Triumph Bonneville T140 The Easy way to Start A Triumph Bonneville Properly
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
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If you have a Triumph Bonneville and have trouble starting it then this simple start up sequence should be of use to you. If your bike wont start after trying to do this then there is something not set correctly. If the kick start kicks back on you then that's an easy fix. Dependant on what fuel you are using just setting the ignition full advance to 36 degrees rather than the factory 38 degrees will get you going using 95 to 98 RON or Octane fuel. There is little or no loss of power at this setting. If you are having to use a 91 RON or Octane fuel then you need to be at 34 degrees., but there will be a bit of power loss but its better for you and the bike to run it at that setting. Running with to high ignition advance setting to the fuel you are using can result in pre ignition and that can put a hole in your piston, and we don't want that do we. .... You can tell if you you have preignition problems by a ping or metallic tapping noise when you open the throttle in a high gear at low speed. Hope this is of use. - Авто та транспорт
Back in the day I'd also give the kickstart a couple of prods with the clutch lever pulled in, to ensure the clutch plates weren't stuck, especially if the bike had been sitting for a while.If the clutch plates were stuck together, the bike could lurch forward when put into first gear.
Well done video, thanks. I have a similar bike, a '76 T140V, and a similar starting procedure. And at 70 years old, the same expectations, that the bike will start first kick, no playing games! Based on the comments, every one agrees that keeping the bike in perfect tune will help accomplish this whether you're running points or electronic. Here in Wisconsin i have easy access to regular grade non-ethanol gas, and with a splash of Seafoam, it keeps all my intermittently run, seasonal machines's fuel systems clean and ready.
Properly set up T140s are very good starters. I have a 78 Tiger, completely standard….points, coil, Amal concentric, zener, rectifier just as it came out of the factory. Only mods are an external filter, in line fuel filters and a smaller rear sprocket.
Even though it’s not strictly necessary I always tweak her over the compression stroke mainly to make my life easier as I know I won’t meet compression half way down the kick swing. I never do two primes either.
Cold Procedure is…
1. Tweak over compression ( ignition off )
2. Tickle carb
3. Ignition on
4. Kick
I’m lucky I’ll catch her first time but more often it’s on the second, very very rarely three.
When hot just like cold but no tickle.
She even starts easily with a flat battery!! Good starting is a combination of technique and how welI the bike is set up. The important things are points gap, ignition timing and valve clearances. I only cover about 3000miles a year, I check these once a year and they only ever need very very minor tweaks which to me is half the fun of owning simple technology, I always check the timing with a strobe and have it timed a couple of degrees retarded from standard to cope with modern fuels and I run E5. I have had a set of points and condenser in a plastic bag for 20yrs and never used then but they’re there if I need them and I know I can swap them in 20 mins if I had to.
I have friend with a 76 Bonnie, he has electronic ignition, he sometimes has starting problems if his battery is tip top or the electrical connections aren’t perfect so check them if yours doesn’t start and has electronic ignition.
I can envisage that the only thing in the future that will stop me starting my bike will be my leg, I love the bike so much though that at that point I’d fork out for a leccy start conversion kit rather than sell her!!!!
Agree mate they do start with no problem when you know how.. I made this video for people that are having problems not people that already know, but thank you for you comments.
No worries Dave, just thought I’d say what works for me👍🏼 envious of you living in NZ, I cycle toured NZ for 3 months 24 yrs ago, fell in love with the place and even looked at a house near Dunedin! What a place to ride a T140!!@@DaveWhellersVintage
I love the flip up seat
Back in the day there was a 15 year old schoolgirl who would do it for us - start the bike. Every Bonny owner for miles must have been jealous! 😂😂
My daughters 65kg and can fire here up with no problem. I made the vid for those that cannot understand the little procedure you need to follow to prime the engine and learning the kick start should really be called the push round start lol.
@@DaveWhellersVintage 👍👍
Well done Young Fellow !, nice Trumpy.
Hi there, nice vid.
Just make sure all the adjustments are good, and she will fire up with out any prob. Mine will start without the air valves being closed. Free, the clutch, rotate engine just before tdc, tickle the carbs, and kick.
