-
What are the differences between the Thunderbird
and Thunderbird Sport?
- What
are the differences between the Legend TT and Thunderbird
Sport?
- Do
Thunderbird Sports make a good first bike?
-
Where can I get my hands on one of these wonderful
classics?
-
What are my choices for the airbox or air filters?
- Is
there a center stand available?
-
What are the recommended service intervals?
(PDF)
- What
oil filters are available?
- What
tires can I use on my bike?
- What
engine oil are TBS owners using?
-
Why does my bike goes to the right when I take
my hands off the handlebars?
-
I hear a rattle from the alternator area, is
this normal?
-
My bike was just service. Why is oil draining
from the airbox area?
-
After starting my bike why does it jump forward
and kill the motor?
Don't find your question
here? Have additional information you would like to share with
other TBS owners? Submit your question/answer to faq@ThunderbirdSportRiders.net.
The Thunderbird,
introduced in 1995, is usually considered the more standard
bike. Some consider it the most flexible and comfortable for
street, cruising and long-distance touring. The Thunderbird
Sport was introduced in the fall of 1997 as a 1998 model. The
Thunderbird Sport was designed from the start as a cafe-racer
style bike. Based on the Thunderbird it became the third member
of the Classic lineup after the Adventurer, also introduced
in 1995.
Depending on
the model year, the major differences over the Thunderbird is
the 6 vs. 5 speed gear box, 17" vs. 18 front/16 rear
wheels, longer travel adjustable front and rear suspension,
raised rearsets, dual front brakes, X75ish upswept balanced
exhaust coupled with 82 bhp vs. 69 bhp and less shinny bits.
The Thunderbird Sport was shod with Avon performance oriented
tires that allowed confident canyon carving.
Its interesting
to note that the 1995 - 1997 Thunderbird and Adventurer had
a wheelbase of 61.07 inches. In 1998 the wheelbase was changed
to 62.252 inches that is shared by the three models.
In 2000 the
Thunderbird Sport exhaust system was repositioned with an upswept
silencer on each side that allowed the pillion foot pegs to
be lowered. The balance tube was retained and ran under the
frame making attachment of a center stand a challenge. The 17
wheels were retained but a switch to steel was made as Akront
disappeared from the marketplace. In 2000 production of the
Thunderbird Sport was suspended. We can only guess that it was
due to an overstock of unsold bikes.
On September 15th,
2002 (HST) RAT members of Yahoo! Triumph Thunderbird Sport
Riders began posting that the Fall 2002 issue of Torque arrived
with the 2003 Thunderbird Sport pictured. By September 16th
the Triumph Motorcycles LTD website was updated with model details.
The color, originally rumored to be Black with Orange, turns
out to be Tangerine Orange with Black. Early feedback on the
color choice proclaims "TBS back just in time for Halloween!"
Use of Tangerine over Lucifer Orange (T509 Speed Triple) will
allow the use of the orange colored accessories from the 2k
model.
With the news of
the 2004 TBS comes the reality that that the Classic range
of triples will cease when current stock is used to build a
limited number of bikes. The Thunderbird finished up production
early in 2003.
Updated 01/25/04
What are the
differences between the Legend TT and Thunderbird Sport?
It's not that the
Thunderbird Sport would make a bad first motorcycle. It's that
any large capacity motorcycle presents a learning challenge
even to returning and seasoned riders. As you can imagine, some
owners will tell you no, caution against it, or provide a list
of things to be aware of during your break-in period with the
bike. There have been many who have purchased a Triumph Classic
as a first bike and are doing fine. For some, if they had it
to do all over again, would choose another course while others
would make the same choice. The following points should be considered.
- The TBS is not
a lightweight motorcycle. The weight of the engine is high
and with the addition of a full fuel tank, should you tip
the bike off it's center, it will head for the ground faster
than you can react. This can, and has happen to the experienced
rider as well. Learn to ride slow and over uneven terrain.
Speed bumps, driveway to street transitions, cracks in the
road and potholes are among the many obstacles waiting to
challenge your riding skills .
- Have you ever
operated a motorized vehicle with a clutch and manual transmission?
With all the automatic transmission vehicles on the road today
many riders/drivers have not experienced a manual transmission.
Coordination of events is required to get you and your bike
in motion. The throttle must be rotated towards you by the
right hand just enough to keep the engine from stalling
(another event that can cause you to drop your bike) while
at the same time your left hand is slowly releasing the clutch
lever away from you to begin forward motion. And then you
have to get your feet on the footpegs and begin to balance
the motorcycle once it's moving. Trying to start up a hill
adds using the rear brake, operated by you right foot, to
keep your motorcycle from rolling down the hill backwards.
