1999 Adventurer Issues, Could Use Help

[Ithel]

Hey there, not quite two months ago, I bought a 1999 Triumph Adventurer. My test ride was limited to a parking lot. After purchase, let's say I found some undisclosed features. As I was pulling away, the previous owner said he put lots of seafoam in it.... I should have stopped right there, but he had my money and I'm not that kind of guy. My mechanical skills are poor but money's tight, so I've been taking up the challenge of learning how to fix this thing. Initially, the bike would stall when warm, typically at intersections or decelerating (in fact, on my first ride home after purchase). I'd have to keep on the throttle a bit at lights to prevent this. It seemed that over the next week or two, this got worse. In addition, the bike would bog hard on acceleration.

So I gave myself a youtube education, such as that is, and took my sweet time pulling the carburetor off, cleaned it, discovered the gasket kits I ordered were the wrong ones. Put it together without and rode it another week (commute about 32 miles a day) with really not much improvement. A friend at work who rides suggested I go over the fuel system from tank on down, and also double-check the air filter side. So I did this over Christmas break. I cleaned the carburetors (all three) again, this time replacing the gaskets, floats, etc with the correct kits. I drained the tank, filled it with vinegar for a weekend, drained, filled with water/baking soda, drained, hair-dried, put a gallon of fuel and a half-cup of motor oil in, swished around, drained, put fresh fuel in, etc. I wanted to replace the petcock, but the one I ordered is 1/4" too long to avoid hitting the carburetor, so I cleaned the old petcock filters (water, then compressed air) and reinstalled. I replaced the in-line fuel filter. I cleaned the fuel lines. In the carburetor, I set all adjustable screws back to factory spec. I did a "bench sync" of the three butterfly valves. The air filter wasn't too dirty, but I cleaned it anyway, a sponge/foam type filter from Triumph, probably original. I did modify the air filter canister as per what over Triumph Adventurer owners on another forum, maybe it was this one, advised, as it wraps around the central frame of the bike. I also replaced the sparkplugs. I took my time with adjusting the floats and believe I do have them at spec.

Anyway, I put it all back together this weekend and gave it a try.

My new symptoms:

1. Revs very high at idle once it warms, up around 3500. (However, this is likely 2500, as the tachometer reads 1000 even when the bike is off).
2. Left side pipe (cylinder 1) has no visible exhaust. But right-side pipe (cylinders 2 and 3), once warmed up has visible blue/white exhaust and smells strongly of fuel. When shut off, I can see probably condensation drip for a minute or two from the joint where the silencers meet the pipe. I never saw that before.
3. If I blip the throttle within the first minute of running, the bike nearly stalls before roaring up to the high idle.
4. If I blip the throttle after the bike is warmed up, it takes a good 5-10 seconds to return to idle.
5. Only requires choke if very cold outside and then only for about 15 seconds. Previously, I had to ride with the choke on a bit or it would want to stall.
6. The idle adjust seems only to increase the idle, not reduce it below the 2500rpms above.

I'm frustrated, yes. I'm a grossly inexperienced mechanic, yes. But I am determined to figure this out. It is my commuter vehicle, replacing a Suzuki GZ250 which I rode to work all last year, except heavy rain days or ice.

Here are thoughts I've had. Hopefully you can steer me on this.

1. When disassembling the carburetor, when I pulled the main jets out, I also pulled out and cleaned another small barrel that the needle jet goes into. I am not certain which side of this barrel faces the needle jet. I put them back in the way I remembered, and I am supposing if I had them backwards then they would all three exhibit the same problem. The service manual does not indicate which side is up/down. Thoughts?
2. Some videos say high rev is caused by floats sticking. I suppose this can be true. I will say I was very careful on this point when I had the carbs apart. If you all agree this is the likely cause, I'll pull them apart again. But pulling carbs off is a big pain on this bike, let me say, heh.
3. The silencers are NOT the original, they are something called Triumph "slashers". So part of me wonders if no amount of adjustment will work because the jets should have been replaced. I have no idea
if the jets were replaced or even how to determine if that is the case. So for now I just keep this thought to the back as I work through the rest.
4. Some videos suggest my symptoms (original and current) could be caused by bad ignition coils. I have a multimeter and did check these. If I'm doing that right (which is a big if), then all three do read .7 and my understanding is they should be higher. The readings were taken within ten minutes of letting the bike run about ten minutes.

