Winter Tear-Down 2012

July 12, 2012

48,607 miles

• Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter
• All gas lines re-crimped
• Carb cleaned, float bowl washer replaced

Beginning of Season 2012

August 2, 2012

49,400 miles

Oil change.

Pre-Ormstown check-over found about 8 bolts or nuts loose to some degree.

August 23, 2012

50,300 miles.

New drive chain installed and adjusted.

Changed center stand spring and replaced nuts, bolts, tab washers holding the stand to frame. Replacement bolts work, but they don't screw into the center stand's threaded holes the way the originals do
*Timewarp: probably wrong hardware from Moto Montreal.

The method I finally used to get the new spring on works really well ? no strain! Fold about a 6? section of 1/4" nylon rope and pass the folded end from front to back over the frame member where the spring anchors. Hook the spring over the loop and then pull the spring on from the front with one foot on the drive side footpeg for a brace. After the spring is on, pull the rope out the back way.

Installed new parts for the steering damper.

September 12, 2012

50,680 miles.

New K70 rear tire mounted by L'Amis Denis

September 5, 2012

Oil change. 51,040 miles

Found ignition coils loose again!

October2, 2012

Oil change. 51,800 miles

October 22, 2012

Oil change . 53,100 miles

October 2012 End of Season

Odometer end reading: 53,310 miles.

Mileage for 2012: 5,460.

Bonnie Log 2013

Winter Maintenance 2013

Odometer: 53,310 mi.

• New drive chain
• New primary chain
• 2 rocker spindles (used)
• Replaced spindle o-rings
• Changed swing arm bushings
• New shock absorbers

June 3, 2013 Riding Season Begins

53,310 miles

Started first kick.

Overheated on way back from Ayer's Cliff, but after re- adjusting valve clearance everything's been fine.

Bike's much quieter without rattle from loose chain guard. Handles better with new shocks and adjustment of steering head races (loose all last year).

No oil or gas leaks!

June 28, 2013

Oil and filter at 54,277 miles

July 10, 2013

54,717.7 miles

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter

New primary chain adjusted

New fork oil

Reset timing for timing side cylinder (it was a bit retarded). Went super well using the new points illustration as a guide.

July 23, 2013

55,500 miles

Oil change with filter. (interval 1,223 miles)

Replaced gaiters.

August 3, 2013

55,689 miles

Repaired wiring to center lug of selenium rectifier. I recently used a side-by-side two-to-one connector to connect the brown/white and (other) wires to center lug. The rectifier got loose and turned evidently, shorting to the fender. The resulting heat burned my under-the-seat rags and the blue tool- kit pouch. Totally charred. Lucky I didn't have a fire.

Very thorough ignition timing job pays off. Did static timing first. Forgot to advance the autoadvance with screwdriver, but it all worked out ok when I made adjustments using the strobe. Used an old lawn tractor 12v battery as external power source for strobe - timing mark seemed to jump around a little less.

Timing is right on the spot now and Bonnie is quieter with less vibration, and has more power and smoother acceleration.

Adjusted drive chain.

August 21, 2013

56,000 miles

Push rod tubes have been leaking more and more, so I bit the bullet and started wrenching.

Removed rocker boxes and head and replaced push rod tube oil seals (except for bottom exhaust o-ring and seal because the wedding band was really tight and that joint didn't seem to be leaking).

I'd used a red high-temp o-ring at top of exhaust and it was totally deteriorated, coming out in little pieces. Other two o- rings on intake tube were flat, but integral.

All replacement o-rings I used were black ones.

Had trouble tightening domed nuts on rocker spindles because they kept turning, especially the intake spindle. Finally used contact cement (household goop) between spindle head on drive side and screw of a wood vise - with other end of clamp blocked off rocker box fins with small piece of plywood. This gave just enough friction to tighten the nut sufficiently that it didn't leak.

Re-torqued head bolts after about 6 miles and re-set valve clearance. Drove 82 miles (around Lake Memphremagog) and re- checked bolts, which were ok. All four valves had zero clearance.

Also checked timing - ever so slightly retarded in both cylinders, a little more on timing side.

When putting carbs back on I used PL's method - slack idle screws right out - adjust cables for slides being all the way down and synchronized. Then set idle with idle screws.

Bike is very responsive and smooth to throttle control and idles very nicely at 600.

August 22, 2013

56,700 miles

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter (interval 1,200 miles)

Shell Rotella T 10W-40 diesel oil in crankcase. $28 US a gallon inc. Vt tax.

September 19, 2013

L'Amis Denis couldn't get a new rear tire for Bonnie until mid-October so I had them mount an old, less-worn out one from my shop.

