Service
Service
WANT ODO MODERN ELECTRICS PLUGGED PILOT WHEN HOT IS NOT MOTO GUZZI GRISO
RAY NIERLICH
The Triumph Tiger 800 isa solid all-rounder, but owner AI Carlstrom wants to know how he can get the odometer and tripmeterto tell him what he wants.
ODO CONTROLS
Q: I have a 2014 Triumph Tiger 800 "Roadie." The odometer only displays for the first couple of seconds when I start the bike. Only a tripmeter is visible after that. After reading through the owner’s manual, there doesn’t seem to be a way to have the odometer displayed full time. A motorcycle engine can be re-mapped; can this display be “re-flashed” too?
AL CARLSTROM NEW LONDON, PA
A: What is needed is a way to I lash" our pitiful analog brains. Digital dashes can be dumbfounding. I have been humbled by Triumph’s clock and odometer reset procedure. Here’s the procedure, straight from the owner’s manual: When the ignition is switched on, the odometer is displayed for three seconds then the last trip reset is displayed. With the ignition on and bike in neutral, press and release button “A” until “set up” is displayed. Press button “B” once then press and release button “A” again until odometer mileage is visible. Simple, huh? Good luck.
UPGRADE TO LEDS?
Q: I'm about halfway through a nuts-and-bolts restoration of a 1971 Honda SL350K1. I'm keeping as much of it as possible fully original stock, but I do have a couple areas I’d like to improve. The bike has minimal electronics: headlight, taillight, brake light, and horn. I would like to upgrade the headlight and taillight with LEDs while keeping the original headlight shell and lens and the original taillight lens. I’d also like to improve the original drum brakes. Besides new brake shoes, what can I do to improve their effectiveness without changing the hub to a disc brake? Finally, with the variety of batteries available that were not available in 1971, what battery could you recommend for long service? I’ve been a Cycle World subscriber for over 20 years—the magazine is excellent in every way.
MATTBERENS WATERFORD, Ml
A: Flattery will get you far with us, for we are a shallow lot. Search the catalogs for the LED lights that tickle your fancy. I’d send the front brake to Vintage Brake (209/5334346) to have the shoes redone with street Ferodo linings and also to check/ adjust for optimal operation in the drum. With a little subtle modification you should be able to fit either an AGM lead-acid or a lithium-ion battery. The AGM type is vastly superior in every way to your original lead-acid.
No acid leaks, more power, and tons more longevity. A quick search showed a Yuasa YTZ7S (6AH, 4.6 pounds) or YTZ8V (7AH, 6 pounds) will fit easily. They are only 3/8 inches wider than your five-amp stocker and slightly smaller in the other dimensions.
If you want the most power in the smallest package and the lightest weight, go with a lithium type. The downside? Manufacturers recommend a special charger, and your wallet will be lightened. Shorai, for example, has three of what it refers to as Case Size 2 that will fit. The 7AH, 1.06-pound LFX07L2-BS12 goes for $99.95. The highest output LFX14L2 is 14AH,
1.68 pounds. It costs $159.95, and the accompanying charger is $84.85.
FOUL PLAY
Q: I am having spark/timing issues with my 1996 Honda STiioo (non-ABS) with 44,000 miles. I had a local shop perform a tune-up and they adjusted the valves, installed new intake boots and carb gaskets, and synchronized the carburetors. With the bike running well and about 100 miles on it since the tune-up, I took a 500-mile weekend trip, 300 miles on twisty, two-lane mountain roads, and 200 for the return trip home on the interstate at 70 to 80 mph. As soon as I arrived home, I found myself having trouble keeping the bike idling and it seemed to be running on three cylinders.
I pulled the spark plugs and found one to be carbon fouled. I replaced them to no avail. I then pulled the carbs and checked the floats and jet adjustments, loose screws, etc. but found no problems and reinstalled.
GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.
The bike now idles great, but a low-end hesitation exists. I put a timing light on it and checked each plug wire and found an intermittent “flutter” in place of a steady pulse from the timing light. So before I start replacing $300 to $600 worth of wires, coils, and the CDI unit as the local shops informed me to do,
I was hoping you might have some insight.
STEVE CROVEN NAMPA, ID
A: The ignition systems on these Hondas are very reliable. It is highly unlikely that the black box or pick-up has failed. First, with the bike idling, mist a little water on all the high-tension components (from coils to plugs) then look and listen for arcing. When you do this, the darker your garage, the better. Pay particular attention to arcing through the spark plug cap that had the fouled plug. Next check for a plugged pilot jet. I suspect this is the problem, and it gets more common every day with modern fuel and older bikes. Varnish is tough to get out of the very tiny pilot jets. You also could have picked up a little dirt since the tune-up. Run a wee wire through the pilot jets. Some Hondas have two jets; be sure you get through both. Or, even better, replace them with new if you spot anything. Forget just spraying with carb cleaner; most won’t even touch ethanol deposits.
HOT OIL
I have a 2002 Triumph America with an air-cooled 790CC engine. I live in a desert community that has grown over the years. Now every time I take it out in the summer I have six to eight traffic lights to encounter. I worry about overheating my engine under these conditions. I have considered installing a cooling fan on its factory oil cooler. I would control it by a temperature switch on the oil line coming out of the cylinder head before it enters the oil cooler. I would like to know your thoughts on this. I already have oil sump temperature and oil pressure gauges installed on this bike. I use the factory-recommended oil. I have seen oil temperatures around 220 degrees Fahrenheit on really hot days at a long traffic light.
JIM DESHON HESPERIA, CA
A: Did you used to own a Trident back in the day? If not, why the paranoia with oil temps? You bought one of the simplest, most stone-reliable bikes, so why do you compulsively worry about oil temps? Oil temps of up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit or so are no big deal on a modern bike, especially when running synthetic oil, as the Triumphs do. If you must tinker, yes, by all means put a fan on the oil cooler, but you would be better served by binning the oil pressure and temp gauges and going on a long ride instead. I’ve heard Utah is very pretty riding.