If I had the money, I'd take it to the Triumph dealer in Lexington and just let them get this thing running right, but I don't right now and really do think, despite the frustration, knowing how this thing works is a good idea. But with it idling that high and being so slow off the throttle, I'm not sure it's safe to ride anyway.

Thoughts appreciated. I'd love to get this thing going. I'm having to borrow my daughter's car for work, and it's something I bought for her, not a very friendly thing to do to the kid.

I do have a brief video of the bike running, if you think that would be useful. I'll have to get her help to get it from my phone to here.

 

[Qship]

Welcome to TT from Eastern Canada.
Kudos to you for trying to fix your bike. Sounds like you've done most correct. Very hard to diagnose issues via these forums.
Do you have the shop manual or one from Haynes?
Also I would check all the vacuum hoses for correct installation and for cracks. It is an older bike and the rubber does dry out. Sounds like that could be part of your issue.
You don't have to take it to a Triumph dealer. A good independant bike shop/mechanic will be cheaper and should be able to sync the carbs and adjust idle properly.

 

[RockyDS]

You may be a 'grossly inexperienced mechanic' but you have done much more than many riders have ever done, so kudos to you.

 

[Ithel]

Thanks for the kind thought, heh.

I'm not sure who wrote the manual I bought. It opens with a short essay on the late 80's/early 90's return of Triumph. It also thanks
Triumph for permission to use photos of parts, so probably it isn't from Triumph. I bought it online, a downloadable pdf.

As luck would have it, my next door neighbor had a friend of his over last week, and that friend is a BMW (car) mechanic who is also
an avid biker. My neighbor brought him over and had me run the bike for them. He showed me how the right-side pipe is literally spraying
fuel out the pipe. His feeling is the floats aren't working correct in one or more carburetors and thought perhaps the kits I got on ebay were
to blame.

The OEM kits from Triumph for this bike are very expensive, so for the moment, I will do one more carburetor clean and remeasuring the float
heights and double-checking that I reassembled everything right. I'll also double-check the vacuum hoses, as Qship suggested. If that fails, I suppose
I'll have to order the Triumph kits and then try again.

I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again for the encouragement.

 

[shanered6]

Hi there , ive had this many times on my old hinkley triumphs .... you will need to reset your float levels , and check the fuel valves on the floats are actually shuting off the fuel when the floats are up .

 

[Ithel]

Just a follow-up. a co-worker connected me to a friend of his who used to race bikes and who currently has a small engine repair shop (lawnmowers, etc). He said the floats were set so far off that they just never would close the valve. So much for my attempt to be careful on that, heh. He also said the floats I'd bought were chinese and the plastic does not respond well to soaking in fuel and tend to stick. He replaced with Japanese floats. He had the bike only a week and only charged $150 (in contrast with the local bike shop guy who wanted $650 to clean and set the carbs). I talked him into accepting more than what he charged because he really made my day. It's like a new bike.

So...happy ending. I want to thank you all for your thoughts and encouragement. Shanered6 had the exact diagnosis.

 

[shanered6]

Glad your up and running enjoy the bike ... the early triple is a glorious motor that sounds awsome when set up right ... enjoy !!!

 

[dearborn]

Just a follow-up. a co-worker connected me to a friend of his who used to race bikes and who currently has a small engine repair shop (lawnmowers, etc). He said the floats were set so far off that they just never would close the valve. So much for my attempt to be careful on that, heh. He also said the floats I'd bought were chinese and the plastic does not respond well to soaking in fuel and tend to stick. He replaced with Japanese floats. He had the bike only a week and only charged $150 (in contrast with the local bike shop guy who wanted $650 to clean and set the carbs). I talked him into accepting more than what he charged because he really made my day. It's like a new bike.

So...happy ending. I want to thank you all for your thoughts and encouragement. Shanered6 had the exact diagnosis.