After I returned home and re-installed the tire, including alignment, L'Amis Denis called to say their mechanic had left out a bushing. So, back to Lennoxville and another wheel removal and installation. Mechanic kind of acted like it was my fault he left the bushing out.

Disaster. The second time I didn't correctly install clip on master link and chain flew off on Vallieres, ruining the new Reynolds chain and sacking the chain guard.

September 22, 2013

58,041 miles

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter

October 1, 2013

On trip with Bob B. to White Mountains, the speedo died. Or at least the speed indicator. The odometers seem to be still operational. Tach is also looking pretty sketchy.

October 11, 2013

Found the source of all the mess on the tinwork behind the left hand carb, and also the constant smell of gas I've had for the past 1,000 miles, and the really crappy performance for the last 24 hours:

Float in left hand carb was full of gas. Put in one from the old carbs and the Bonnie's very happy again.

Also checked the ignition timing and found both cylinders spot on.

October 22, 2013

59,518.7 (interval: 1,477 miles)

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter

October ??, 2013 End of Season

Bonnie Log 2014

April 9, 2014 Wednesday

Begin Tearing-Down 2 hours

• I'd previously removed gas tank, carbs, and seat.
• Today I removed the back wheel and chain guard, exhaust system, coils, and rocker boxes.
• Speedo gear box is trash - broken metal where cable threads on and I can't remove the old cable because male threaded portion just turns in the body of the sending unit.
• Gasket release on the rocker box gaskets was a good idea - for the first time ever those gaskets didn't break up and leave pieces stuck to the head.

April 11, 2014 Friday

MAP Parts Order #2

Ordered wheel bearings (4), fork oil seals, speedo gearbox, and rocker spindle o'rings.

Retro Note: This Taiwenese speedo gearbox repro from MAPCyle lasted just under 5 years as it "exploded" into pieces in late summer, 2019.

April 17, 2014 Thursday

Disassembly & Cleaning 6 hours

• Removed front fender, tire, forks, and triple-tree.
• Removed all parts from rear wheel, including brake drum, sprocket, bearings, spacers, etc. etc.
• Cleaning and polishing.

April 20, 2014 Sunday

Cleanup & Prop 2 hours

Put away tools that were scattered all about and cleaned up work areas and parts.

Pulled parts from inventory and organized them along with new parts to be ready for installing them.

April 22, 2014 Tuesday

Cleaning & Wrenching 4 hours

• Cleaning and polishing parts and sorting out re-assembly order and orientations for rear axle parts.
• Got old speedo cable off the knackered gear box using a torch to heat up the screw-on fixture.
• Cleaned brake drum bolts and reinstalled on hub using Loctite Blue.

April 23, 2014 Wednesday

Brakes 4 hours

• Took apart rear brake and cleaned all the grease and oil off the backing plate. There was plenty. I'm hoping that this will be less of an issue in the future as I recently began curbing my excess exuberance in applying chain saw bar oil to the rear chain.
• Also pulled apart front brake for inspection - linings are almost down to the rivets. Going to replace linings front and back.
• Cleaned, wire-brushed, and polished many parts and continued cleaning and polishing engine and frame in general.
• Measured the lengths of all the control cables and recorded them in my database program.
• Ordered K70 and Tsubaki chain from BikeBandit.
• Ran down parts listings in preparation of next MAPCycle order.

April 24, 2014 Thursday

Rocker Boxes 3 hours

• Stripped, cleaned, and polished the rocker boxes.

Interesting Discovery

Pulling out the rocker spindles I discovered that I didn't even fit the intake spindle with an o'ring the last time I put it together. Back to Triumph Mechanic School for me! I even kinda remember being so pleased about how easily one of the spindles went in at the time. Moles are cool people, but I should really get some glasses.

But here's something else interesting. The intake spindle with no o'ring didn't leak oil. The exhaust spindle (with o'ring) was the leaking one!

April 25, 2014 Friday

April 25, 2014 Friday

Parts Order

Placed a third order with MAPCycle.

Washed up triple tree and brake back plate to make them more presentable when I take them for powder coating in Magog.

April 26, 2014 Saturday

May 8, 2014 Thursday

May 17, 2014 Saturday

May 18, 2014 Sunday

May 27, 2014 Tuesday

Assembly Continues

• Back brakes
• New K70 back tire (Bike Bandit) mounted by Jeff
• New chain
• New chain guard
• New stoplight switch
• Carbs

• Headlight (out of sequence penalty)
• Handlebars

• Torque head
• Rocker boxes

• Front forks
• front fender
• front wheel
• Front brakes

May 2014 Replaced front and rear wheel bearings with sealed units from MAPCycle 59,518 miles.

