Thunderbird 900 Carb Rubbers

[Mad On Triumphs]

Over the last few weeks, the ride on my Thunderbird has been a bit hesitant, and not as smooth as she normally is. It was after my last ride that when I got back to the garage, I decided that I must have a problem with my Carbs, so on closer inspection of the carb area I noticed that the outside left rubber was perished. So as Austria beckons in 4 weeks I decided to replace all the carb and airbox rubbers. Well this morning I did just that, but it wasn't till I took the outside right rubber off that I noticed what you see in the pictures. I had no idea that this rubber was split to the extent it was, as the jubilee clip was covering the split. So the next time that you check your rubbers ( No not that sort, lets keep it clean ) it might be an idea to release these clips and have a look.
As an added bonus I got the airbox back onto the carbs on the 2nd attempt. After making sure that everything was all secure I took her out for a spin, and she's back to normal.

 

[DaveM]

That is a serious split and I am surprised it did not give you more indication that you had a problem sooner

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

Me too, I'm just glad that I caught it in time, before it led to some serious problems

 

[DaveM]

Yes that type of thing could find you stuck on the side of the road

 

[CarlS]

Glad to hear that you found the problem and that it is fixed.

 

[The Seeker]

Your carb could have fallen off!

On the side of the road, this is a perfect example of a repair that duct tape was made to handle.

I know this because I limped my T140 home on a duct tape repaired carb rubber once shortly after I bought it.

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[Mad On Triumphs]

All manor of nasty things could have gone wrong, but thankfully didn't. Don't fancy braking down in Austria, or anywhere else for that matter. It's amazing what bodge jobs that we come up with to problems, when the brown stuff hits the fan

 

[The Seeker]

My T140 rubber was way more split than yours pictured. The amazing thing was that the bike kept running!

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[keystiger]

Great catch and repair Gary. Glad you got it sorted before anything major occurred.

 

[Rocky]

Lucky find. Good for you
That could have easily left you up the creek without a paddle far from home.
Not the way to have a nice trip on the continent.
BTW, we will be expecting pictures from Austria

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

Lucky find. Good for you

BTW, we will be expecting pictures from Austria

I have plans not to disappoint. 3 weeks today and the wife and I will be on our way to Perpignan in the South of France, we always do it from our place in one hit, so we can have a nice leisurely time going through France, and then on our way to Italy. We've allowed 4 days to get to Austria, no point in going balls out. That for me at least, would miss the point of the tour.
Lets hope the weather will be kind

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

The amazing thing was that the bike kept running!

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Well it is a Triumph after all.

 

[Rocky]

I have plans not to disappoint. 3 weeks today and the wife and I will be on our way to Perpignan in the South of France, we always do it from our place in one hit, so we can have a nice leisurely time going through France, and then on our way to Italy. We've allowed 4 days to get to Austria, no point in going balls out. That for me at least, would miss the point of the tour.
Lets hope the weather will be kind

I envy you being on the continent and being able to just jump on the bike and go.
I agree that touring should be also about the ride and enjoying your surroundings as you go along.
Have a wonderful time and be safe.

 

[keystiger]

I have plans not to disappoint. 3 weeks today and the wife and I will be on our way to Perpignan in the South of France, we always do it from our place in one hit, so we can have a nice leisurely time going through France, and then on our way to Italy. We've allowed 4 days to get to Austria, no point in going balls out. That for me at least, would miss the point of the tour.
Lets hope the weather will be kind

Sounds like a great trip, and you have it planned right as well. Have a great trip, don't forget your camera, and riding boots

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

Sounds like a great trip, and you have it planned right as well. Have a great trip, don't forget your camera, and riding boots

God forbid that I forget my camera. Can you imagine the shame of it all. I've even packed the white socks, for that authentic look. Go on say it " What a Tart ".

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

I envy you being on the continent and being able to just jump on the bike and go.
I agree that touring should be also about the ride and enjoying your surroundings as you go along.
Have a wonderful time and be safe.

Thanks Rocky, The Austrian alps are just like the Canadian Rockies, and the Grand Tetons only a tad smaller. We've 3 escorted trips lined up, so it should be good we have 4 days to go where we want. Just as a matter of interest if you click on this link http://www.tridays.com/ then click on Guided tours 2013 scroll down to Monday, click on Monday then scroll down to Salzleck Tour. Then click on Tuesday, and as before scroll down till you see the Kalte Sophie Tour. Now go to Friday and scroll down to Sir Langau Tour. These are the 3 Tours that Pat and I are booked on. We've both been looking forward to this now for sometime. Mountains, Motorbikes, Good company, 26000 people turned up last year, I love it sisiifghyd

 

[dearborn]

Garry, As long as you are replacing the carb to cylinder head boots, for a performance boost replace them with the boots for a Speed Triple. Same price, bigger hole, more flow. Lose a bit of low speed torque but a nice gain at freeway speeds/higher RPM. You MAY want to go up a size or two on the main jets, but often not necessary. I used to be a dealer mechanic at the local Triumph dealer when these came out, ('95- '96), the hot set up was; carb boots from the Speed Triple, going up a couple sizes on the main jets, fitting the now "unobtainium" Triumph accessory "off road" mufflers/silencers, a bit of advanced timing, lower handlebars and a braided stainless line for the front brake. By the way, I've been searching for a very long time for a pair of those "off road" mufflers. They just don't seem to exist anywhere. GREAT sound, not too loud, but a nice growl, good flow and a nice performance boost. When I have found them, they are usually really beat up or $$$$$$!!!!! Even the stock ones go for silly prices and no one I can find makes an aftermarket pattern muffler styled like the originals.

 

[Baldeagle]

Wow,yes you have to be careful,I learnt many years ago of the dire consequences of split rubbers!

 

[Mad On Triumphs]

Doug, maybe next time that I have to replace them I might consider the upgrades you mentioned above. With regards to the off road silencers, Triumph no longer make them. Norman Hyde make something similar. The only other option is e bay, also the standard pipes are also hard to come by too. I still have the original pair that I bought with the bike 21 years ago, I also managed to get a pair of mint standard ones on e bay as well. I love the Thunderbird and as yet nothing I've ridden comes close to making me smile like a Cheshire cat.

THUNDERBIRD SILENCER PAIR - Hinckley Triumph - Norman Hyde