- Motorcycle Safety
Class. Experienced or not, these classes will provide you
with a great base of knowledge about motorcycling. If they
are offered in your area look into taking a class. In some
areas passing the class will allow you to acquire you motorcycle
license and provide a discount on your motorcycle insurance.
Updated 03/08/02
First and foremost,
do you want new or used?
Looking for used?
If your local dealer and newspaper want ads prove fruitless,
a great place to start looking is on the Internet. Believe it
or not, owners do sell their bikes but usually not because they
don't like it. Join the various Hinckley Triumph news groups
and post a message that you are looking for a bike. Owners will
usually offer their bike to members before going public with
the sale. It is a good idea to mention what country, province
or state you are willing to travel to, or have the bike shipped
from, in your message. The nice thing about getting a used bike
is that at a minimum the owner has usually de-EPA the carburetors
on U.S.A. bikes and fitted off-road silencers or drilled the
OE ones out. In addition other Triumph accessories are usually
included. Next take a look at Cycle Trader or EBay.
Looking for New?
As of this update the 2003 model has yet to be delivered. Many
dealers have websites that list their new and used bike inventory.
Some new bikes are still available, usually 2000 but there has
been to odd 98/99 found out there. The advantage to buying new
over used would be the excellent Triumph Two Year warranty.
Good Luck on your search!
Updated 09/21/02
Back
to Top
The Triumph airbox
is just one part of several that makes this modern motorcycle
perform as it does. Most experts will advise against messing
with it as the results are usually negative rather than positive.
The OE airbox/filter is considered a consumable and is replaced
as a complete unit. However, you can take it apart, remove the
old filter and install a K&N filter. Originally K&N
did not make a filter specifically for the TBS. It wasn't until
Triumph offered one airbox for all Classic models that the K&N
became available.
Owners of early production
bikes have reported that the composite material used for the
airbox cracks. The most common area is where the threaded inserts
and screws fit into the airbox to hold the halves together.
If you are using the old style airbox the cracks need to be
repaired and sealed before fitting the K&N filter. Air leaks
before or after the filter will affect the engine tune to some
degree. Minor carburetion changes are recommended.
One modification
to the airbox is to remove the connection between it and the
auxiliary air chamber and drill another equivalent hole in the
right rear of the box.
Individual pod filters,
usually K&N, can also be fitted after completely removing
the airbox. Carburetion changes are required. The airbox is
attached to the auxiliary air chamber whose purpose is to act
as a silencer for intake noise, house the evaporative loss equipment
on US California models and provide the mounting points for
the painted left side panel. You need to leave the auxiliary
chamber in place to continue providing a mounting point for
the left side panel. Some have suggested converting it into
a tool box. Unfortunately, the composite material on the auxiliary
air chamber has been know to crack and may need some attention.
Triumph complete
airbox /filter #T2200043
K&N filter element
#TB-9095
K&N Individual
Pod Filters #RU-2780 x 3 (you also need a breather filter)
K&N Pod Filter/Breather
Filter Set #JL300128 (Jack
Lilley)
Updated
03/16/03
Yes and No. The 1998
and 1999 models had an accessory center stand available. On
the 2000 model there was not an official accessory. You can
fit a stand, but due to the lower exhaust pipe position and
repositioning of the balance tube you have to remove the tab
that is used to lower it. At this point, this will be true for
the 2004 models as well. Dealer availability for this item could
be limited.
(posted 12/09/99
msg 52 Yahoo T TBS R, the lost archive)
I installed a center
stand on my '98 TBS and I paid for it with my $500 certificate
I got when I purchased the bike. Installation was not a problem,
you just need to be able to support the bike enough to disconnect
the bottom rear suspension link bolt. You do need to remove
the exhaust system, but it is not a bad job. I would not be
with out the c-stand because you need it to lube the chain and
to remove the rear tire (which i had to do after I picked up
a nail).
(posted 09/24/02
msg Yahoo T TBS R)
Just a comment about
center stands for the '00 TBS, it IS possible to fit one - mine
came with one, though I figured out that in order to attach
it, they had to sacrifice the "toe piece" - i.e. the
bit that sticks out to press down with your foot to activate
it. It does still work, though naturally you have to push your
foot under the bike to reach the 'frame' of the stand.
Updated
01/25/04
The Triumph and most
aftermarket filters that are available come as a set with two
rubber O-rings. The small one is for the filter mounting bolt
and the large one the filter cover. The Fram filter has been
the least expensive and available at chain auto parts stores
and Walmart. There has been some question of the quality of
the Fram filter material outlined on other websites. If you
use the Honda filter below you will need the Triumph O-ring
listed. The large O-ring that come with the Honda Filer will
not fit. The manufacturer's markings on the Honda filter and
the Triumph are the same. No matter which filter you choose
to use, you also need to pick-up a crush washer. Crush washers
are cheap. Replace them with each service. If they don't seal
right oil will leak out and back toward the rear tire.