Metal Bits

Draining the crankcase oil I found the metal bits missing from the two intake tappets I replaced.

I gave the crankcase and oil reservoir screen filters a careful cleaning, installed a new oil filter, and topped up the oil.

Before refilling the oil I replaced the inside oil line - it was chaffed from rubbing on the frame (center stand I think) and I had one already measured and cut from the last time. Replacement was 3/16 short of ideal length, but should be ok.

Also refilled fork oil and drained and replaced gear box oil.

Chopsticks

May 29, 2014

• Clutch and gas cables
• head steadies
• coils
• drain crankcase, gearbox, oil reservoir

May 30, 2014

• Refill crankcase and new filter
• Change inside oil line (old one chaffed)
• Refill gearbox 500cc 85w-90
• Install chain guard supports (inc PITA bolt - use small cold chisel to wedge fender away from brace on swing arm to make clearance for the nut)
• Drain primary chain case
• Install master link on chain (Tsubaki master links as stiff as ever! Used vice grips and hammer and punch)

May 31, 2014 Saturday

Issues

• After installing rear wheel, the speedo gearbox wanted to turn with the wheel.
• Eventually I removed the wheel and really tightened the axle nuts while using a 20" length of steel pipe to actuate the brake shoes.
• Afterward, the gearbox stayed put, but there was so much friction it made the rear wheel difficult to rotate.
• After 3 miles on the road the wheel rotated perfectly except for a slight binding half way around.
• After 10 miles, the wheel rotated very freely with no binding whatsoever.

Centered rear brake shoes

Working great! No more "pulsing".

June 3, 2014 Tuesday

2014 Winter Maintenance Summary

• Removed points, autoadvance unit, condensers and replaced with Pazon electronic ignition and a pair of 6v. coils
• New brake linings front and back
• New wheel bearings front and back (MAPCycle sealed bearings)
• New rear chain (Tsubaki) High Quality self-lube
• New rear sprocket (MAP Cycle)
• New front fork oil seals and o-rings
• Removed head and cylinder base
• Replaced worn/chipped tappets
• Reassembled head/rocker boxes using MAPCycle gaskets and o-rings
• Rocker box gaskets do NOT have wire in them
• Rocker spindle o-rings from MAPCycle are different part number - see MP
• Removed pri chain case, sealed alternator leads using 'Right Stuff'
• Speedometer restored and set to 60,000 miles
• Tachometer restored
• Changed fork oil
• Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter
• Changed gearbox oil

June 4, 2014 Thursday

Valve Adjustment

Re-set valve clearances, about a thou over spec for intake and exhaust. Will readjust tomorrow if necessary for .002 and .004".

Made an initial run-in. One thousandth wasn't enough to keep the valves from getting tight after running a few minutes.

Checked torque on headbolts. Will let the engine cool off until this afternoon and readjust the valves.

June 5, 2014

Beginning of Season 2014

Bike back on the road after a couple of weeks intensive efforts. Lots of issues experienced this spring.

Bad Stuff

• Throttle cables sticking
• Left fork tube cap not tight - leaking oil
• Feels a bit rough - carbs not synced? or needs timing?
• Alternator lead exiting primary chain case loose, leaking

Good Stuff

• Pushrod towers not leaking
• Rocker spindles not leaking
• No leaks from oil lines

June 6, 2014 Friday

Readjusted valves - the new allen head adjusters are a huge improvement over the original square heads. Much easier - allen wrench and a box wrench.

Got my new registration at the SAAQ at the same cost as last year - $469. That's with the discount of later registration.

Returning to the Bonnie Castle, I felt inspired to finally fix the broken brakelight wire. Lots of fun fishing around and removing the wire cover on the inside of the rear fender.

Good to have working tailight and brakelights though.

July 10, 2014

Oil change 61,100

July 24, 2014

Lots of trouble getting carbs to idle well. Idle is erratic, (mostly) very fast, and has gigantic 'dead spot' that kills motor every time if I slowly roll through it.

Engine runs "fine" at speed, but dies randomly at stops.

I need to mark my throttle handle 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, for help in trouble-shooting:

• Needles?
• Blocked idle circuit?
• Worn slides?

August 5, 2014

Electrical problem. No ignition.

Wired from battery directly to Pazon white and she started right up.

Bypassed the ignition switch (plugged all 3 Lucars into a brass multiple) and she started right up.

Ordered new switch.

August 8, 2014

Received new ignition switch AND new tumbler.