Retired Master mechanic here- BMW (cars), Pontiac/Nissan/M-B/Renault- and also Hon/Yam/Kaw/Suz/Polaris/Bombardier and TRIUMPH. Even the best of us sometimes make mistakes- a faulty diagnosis or wrong "assumption". The very best brain surgeon, say, has malpractice insurance! Never hesitate to go back over your work and be absolutely sure, no matter how many times it takes. And- ask your peers to take a look- a fresh set of eyes can see what you don't. When something is drastically "off" it is often a very simple and often very apparent, thing. And now, your "moment of Zen"- from the owner's manual of my 1969 Kawasaki Mach 1 500- "Before beginning maintenance on your "dynamic partner" one must first have a peaceful mind" In other words, clear your mind and focus. Great advice!

 

[B25bsaboy]

You may be a 'grossly inexperienced mechanic' but you have done much more than many riders have ever done, so kudos to you.

This I agree with your comments!

 

[Ithel]

2nd followup: I replaced all three ignition coils yesterday and this bike is like another machine altogether. I've been able to reduce the idle rpm to factory spec, right around 1000rpm. Even after the carb service described above I was still having to run with the choke on, especially as the weather has gotten warmer. Now the choke is off, totally, even at start this morning. Grateful to all of you for the encouragement and kind words.

Also, my daughter, as a birthday present, reupholstered the seat. No more duct tape over tears in the original leather, no more wet-butt. I'll post a pic tomorrow, as we just finished stapling it today.

 

[shanered6]

Thats brilliant ! ... only thing left to do is get out there and ride

 

[Qship]

Glad you're getting it running right and enjoying now.

 

[Ithel]

Here's my bike, 99 Triumph Adventurer. My daughter made me the new seat, even took the Triumph logo part from the old ripped leather and put it on the back. The chain is a potential solution because my wife wants to ride with me but was afraid the old seat's leather strap would fail. And so far I haven't found a backrest. The one I bought is for a Triumph Legend and I don't see any way to mangle it into place.

Remaining issues: Now the bike runs so much quieter, I could hear a jangly sound each time I laid off the throttle, and on examination I believe my drive chain is very loose, about 1.5" play. I see where the adjustment is made to each side, but I don't have the tools to loosen the axle. But anyway, that's next. The other issue I am experiencing is sporadic loss of turning signals. No clue really where to begin on that.

 

[Wire-Wheels]

Not at all suprised about your comments on the ignition coils. I have had to replace all 3 coils on BOTH of my T-3s. I have read comments on the poor quality of the original ones, but I suspect the problem is more an issue of them being tucked up under the tank where the heat really bakes them to "well done" after a short while.
...J.D.

 

[Ithel]

At least those ignition coils aren't too expensive, about $34 each.

I tightened the chain a little bit and the jangly sound is gone. I saw a lot of commentary about a too-tight chain being worse than a too-loose, so I only brought it in a little bit.

I'm not sure where to start with the sporadic turn signals. All other lights work fine. The turn signals don't work the first 8-12 minutes of the ride then suddenly do.... most of the time. Other times, they never work at all. And about every fourth ride they work fine from the very beginning of the ride and continue working no matter how long the ride. Time to get some multimeter lessons.

 

[thunderbird]

Hey there, not quite two months ago, I bought a 1999 Triumph Adventurer. My test ride was limited to a parking lot. After purchase, let's say I found some undisclosed features. As I was pulling away, the previous owner said he put lots of seafoam in it.... I should have stopped right there, but he had my money and I'm not that kind of guy. My mechanical skills are poor but money's tight, so I've been taking up the challenge of learning how to fix this thing. Initially, the bike would stall when warm, typically at intersections or decelerating (in fact, on my first ride home after purchase). I'd have to keep on the throttle a bit at lights to prevent this. It seemed that over the next week or two, this got worse. In addition, the bike would bog hard on acceleration.