Triumph Filter w/O-rings
#3990070-T0301
Triumph Large O-ring
#3600025-T0301 (for use with Honda/K&N filter below)
Triumph (Crush) Sealing
Washer #3550092
K&N Filter #401
(needs Triumph Large O-ring above)
Kawasaki Filter #
(see Fram Oil Filter Applications chart)
Fram Filter #CH6012
Purolator Filter
#ML16812
STP Filter #SMO-12
Honda Filter #15410-426-010
(needs Triumph Large O-ring above)
Honda (Crush) Drain
Plug Washer #94109-14000
Crush washer measurements
OD 22 mm, ID 14 mm, 2 mm thick
Updated
09/28/02
TBS wheels are tube
type and require the use of tubes. Tires are either marked TUBE
TYPE or tested by the manufacturer for use with tubes. Most
radial tubeless tires can be used with a tube but the tires
speed rating is decreased one level. Follow this link to the
Resources page for a list of tires.
Tire listings marked
(H) have been homologated by the tire manufacture for use on
the TBS. Listings marked (O) have been used by a TBS owner.
Avon (H) (O) front
and rear Triumph recommended
Avon (O) Azaro 35
front 36s rear
Bridgestone (O) 010
front
Bridgestone (O) BT020
front and rear
Dunlop (O) 207R front
and rear
Metzeler (H) (O)
MEZ4 front and rear
Michelin Pilot Sports
(O) front and rear
Pirelli Dragon GTs
(H) front and rear Triumph recommended
Updated
10/25/02
AKA "a can of
worms". Engine oil is one of those personal preference
things. Some owners have never used anything but the Triumph
Mobil 1 Racing Oil from the dealer. Others use whatever they
feel comfortable with. This is a partial list of what is being
used. Triumph recommends, at a minimum, Semi synthetic 10w40
meeting specification API/SG.
Triumph Mobil 1 Racing
Oil 15w50 100% Synthetic #A9650000
Mobil 1 10w50 red
cap (car) (WARNING:
Mobil is in the process of changing the specification of this
oil and it may not be suitable for use with motorcycles with
wet clutch designs)
Mobil 1 MX4T 10w40
(motorcycle)
Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w50
(motorcycle) Visit
Mobil 1 FAQ
Updated
10/25/02
(posted 12/03/99
msg 42 Yahoo T TBS R)
Subject: T'Sport
Pulls Right Survey Results
Well, the votes are
in. Out of 20 responses, 12 (60%) reported their Thunderbird
Sport pulls to the right. This is enough to convince me it's
not in my head, at least. You may never notice it, depending
on your riding style and whether or not you use a throttle lock.
The data on
whether new tires made it pull less was inconclusive, as only
a few have changed from their original tires yet.
Some of the
more notable comments:
"Yep.
From day one. I could feel the pull on the test ride but figured
it was rear wheel alignment, fork alignment or even road crown.
The front Avon wore down faster on one side than the other.
I realigned the rear wheel to compensate but never really
got rid of the pull. When I did replace my tires (at 16k miles,
so call me a wimp) with Metzler Mez2 the pull was not as strong.
Different contact patch? Replaced chain and sprockets at 18k
so dealer realigned the rear wheel. The pull is still there
but not as much and mostly at low speed!"
"yes (I have
actually possessed *two* T-Sports and both do this, see below)
I noted was a definite tendency to pull right, and in fact
at low speeds (sub 20mph) *dive* right when hands were removed
from the handlebars. I had a couple friends that were long
time riders take it out for a spin and confirm this.
In our collective opinions, this had a negative impact upon
low speed maneuverability, particularly as the bike wanted
to turn right as opposed to left... I also rode their
bikes (by coincidence, both Honda Magnas) and noted *no* tendency
for the bike to pull right. Nor has any other motorcycle
I have ridden had a tendency to do so. (Due to other major
problems with this first bike) Triumph then agreed to replace
it with a factory demo that had 300 miles on it.
I considered this a satisfactory fix, and agreed to the swap.
The new bike runs great, and despite all the run around, I
am now a satisfied Triumph customer. Final note however:
the new bike pulls right also!"
"believe it
or not my 99 t-sport pulls right but not nearly as bad as
it did before I changed to the off road pipes. I assume it
is because of the lighter weight of the off road pipes, close
to ten pounds I think."
"I was one
of the posters complaining about my TBS pulling to the right.