Installed new switch with OLD tumbler. Everything hunky- dory. Runs great.

Fiddled with timing - retarding it slightly.

August 12, 2014

Bike won't start in NBE's parking lot.

Mechanic fixes loose ground, puts wire straight to Pazon (with switch) and I ride home, one-hundred dollars poorer.

Engine runs with the switch on and the lights work with the ignition switch on and the lighting switch turned on.

Mechanic Dave's recommendation for electrical supplies:

http://www.delcity.net/

http://www.britishwiring.com/Ratcheting-Crimping-Tool-for- Terminals-p/pr4.htm

August 14, 2014

I take a leisurely one hour ride and on top of Nelson Hill I stop to look at the Panorama for a good five minutes.

Comes time to leave. Bike won't start.

Pulled white and white/brown wires off ignition switch and put (white?) onto the second terminal with brown/white. Bike starts right up.

August 15, 2014

Wanting to go for a spin and warm up for oil change.

Bike won't start. No ignition, no lights.

Looking around, find that mechanic Dave didn't connect the ground lead to the zener diode when he re-did the ground connection.

Reconnected the zener. No change.

Took various voltage and resistance readings. Measuring from ground to feed side of ignition switch:

• 12.6/7v in off position, but
• In on position fell to 0 or a couple volts

Left charger on battery over night.

August 16, 2014

Early in the morning. Still no electrics.

Rigged two jumpers to an idiot light bulb and probed around:

• Bulb lights at source side of ignition switch
• Bulb doesn't light on switched side, even though voltmeter says there's 12.6/7

But later, after (?)

Anyway, at one point I have lights and ignition. I saddle up with every tool and material I need to cure another electrical outage and prepare to go out the door and it starts raining.

August 19, 2014

Spent several days tracing and diagramming the wiring and cleaning up connections.

Provoked electrical system 'blackouts' several times in the shop and found two things that sometimes make power return:

1) Playing around with the wires on the switch, as I did on the road on 14 August (below), and also one other time, either in the shop or on the road.

2) Grasping the harness where it comes out from the gas tank and crosses the neck and gently tugging forward and upward. This corrected the electrical fault twice.

So probably a strained connection that is open, but makes contact when tension is removed or reduced. Probably in the headlamp shell.

I no longer think that the ignition switch could be the problem.

I've already looked at looms (about $160 for Bonnie) but I think my best bet would be to make my own since the layout of the components in Bonnie?s electrical system does not match any Triumph factory model (i.e. position of ignition switch and zener diode).

August 21, 2014

Oil change, 63,120 miles (crankcase, filter, primary chain case)

August 26, 2014

Installed new battery. 63,300 miles.

Purchased through Amazon.

September 29, 2014

64,150 miles

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter

I've taken quite a few rides in September, although probably lower mileage than usual. Haven't experienced any further general - black-outs?, although I had headlamp and tailight failure at the beginning of a late afternoon ride around Lake Memphremagog.

I turned back from that ride and back at the shop I found a loose terminal on the light switch in the headlight shell.

I've been taking tools to remove tank and hot wire between battery and Pazon.

2014 End of Season

Odometer end mileage: 65,120

2014 Issues

• Speedo gearbox turned with wheel
  * Use pipe to hold on brake while tightening axle nut
• Tire rubbing chainguard
• Idle goes up when throttle rolled forward (D.S. carburettor)
  * Worn out air slides - re-sleeve carburettors
  
  
• Couldn't get new points OR Pazon to work
  * Problem was a bad spark plug
• Lost "seating nut" for top lug pinch bolt

Bonnie Log 2015

Winter 2015 Maintenance/Service

Odometer: 65,120 mi.

• Machining services by North Country Engineering
• Transmission
  • Entire clutch center assembly (center, covers, spyder, rubbers)
  • Clutch hub (old one had turned on mainshaft)
  • Gearbox sprocket
  • 58T duplex clutch sprocket
  • Engine sprocket
  • Primary chain
  • Drive chain
  • Clutch plates, steel and friction
  • Thrust washer
  • Crankcase oil seal
• Wiring
  • New custom wiring harness (details)
• Gearbox overhaul
  • Mainshaft (SRM)
  • All bushes (except kickstart shaft)
  • Mainshaft and layshaft bearings in gearbox inner cover
  • Layshaft thrust washers
  • Camplate (inner gearbox cover)
  • Camplate rollers
  • Index plunger and spring (MAPCycle yellow dot)
  • Quadrant (inner gearbox cover)
  • Gearchange quadrant plungers (outer gearbox cover)
  • Springs for above
  • Guide plate (outer gearbox cover)
  • Oil seals: mainshaft, inner cover, crankshaft, shift spindle o'ring
  • Sundry tab washers, nuts, cotter pins, keys, etc.
• All lubricants changed

June 2 2015

65,740 miles

New drive chain - D.I.D. from Bonneville shop.

