanks - I have a lift, no manual yet, everything's been straightforward to date.

Haven't seen any oil since the day I rode it home - I'm thinking it might have been dry seals, but I'll get a chance to tear the bike apart this winter and it doesn't seem like an urgent issue now.

Latest mod was a new clocks4bikes clock, debaffled stock pipes in place of the slash cuts that were on it, and a battery tender.

All good info here.
One other thing that I noticed is the air injection is still there.
Get rid of it and the blueing issues will go away.
Search the tech forum for "air injection removal" for the how to, it's quite easy. Kits are available from fasteddy.
.

I need that brake ever as well. OEM at Bike Bandit when I priced it in April 52$.

http://www.bikebandit.com/triumph-motorc...n=streetTriumph

I get a LOT of pop on decel. The bike when I got it had stock slash cuts, which I've replaced with debaffled bullet tips. The bike feels more responsive and seems to not bark so much on decel, but I plan to do something about the decel pop soon. I'll probably start with a video and post it here for the experts!

The change in exhaust basically took the bike from a sewing machine to a real bike imo, so we'll see if the pop is too loud now. I suspect the bike had an exhaust on it before.