Strange that the owner did not notice that all was not well. Oil does not just disappear, it has either leaked (there would be signs of this) or it has been burned (blue smoke)
Wow….just the basics that most riders should be able to do on their own (oil and filter). I could see you were genuinely concerned about this and the outcome of this customer’s bike. Expensive lesson here riders! Steve pretty much knew the outcome here even before he took that side panel off.
I have a 94 Triumph Sprint 900 and it gets an oil and filter change every year. In storage for a few months over the UK winter period. Always on a trickle charger. Garage stored with E5 fuel in the tank and fuel stablizer. The bike drinks a little engine oil every 1k miles or so, so i keep it topped up. To let your bike run dry of oil and not be bother to check it before you call someone, is just lazy.
A damn shame. I'm getting a bit creaky at 67 to be riding through autumn and winter, so I changed the oil and put BP petrol {the E5 there has no ethanol at all}, together with fuel stabiliser until April next year. I have a heated garage but would cover the exhausts with plastic bags and elastic bands otherwise. It's good to rotate the wheels from time to time, and pump the forks up and down to make sure the seals don't dry out too. Got a new battery with a maintainer on it as well. Routine stuff, to avoid disasters like this one. Best regards to all from Wales and have a good Christmas.
Take her out for a short run once a week until shes up to full temp and that will help keep carbs clean and rid the engine of moisture 👍 i'm an old fart too 🤣🤣🤣🤣
When you put it to sleep, run it with Aspen alkylate fuel. Its expensive but highly refined and ethanol free. You then dont have to worry about carb or injector seals.
If it's a carbie it's a good idea to drain out the float bowls (should be some little screws on each carbie float bowl you can use to drain) stops the duff fuel we have these days from varnishing the jets. From my knowledge ESSO was the last to have ethanol free E5 and I used it in my GPZ but even that's phased out now... getting harder and harder to own a classic these days. I think there are some independant vendors who sell ethanol free fuel for classic vehicles but its £££
Imagine spending the time tarting the bike up with random crap like the headlight cover and white lettering your tyres, and missing the most basic of checks. Honestly.
This is like watching an episode of "Just Rolled In". I am just starting the process of writing a service guide for modern Triumphs to compliment my guide to the 60's ones.
Hmm option 1 if customers wallet is full.... Total strip down and rebuild. Option 2 replacement motor Option 3 break for parts😒 Keep your thermals dry and may the winter be short and kind. 👍
Gutting for both the owner & yourself. The last thing you'd expect tbh. You'll probably find theirs more if a story to this bike. Another engine or sold for spares.
Hi Steve, Do you know what the owner is doing with the bike? I'm sorry to be asking but if the owner wishers to sell the new starter motor I would be interested. I hope the owner sorts everything out. 👍🙏
Given lack of oil on the dipstick and debris inside the engine ... failure to check the oil level, possibly failure to change the oil at suitable intervals, leading to lack of lubrication, leading to seized engine.
Can you not fill it with oil just past the full mark and put oil down the plug holes Leave it for a few hours to see if it turns over ? By hand to try and free it ?
Yeah you can kind of get away with that on old air cooled lumps with higher tolerances but when a high compression, high revving engine locks up it's usually terminal as the heat created by running with no oil will have cooked expensive bits of the engine.
It's not just a dead sprag clutch? That's a common problem on the big Triumph triples of that era. Obviously, having virtually no oil in the engine is not a good sign, but could you get a socket onto the end of the crankshaft and try turning the engine over from there? Even so, if it is a dead sprag clutch, it's probably not an economic repair.
He did put a socket on the end of the crankshaft ... that's what the bit with the long breaker bar onto the end of the engine was all about. No go. No good.
You would have saved you and the customer time /money if you had just put the bike in gear and tried rotating back wheel. No need to replace starter and dismantle fairings/tank/seat etc
Easy to be wise after the event. If the customer had said 'My engine won't turn over, I think the starter must be dud', then what you suggest would indeed make sense, but it would seem that he just said he needed a new starter and didn't describe the actual issue.
Wait a minute. You never checked the oil before trying to turn over the engine. Never checked the old starter on a battery after you removed. Not much of a mechanic
Strange that the owner did not notice that all was not well. Oil does not just disappear, it has either leaked (there would be signs of this) or it has been burned (blue smoke)
Wow….just the basics that most riders should be able to do on their own (oil and filter). I could see you were genuinely concerned about this and the outcome of this customer’s bike. Expensive lesson here riders!
Steve pretty much knew the outcome here even before he took that side panel off.
I have a 94 Triumph Sprint 900 and it gets an oil and filter change every year. In storage for a few months over the UK winter period. Always on a trickle charger. Garage stored with E5 fuel in the tank and fuel stablizer. The bike drinks a little engine oil every 1k miles or so, so i keep it topped up. To let your bike run dry of oil and not be bother to check it before you call someone, is just lazy.
Oil and filter..the most important service item for any engine.
The easiest job and like you said the most important job to do.
Not as easy as checking the oil level before every ride.