Yes, I still have the original Avon's. No, I don't sit
to one side on the seat?!. All, my other bikes (18 or so)
I have owned I have been able to remove my hands from the
bars when coming to a stop, without a pull. Not this baby!
Wow. It HAS to be the standard cast iron silencers.
Maybe this is one of the reasons for Hinckley changing the
muffler system on the 2000 TBS? It is something I've gotten
used to. But I noticed right away on my first ride."
"my
'98 t-bird sport pulled to the right from day 1 with OEM (av27/av281)
Avon's. i replaced them with Avon Azaro's. bike still pulls
to the right as it did before (with hands off bars). bike
is definitely quicker turning to the right."
"My
1998 TBird Sport definitely pulls to the right when I release
the bars. I also had a front end shimmy at 40 mph.
This disappeared with the replacement of the front Avon at
3,000 miles (under warrantee). However, the pull remains.
It would be nice if Triumph acknowledged, explained,
and, if possible, fixed this problem."
"I think the
bike does pull to the right a little, and I am guessing it
has to be the mufflers because they are not light (I had to
remove them when I installed my ACCESSORY center stand"
"Now that
I think more about it the bike was a real dream to handle on
a right hand curve but just kind of reluctant to get over
on a left hander. I just chalked it up to a natural tendency
as a right-handed person to feel better about right hand corners.
Now that I have the Metzelers it does feel more comfortable
in left hand corners."
I also called my
dealer, Baxter
Cycle and talked to their mechanic, Don, who is about the
only person I trust to work on my motorcycles except me. I asked
him if anyone had ever complained about a T'Bird Sport pulling
to the right, and he immediately said "Oh, you mean because
of the mufflers". He said he noticed it the first time
he rode one, and is confident that it is because of the weight
of the exhaust on the right side.
My Conclusion: The
pull to the right is caused by the weight of the exhaust on
the right side. It is "normal" for this machine. Different
tires may have some effect on it, possibly because of the different
shape/size of the contact patch. I'm going to stop worrying
about it, and just keep riding this fine machine.
As they say, YMMV.
- --
Mike
Updated
04/13/02
Well, no. When this
happens, it is usually a 1998 model. The problem was not widespread
but did infect various earlier models. A bolt that holds the
impeller to the alternator shaft can loosen or shear. The loose
impeller rattles on the shaft.
Follow this link to
read more.
Updated
04/27/02
While Triumph makes
claim to the oil capacity being 4 liters, put that much oil
in along with an oil filter change and it can pump excess oil
up the oil breather tube back into the airbox. You can't really
take the air filter out for an easy cleaning. You have to remove
the carbs to get enough space to remove the airbox so you can
take it apart and clean up the interior, reseal and reassemble
it.
If your dealer did the service, take it back, let them do the
work. Otherwise, pull the plug on the airbox drain hose (left
side of bike). Have a container ready to catch any fluids. Then,
with the bike level, not on the side stand, check the sight
glass (right side of bike) for the oil level. I usually like
the oil to not reach the top of the sight glass. I check the
level occasionally and use a turkey baster to add small quantities
of oil as
necessary.
When I had the symptoms mentioned after a dealer service visit
they realized that while the engine oil capacity may be 4 liters
dry from the assembly line, it is more like 3.5 to 3.75 liters
at service intervals. This was observed by other owners on the
Hinckley Digest a few years back and should be in their archive.
In my case the dealer drained the oil, removed and cleaned the
airbox without taking it apart, cleaned the snorkel before the
airbox and put less oil back in. It's worked fine for me.
Updated
04/27/02
Like most motorcycles
today, the TBS uses a wet clutch. The clutch assembly resides
in a bath of engine oil. When you release the clutch lever the
clutch plates are pressed together and some oil remains between
the plates. This creates a vacuum that causes the plates to
stick together. After the bike has been sitting for awhile you
have to break this vacuum before engaging a gear. Cold weather
and the use of non-synthetic and semi-synthetic oils seem to
increase this problem.
One of the most common
ways of accomplishing this is to push or rock the bike in neutral
with the clutch lever pulled in before starting. The plates
usually free up. The procedure I learned from other T3 owners
is to the start the bike in neutral and with the clutch lever
pulled in. As the engine turns over and fires up the clutch
plates are broken free. Then let the clutch lever out. After
a 1 to 2 minute warm-up (I put on my helmet and gloves) you
can engage a gear without the bike jumping forward.
Updated 10/25/02
This FAQ has
been gleaned from the various Hinckley Triumph Newsgroups and
personal experience of Thunderbird Sport and Classic owners
world wide.
Copyright © 2002 [Thunderbird Sport Riders.net]. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
01/25/04
.
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