Cheers mike 3:56
Ironically , without the 'tickling' (choke instead) that's pretty-much how I start my W650. My other bike is unfortunately Only electric-start (all bikes should have a kickstart !) I also kick it over a few-times with fuel and ignition-off first, to get the oil-around as starting produces the-most damage in engines . You can do this on electric-start-only bikes when they are cold at-least , by turning them over until the oil-light goes-out 'Then' activating choke . Dave
And that my friends is why ALL my Thumpers (which I dearly love) had the Zenor diode, rectifier and battery tossed! Replaced with a 75(?)FLH HD regulator and a capacitor!!! No more than 2 kicks on a cold start!!!
I did the same. Only I used the boyer Brandson powerbox.
I ran Boyers from when they first came out and have used all there versions. They are a great reliable ignition system.
I've been meaning to do my own "how to start" video for my 1973 T140V. My method is similar to yours, but more straight forward. For me, starting when cold is a snap, I even have a choke lever. But starting when hot after sitting for a while, can be risky. Even under the most difficult circumstance, it will eventually start. I don't call it Old Trusty for nothing. - Z
I originally made the video to cover all bases, for people who have no idea how to kick start the bike. Its a bit drawn out and apologies for that. Your hot start should be the same ( less using the choke obviously) as your cold start if everything is 100% which it never is lol. Can I recommend you look at your carb temperatures being a bit too high, as this is often the reason hot starts can be a bit temperamental. To test this just try putting your hand on your carbs the next time you go for a hot restart.. They should never be too hot to touch for a start up, as it vaporises the fuel too fast. You can simply wait till she cools down, or fit a phenolic spacer as in another video I made here on my channel. Hope this helps mate. Ride safe.
I do similar on my 76…. Tickle, two kicks, ignition switch on for third kick and away she goes. Having the timing bang on is also a help. I rebuilt the top end last winter and the compression difference was substantial, so getting it right with some weight behind it is essential on my bike!
Good onya mate, doing the top end rebuild, they benefit greatly from that. As I am getting on a bit now its quite important to hit the nails on the head all at once with start ups, lol. I worry about the younger generation not being able to start them up mainly, so hence why I made this to help keep them on the road into the future. .Ride safe mate.
@@DaveWhellersVintage good of you to share the knowledge mate. I think if I handed my bike over for someone else to start they’d need a tutorial. It’s not particularly difficult but if it kicks back it’s quite a whack!
@@droidster888 Setting you full advance to 36 degrees will stop it doing that on 95 to 98 octane/RON fuel. Use 34 degrees if you having to use 91RON. The bikes were originally designed to run on 101 five star on 38 degrees but unless you can find Aviation fuel its best to just drop that full advance back a bit. Stops that nasty surprise. Ride safe.
@@DaveWhellersVintage thanks for the tip mate. I run her on 98 at 38 btdc with a Boyer setup and a dual output coil. I’ve shifted the plate advance and retard until I found the sweet spot. But yes, sometimes it will kick back and it’s quite savage 😂
@@droidster888 That 36 degrees full advance setting I recommend will make starting much easier, and she wont kick back after you do that. You must use a strobe to get it correct however, as trying to do is statically is very hit and miss. My daughter starts mine and she's only 55kg, and happily puts all her weight on the kick start now with no fear of it launching her over the bars anymore. Ride safe🙂
I used to free the clutch, sticky plates? Tickle the carbs ,carb turn on kick over 😂
If you have sticky plates then you should strip the clutch plates out and fettle the plate slides in the clutch basket and clean the metal clutch plates and tangs. They wont stick then or drag making neutral much easier to get at the lights. Its worth doing on the next service mate and its an easy couple of hours job or quicker if your good with a spanner. Don't accept that the plates stick as a norm. Makes the bike much nicer to ride as well.
My T120 was much more simple. Fuel on, tickle, ignition on and kick it. No finding TDC or priming. My pre unit 650 TR6 was even more simple since it had a fixed advance magneto which meant that I didnt have to switch on the ignition. I didnt have to set the throttle on either bike but instead , caught the engine when it fired with a small operation of the twist grip.All very very simple.
