What have you done to your bike today....
- Thread starter BAD LUCK DUCK
- Start date
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
I ain't ever selling my two 790 Bonnie's or my Daytona or, to be honest, my two Royal Enfield Bullets although I don't know if I'll put the Bullets on the road this year. One of them has suffered quite a bit of rust on the wheels and exhausts while sat in the shed (Quality Indian Chrome) and I'm contemplating turning it into a winter rat bike and brushing a coat of Olive or RAF Blue paint over it and maybe putting knobblies on it.
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
That was a nice looking bike @gazzatriumph she must be nearly twice the CC of our old T120's of 650 capacity
Added one to the collection! Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Bought last weekend with the intention of modding a bit to make it just right for Lynne.
Already put a low seat on, shorter shocks and dropped the forks through by half an inch. She loves it, and surprisingly after a quick spin today, so do I. Although you do have to watch out for all that power ripping your arms out of their sockets!!
3 years old with 1200 miles on the clock. Purchased, taxed, insured for less than two and a half grand in total.
The photo shows the bike before we started pissing about with it.
Already put a low seat on, shorter shocks and dropped the forks through by half an inch. She loves it, and surprisingly after a quick spin today, so do I. Although you do have to watch out for all that power ripping your arms out of their sockets!!
3 years old with 1200 miles on the clock. Purchased, taxed, insured for less than two and a half grand in total.
The photo shows the bike before we started pissing about with it.
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
Looks good Tony, they are an awesome engine for a 350, as you say watch out for the power it will catch you by surprise
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
"Toni" I thought Lynne had a Sportster? is this an addition? or has she got shot of it, she may need some time to adjust to the extra power 
The Sportster has been gone for a while now mate. The weight and heavy clutch were getting too much.
The Enfield is not light, but it's much lighter than the Harley.
The Enfield is not light, but it's much lighter than the Harley.
half ton
Legendary Knight
1200 miles is only just run in, they loosen up quite a bit with a few more miles , mine has done 22,000 now and never missed a beat, I know a guy that has done more than 40,000 and is currently heading to Greece for the 3rd time. Mine had 17bhp at the wheel but with the mods all done is now on 22bhp , also swapped the ecu to get rid of the limiter , so was 74mph limited and now hits 85 for an overtake. Oh yeh and even with the mods it still does between 90 and 100 mpg
I don't think we'll be doing any performance mods, although never say never! The little bike seems to make all its power nice and low down, and Lynne rarely rides above 60mph anyway. It seems well suited to our Peaks and Dales country roads, just chilling and enjoying the scenery.1200 miles is only just run in, they loosen up quite a bit with a few more miles , mine has done 22,000 now and never missed a beat, I know a guy that has done more than 40,000 and is currently heading to Greece for the 3rd time. Mine had 17bhp at the wheel but with the mods all done is now on 22bhp , also swapped the ecu to get rid of the limiter , so was 74mph limited and now hits 85 for an overtake. Oh yeh and even with the mods it still does between 90 and 100 mpg
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
Ideal for the peaks mate, should you need anything try below
350 Meteor
Royal Enfield 350 Meteor Accessories. Including Frame and Chassis, luggage, servicing, upgrades, electrical and tools
gazzatriumph
Legendary Knight
They are ideal for what you want, same as me round South Devon. Once you get used to the lack of power you love em.
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
They are a vast improvement on older models, Don't forget the tappets need adjusting on this model........Just saying
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
I was out on the Bonnie today for a wee run. Glorious weather! We ain't seen rain here since the first of the month and it's not supposed to rain again until a week today. Unfortunately I stopped to fill up and, looking down at the front of the bike it appears that my right fork seal is leaking which is a bit of a downer. I guess I'll need to get some seals and oil and sort them out. I hate doing fork seals!
At least there's only two valves!They are a vast improvement on older models, Don't forget the tappets need adjusting on this model........Just saying
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
I was being sarcastic mate as mine are Hydraulic
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
you and I both mate, that's why I always have gaiters on my forks, " fork seal leak?" "what fork seal leak I can't see one"
is it so bad that it won't be worth running a thin plastic scraper between the lips and the leg? it sometimes works by cleaning out any muck
Bloody new fangled technology, flash git!I was being sarcastic mate as mine are Hydraulic
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
I tried doing the thin plastic scraper trick @Don the Don with an added prayer to the God of Bikers but it's still leaking. I got to admit that I wonder just how much use fork oil/seals are as I've run a lot of bikes over the years with weeping fork seals (with fork gaiters to hide the leak) and never really noticed much of a difference in handling. I'm pretty sure thinking about it that it was hitting a patch of rough road that had me bouncing around like I was on a pogo stick that did the damage. I've got to admit that maybe it's just me but more than once in the past I've done fork seals for them to up and leak within no time which I reckon is why I hate the damn things plus I've always found it a real pain in the tits getting the forks apart to sort them.you and I both mate, that's why I always have gaiters on my forks, " fork seal leak?" "what fork seal leak I can't see one"
is it so bad that it won't be worth running a thin plastic scraper between the lips and the leg? it sometimes works by cleaning out any muck
MartytheMartian
Legendary Knight
@Don the Don as our resident expert engineer do you know anything about how 'critical' fork seals are? Suspension is an aspect of engineering that I'm not terribly versed in but would I be right in thinking that fork seals are more about stopping oil escaping the system and not to resist pressure in the system as such or are they a critical part of how the system actually operates? I can't deny that I have frequently ridden a lot over the years with weeping fork seals and never really noticed any degradation of how the forks actually work and the seals don't strike me as being capable of resisting much pressure. I've got new seals and dust covers on their way and I ordered a bundle of fork oil and engine oil from Smith Allan although, for some reason, they have cancelled the shipment they booked so I wouldn't be surprised if I get an email with a ransom demand for more money because I'm 'rural' but five litres of fork oil for less than thirty quid is a lot cheaper than Motul etc. and will allow me to do the forks of all my bikes as and when required (I think the fork seals on my other Bonnie may well need replaced soon too).
Don the Don
Legendary Knight
Fork seals do as the name implies, weeping oil seals are a pain but not critical "BUT" will become leaking seals and as we know are a MOT failure and the loss of too much oil will cause an imbalance of damping between the two legs.
As you are going to do the job of replacing them [quite right] it would be crucial to inspect all components for wear making sure the stanchions are straight and with no ridges or wear marks along the travel area of the fork leg and seals as this would make changing them pointless,
also check the springs, are they original? do you already have progressive springs? [tighter coils at one end] if not then I would consider fitting some as these would be the biggest upgrade you could make.
All makes Triumph included save money on compromising on suspension it is after all an individual choice as we are all different only the Thruxton variant of the Bonnie had top rated units and when the job is done I would fit gaiters to help keep things clean and improve the period looks,
Progressive fork springs kit for Triumph Bonneville/T100 – TEC Bike Parts
www.tecbikeparts.com
Triumph Hinckley T100 Bonneville Fork Gaiters
For 2001-2013 and Thruxton ModelsOEM: A9638018
www.classicbikeshop.co.uk