Awkward moment for Steve to inform customer and then try and get paid after giving the customer the terminal news
great job lad but owner should have known got to keep on top with oil filter changes any lives on it keep up the great work
A damn shame. I'm getting a bit creaky at 67 to be riding through autumn and winter, so I changed the oil and put BP petrol {the E5 there has no ethanol at all}, together with fuel stabiliser until April next year. I have a heated garage but would cover the exhausts with plastic bags and elastic bands otherwise. It's good to rotate the wheels from time to time, and pump the forks up and down to make sure the seals don't dry out too. Got a new battery with a maintainer on it as well. Routine stuff, to avoid disasters like this one.
Best regards to all from Wales and have a good Christmas.
Take her out for a short run once a week until shes up to full temp and that will help keep carbs clean and rid the engine of moisture 👍 i'm an old fart too 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@cabbage681 Good advice. Use it or lose it. Things deteriorate from being stood, even when laid up with care.
When you put it to sleep, run it with Aspen alkylate fuel. Its expensive but highly refined and ethanol free. You then dont have to worry about carb or injector seals.
If it's a carbie it's a good idea to drain out the float bowls (should be some little screws on each carbie float bowl you can use to drain) stops the duff fuel we have these days from varnishing the jets.
From my knowledge ESSO was the last to have ethanol free E5 and I used it in my GPZ but even that's phased out now...
getting harder and harder to own a classic these days. I think there are some independant vendors who sell ethanol free fuel for classic vehicles but its £££
E5 has 5% ethanol and E10 has 10%.
C´mon guys, it´s not so difficult to take a look to the oil level from time to time.
Imagine spending the time tarting the bike up with random crap like the headlight cover and white lettering your tyres, and missing the most basic of checks. Honestly.
Oh dear - negligence on the part of the owner.
Stupidity was rewarded.
We need another video from you this week steve to cheer us up after that 😢
An absolute tragedy, bike is gorgeous and died of neglect. That's hard to take, condolences to the owner.
Condolences!
This is like watching an episode of "Just Rolled In". I am just starting the process of writing a service guide for modern Triumphs to compliment my guide to the 60's ones.
i just dont understand how people especially bike riders dont get how important oil changes and levels are
Hmm option 1 if customers wallet is full.... Total strip down and rebuild.
Option 2 replacement motor
Option 3 break for parts😒
Keep your thermals dry and may the winter be short and kind. 👍
Some people shouldn't own pets and some shouldn't own bikes.
One of my favourite bikes , the only thing i don't like is thr plastic oil pickup on the sump .
👍
small ceremony close friends only
I hope you give the it a good send off triumph 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢🎉🎉
How does it get parked at home, then seize?? Sure it wasn't hydrolocked? Carbed or FI?
Good question. Not entirely sure what the history was with this before we got asked to change the stater motor.
Gutting for both the owner & yourself. The last thing you'd expect tbh. You'll probably find theirs more if a story to this bike. Another engine or sold for spares.
Hi Steve, Do you know what the owner is doing with the bike? I'm sorry to be asking but if the owner wishers to sell the new starter motor I would be interested. I hope the owner sorts everything out. 👍🙏
Steve How can I contact you when I need a bike service please let me Simon
How does that even happen?
Given lack of oil on the dipstick and debris inside the engine ... failure to check the oil level, possibly failure to change the oil at suitable intervals, leading to lack of lubrication, leading to seized engine.
Always pays to check the oil, not a big job, waste of a good bike
Did you also charge him for the new starter motor when the bike was broken? Hope you got your money
No need to rub salt in the wound
Can you not fill it with oil just past the full mark and put oil down the plug holes Leave it for a few hours to see if it turns over ? By hand to try and free it ?
It’s a plain bearing engine, even if it frees up it’ll be dead meat.
@gk73man51 do not even worth a try ?
Yeah you can kind of get away with that on old air cooled lumps with higher tolerances but when a high compression, high revving engine locks up it's usually terminal as the heat created by running with no oil will have cooked expensive bits of the engine.
Spend a minute checking your oil or spend a fortune on repairs🥴
👍🏍️☁️.. First.
It's not just a dead sprag clutch? That's a common problem on the big Triumph triples of that era. Obviously, having virtually no oil in the engine is not a good sign, but could you get a socket onto the end of the crankshaft and try turning the engine over from there? Even so, if it is a dead sprag clutch, it's probably not an economic repair.
He did put a socket on the end of the crankshaft ... that's what the bit with the long breaker bar onto the end of the engine was all about. No go. No good.
You would have saved you and the customer time /money if you had just put the bike in gear and tried rotating back wheel. No need to replace starter and dismantle fairings/tank/seat etc
My first thought....
Very true but I was asked by the customer to replace the starter motor as they thought this was the issue.
@@themobilemotorbikemechanichmm but you're the pro, not the customer. Why is the engine dead?
Easy to be wise after the event. If the customer had said 'My engine won't turn over, I think the starter must be dud', then what you suggest would indeed make sense, but it would seem that he just said he needed a new starter and didn't describe the actual issue.
Disgraceful,pure neglect
Wait a minute. You never checked the oil before trying to turn over the engine. Never checked the old starter on a battery after you removed. Not much of a mechanic
Nooooooooooooo not good