Mine is very easy to start and I don't do half of what's on here mate. I made the video for guys having problems starting there's, not as a challenge to others with different methods of starting. Every Bonnie starts a bit different and as you should know there all a bit quirky. I just tried to cover all bases in one video which was a tall ask really but I made it anyway to help. This way I have done it on my video works on any Bonnie obviously, and it will on yours also.
Yep..Agree...Fuel on..tickle the fuel up, couple of kicks to free clutch plates, turn ignition on then boot her up, first kick everytime....76 and 77 T 140's mk 1 amals, Boyer, 98 ron fuel
On other bikes than Triumphs other methods apply. High compression singles can need a very different use of the kick start. Velocettes are known for being impossible to start if you don't follow the riders handbook to the letter. Easiest starters I've had was an ex military WW2 Norton and a 1930 Harley. Both side valves and manual retard.
Great video.Any advice on a hot start.I have the same model.
Similar procedure but you only need to tickle the carbs before starting and no need to kick it round when you first put the ignition on or you may flood her... If your having problems with hot starting then its probable your carbs are getting too hot and evaporating the fuel. I already did a video on subject on my channel that you can watch. Its the one about the Phenolic Spacer. That spacer fits between the carbs and the manifold. Its an Amal product and that is exactly what its for. You should always be able to touch you carbs when you stop without burning you fingers. They get hot of course, but should never be that hot it burns you.
Are you running it with both petcocks on, or just one? I'm assuming one is a reserve petcock, so you only need one on to run the bike. My TR6 runs great with just one petcock on, but this is my first twin carb Bonneville.
Great question and yes I agree with you. Both bikes have a very similar fuel consumption.. I never run both taps open, there is no need. I only run main and the reserve has saved my bacon on a number of occasions. Only last week I was out in the bush here in NZ having a great time when I noticed she was struggling a bit. Looked down at the trip meter and she had 124 miles on the clock so I knew the tank was a bit dry. Switched over to reserve and just made it to a fuel station. If you run both taps open you are very likely to run out. I have also run the bike up to 111mpg (GPS) on one tap with no problem, she would have gone more but I chickened out lol. . If you need both taps open then the filters are probably blocked or there's something amiss on the fuel lines that need sorting out. Often a kink in the pipe causes that. A simple test to verify the flow is ok is to put a 1 liter bottle under the tap. It should fill in about 2 to 3 mins. That's about half a liter a minute when I was at school, and if your bikes drinking that much then your probably on your way to the moon lol.
Just one mate. Try opening one and running the fuel it into a bucket. It will drain the tank in 15 to 20 mins. You will never use fuel that fast so there should be no need to use both taps unless you have a kink or blockage.
@@DaveWhellersVintage that makes sense. I plugged up the right side petcock on my 78 bonneville, just to clean things up a bit, which means I'm running one petcock. I don't mind not having a reserve on this bike, it's not a touring bike, just a run around town bike. As long as I keep an eye on gas, I'm not worried about running out. I've heard people say they'll open both petcocks at steady high-speeds (like on the freeway) but if you're burning fuel quicker than it can come out of one petcock, something seems wrong. Your gas mileage would total shit.
What kickstarter is on your bike?
Its from a T160 mate, it folds away out of the way and Its also longer than a standard T140 kickstart making it easier to kick round.
Where I live I can only fill up with E10. Does 36 degrees also apply to this fuel? TR7RV '77
Good videos by the way. I immediately ordered a phenolic spacer.👍
Yes no difference mate and works on all standard fuels. Retarding the ignition prevents that horrible kick back sneaking up on you. If you run 95 to 98 with E then 36 will be fine and you wont notice any loss of power. If you are running 91 you may need to drop it a bit more to 34 degrees. You may notice a small loss of power but that's better than a broken hip. An easy test is to run the bike at 2000 rpm and wind the throttle full open on a hill. If you hear a metallic tapping noise that is preignition and you should avoid that. Its not the bike causing that its the crappy fuel. Retarding the ignition will sort that out.
Yes 38 is for101 octain. 36 is good for 95 to 98 octain and you wont notice any loss of power. 34 for 91 octain but there is abit power loss but no pinking is good mate. Pinking or pre ignition can burn a hole through a piston..