So I gave myself a youtube education, such as that is, and took my sweet time pulling the carburetor off, cleaned it, discovered the gasket kits I ordered were the wrong ones. Put it together without and rode it another week (commute about 32 miles a day) with really not much improvement. A friend at work who rides suggested I go over the fuel system from tank on down, and also double-check the air filter side. So I did this over Christmas break. I cleaned the carburetors (all three) again, this time replacing the gaskets, floats, etc with the correct kits. I drained the tank, filled it with vinegar for a weekend, drained, filled with water/baking soda, drained, hair-dried, put a gallon of fuel and a half-cup of motor oil in, swished around, drained, put fresh fuel in, etc. I wanted to replace the petcock, but the one I ordered is 1/4" too long to avoid hitting the carburetor, so I cleaned the old petcock filters (water, then compressed air) and reinstalled. I replaced the in-line fuel filter. I cleaned the fuel lines. In the carburetor, I set all adjustable screws back to factory spec. I did a "bench sync" of the three butterfly valves. The air filter wasn't too dirty, but I cleaned it anyway, a sponge/foam type filter from Triumph, probably original. I did modify the air filter canister as per what over Triumph Adventurer owners on another forum, maybe it was this one, advised, as it wraps around the central frame of the bike. I also replaced the sparkplugs. I took my time with adjusting the floats and believe I do have them at spec.

Anyway, I put it all back together this weekend and gave it a try.

My new symptoms:

1. Revs very high at idle once it warms, up around 3500. (However, this is likely 2500, as the tachometer reads 1000 even when the bike is off).
2. Left side pipe (cylinder 1) has no visible exhaust. But right-side pipe (cylinders 2 and 3), once warmed up has visible blue/white exhaust and smells strongly of fuel. When shut off, I can see probably condensation drip for a minute or two from the joint where the silencers meet the pipe. I never saw that before.
3. If I blip the throttle within the first minute of running, the bike nearly stalls before roaring up to the high idle.
4. If I blip the throttle after the bike is warmed up, it takes a good 5-10 seconds to return to idle.
5. Only requires choke if very cold outside and then only for about 15 seconds. Previously, I had to ride with the choke on a bit or it would want to stall.
6. The idle adjust seems only to increase the idle, not reduce it below the 2500rpms above.

I'm frustrated, yes. I'm a grossly inexperienced mechanic, yes. But I am determined to figure this out. It is my commuter vehicle, replacing a Suzuki GZ250 which I rode to work all last year, except heavy rain days or ice.

Here are thoughts I've had. Hopefully you can steer me on this.

1. When disassembling the carburetor, when I pulled the main jets out, I also pulled out and cleaned another small barrel that the needle jet goes into. I am not certain which side of this barrel faces the needle jet. I put them back in the way I remembered, and I am supposing if I had them backwards then they would all three exhibit the same problem. The service manual does not indicate which side is up/down. Thoughts?
2. Some videos say high rev is caused by floats sticking. I suppose this can be true. I will say I was very careful on this point when I had the carbs apart. If you all agree this is the likely cause, I'll pull them apart again. But pulling carbs off is a big pain on this bike, let me say, heh.
3. The silencers are NOT the original, they are something called Triumph "slashers". So part of me wonders if no amount of adjustment will work because the jets should have been replaced. I have no idea
if the jets were replaced or even how to determine if that is the case. So for now I just keep this thought to the back as I work through the rest.
4. Some videos suggest my symptoms (original and current) could be caused by bad ignition coils. I have a multimeter and did check these. If I'm doing that right (which is a big if), then all three do read .7 and my understanding is they should be higher. The readings were taken within ten minutes of letting the bike run about ten minutes.

If I had the money, I'd take it to the Triumph dealer in Lexington and just let them get this thing running right, but I don't right now and really do think, despite the frustration, knowing how this thing works is a good idea. But with it idling that high and being so slow off the throttle, I'm not sure it's safe to ride anyway.

Thoughts appreciated. I'd love to get this thing going. I'm having to borrow my daughter's car for work, and it's something I bought for her, not a very friendly thing to do to the kid.

I do have a brief video of the bike running, if you think that would be useful. I'll have to get her help to get it from my phone to here.

Have you thought about replacing the coil? Not enough spark could cause some of your problems!

 

[thunderbird]

Have you thought about replacing the coils? Not enough spark could be causing some of your problems!

 

[triumph david]

Sounds like your turn signal bulbs need a little cleaning up, take them out and look at the terminals, corrosion may be the problem.

 

[Ithel]

Yes, changing those coils out made the second biggest difference after getting the carb float heights adjusted and synced. Others suggested that same good advice and I followed it.

 

[Ithel]

I'll look them all over this weekend. Thanks for the suggestion. I wasn't sure where to start but that makes sense.