From: "Peter Kroeker" <peter.kroeker@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: <ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [ST] carbon silencer, tires and other maintenance issues
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 21:05:50 -0400
Was that the one for sale in Windsor?
Pete
----- Original Message ----- From: "joe smith" <ottawa1966@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <st@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 8:23 PM
Subject: [ST] carbon silencer, tires and other maintenance issues
Hi,
I bought a 2002 blue ST a month ago. I paid a bit of a premium for it
because I love the blue colour, only had 6500 KMs on it, and was
showroom condition according to the seller. Finding a good Triumph ST up
here is difficult because not too many are sold in Canada. Being 5
hours away from the seller I bought the bike based on pics and video he
sent me. He also agreed to bring it to me on the back of a truck if I
paid his gas. I had to send him a $500 deposit that I'd lose if I didn't
accept the delivery. When he got it safetied the Bridgestone Battle Axe
tires needed replacing. He suggested I get the new BT014's because even
though I'd be touring he thought it better to have slightly softer
tires, so I trusted his judgement and he had a set put on (at my cost).
I phoned the nearest Triumph dealer 3 hours away to see if I was paying
way too much. They thought if the bike was in as good condition as the
seller said I wasn't paying that much of a premium. They were surprised
that the seller recommended the soft Bridgestones. They said I won't get
much wear out of them and that the Bridgestones were all wrong for the
Sprint. My question is should I have gone for a harder, touring tire to
get more mileage, or was the advice for softer compound to get better
grip wise? In the end it is a matter of personal taste?
The dealer I talked to also suggested I make sure that the Triumph
carbon silencer was put on by a dealer and the engine tuned. I
specifically asked the seller and he said for sure that was done, but he
had no maintenance records.
Anyway, he delivered the bike on a rainy Sunday and of course it looked
at first glance to be as clean as he said. After I took delivery I
noticed some minor scratches and the plastic edge of one of the front
indicator light lenses seemed to have minor damage, so the bike wasn't
in what I would count as showroom condition. Granted I'm the type that
can walk through a new car lot and notice imperfections in paint jobs,
so I wasn't taht upset that the bike was not scratch free as the seller
said, but I was a bit miffed.
I rode it for a while and fell in love with the bike. I decided to take
it to the dealer for an oil change since it was a nice sunny day and
excuse to go for a ride. The seller told me the oil had been changed at
the beginning of the season, but the dealer was shocked how dirty the
oil came out. Plus, they had a terrible time getting the non-triumph
aftermatket oil filter off the bike. Luckily they checked their records
and saw that the original owner never brought the bike in for any of the
recalls. At this point I'm wondering if the seller was more interested
in washing and waxing his bike rather than having the mechanics looked
after. I couldn't believe he'd never had the recall work done. I doubted
if he did in fact have the pipe installed right. He told me he took it
to a dealer in London, Ontario. I phoned them and they had no record of
doing work on the bike. My question is if the idiot (seller) did buy the
pipe and just slap in on himself is there anyway I could tell just from
normal riding, or is there a chance the engine has had some damage done
to it if the tuning for the silencer was never properly done? I'm
bringing the bike down to Kingston later this week to have the works
done. They ordered the parts for the recall work. I also want the
fluids replaced, valve job, coolant flushed, hoses checked, etc. The
seller gave me the factory pipe. I've been wondering if I should have
them put it back on the bike because I've been told that even with ear
plugs driving a bike with loud pipes will cause long term damage. I
noticed the carbon pipe says it is not for street use. This is the first
bike I've had without the factory installed piple so I don't have
anything to compare it with. I haven't heard an ST with the factory pipe
to compare. How would those who have ridden with after-market exhausts
compare the Triumph carbon silencer in noise level. Do you think I'd be
best to have the factory pipe put back on? I love the sound of the
carbon silencer, but I don't want to go deaf in the long run?
I love the bike and hope the dealer doesn't find any surprises when he
does the major maintenance later this week. I don't think that I'd buy a
bike again without seeing it in person. Even the best pictures can't
reveal minor defects. Plus, I'd want to see maintenance records. I'm
making sure to keep any copies of work I do in case I sell it in future.
Thanks,
Jim
_________________________________________________________________
Designer Mail isn't just fun to send, it's fun to receive. Use special
stationery, fonts and colors.
http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines
Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN® Premium right now and get the
first two months FREE*.
_______________________________________