August 11, 2015

66,200

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter

August 17, 2015

Checked ignition timing and found it was very retarded. Re-adjusted.

August 25, 2015

Re-checked timing - still ok.

September 3, 2015

Removed outer gearbox and put the new pawls back into the gearchange quadrant. This is the second time I've put them in and the result was the worst gear shifting since the first time I put it all together last spring. Problem getting into first gear nearly every time, and popping out of gear - 1st 2nd and even 3rd.

September 5, 2015

Removed outer gearbox outer cover and put back the original pawls and guide plate. Goes into first gear every time from a cold start now, but on the road it still hangs up in neutral when downshifting to first gear and pops out of first gear after that.

As bad as it is, this configuration seems the best after last winter's teardown.

September 12, 2015

67,100 miles

Maintenance

• Checked valve clearance and found it a bit wide - adjusted.
• Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter
• Cleaned chain
• Re-set synchronization of carb cables

September 15, 2015

67,400 miles

New front and rear K70 tires with new inner tubes (all from BikeBandit ($174 total).

Mounted by Jeff Price, Cycles Unlimited Newport

November 15, 2015

68,876 miles

Bonnie Log 2016

June 25, 2016

69,575 miles

Persistent oil leak, pooling on top of gearbox. Could be a) chaincase port for alternator wires, b) PRTs, c) that base gasket with 'just a tiny tear' I used during winter reassembly.

Talcum powder took me straight to the culprit base gasket. First base gasket leak ever. Will I ever use a torn gasket again? Anywhere?

Dismantled the top end and replaced the cylinder base gasket, leak cured.

Base and rocker box gaskets were from Baxter and labeled "Coventry Spares". I don't think these are the highly praised "Covseal" rocker box gaskets, but maybe.

Both base and rocker gaskets had wire in them. I've been more and more inclined to use paper gaskets without wires, so it will be interesting to see how well these hold up.

[February 2018, 76,606 miles: have to remove rocker boxes to take engine out of the frame for machine work (gearbox thrust washer locating peg & new roller bearings/seals/etc. After 7,000 miles the rocker boxes were still 100% leak-free (as were the PRTs)]

Work Times

• Oil leak btwn head and cylinders - disappeared with re-torque
• Oil leak from cylinder base - removed head and cylinders and replaced torn base gasket
  Procedures and Completion Times:
  • Remove tank/carbs/exhaust - :13 minutes
  • Remove head steadies/rocker boxes - :43
  • Remove head - :50
  • Remove cylinders - 1:35
    
  • Clean everything up, inc. old gaskets - 4:00
  • Reassemble everything/adj valves - 2:45
    
  • Total time: 10:06
• Staccato exhaust note after adjusting valves - T.S. carb nipple was raised and cocked, giving more throttle to that side
• Lost foot shift lever twice, once in Derby Line and again outside of Ayer's Cliff. Lost the original bolt :( the second time and had to climb the driveway in second gear. Replaced with 1 U.H. 1/4" x 28tpi and lots of blue Loctite.

Bonnie Log 2016

February 2016

Winter Service & Repairs (68,876 miles)

I used Loctite on the rotor and kickstarter ratchet nuts , but I failed to use it on the clutch nut.

I also used Loctite on

• The inner and outer cover fasteners, but I wouldn't do that again. Unecessary and just means having to clean it off upon next disassembly
• The oil junction block nut (from which I removed the previously installed lock washer and replaced with the proper flat washer) - again, unecessary
• The trap door screws (see below)

Trap door - I replaced the countersunk screws holding on the trap door. I noticed last year that one of the screw hole's threads were stripped. It's the one at 12 o'clock. I slathered it with blue Loctite and tightened it down as much as I dared.

Major work

• .100" overbore
• New pistons and rings
• New intake valves
• New mainshaft (Baxter)
• New 57-1606 closed end needle roller bearing (layshaft, high gear end)
• New 57-0448 high gear bearing
• Replaced head bolts with new ones from Baxter (2nd set, 1st was crap)

End of Season 2015

68,876 miles

June 27, 2016

69,600 miles

Eureka!

Still working on jumping out of gear problem. Pulled off gb outer cover and replaced gearshift quadrant with new unit from Baxter. Before removing original I made a mark on the case at the furthest extent of down-shift traval. As soon as the new quadrant was in I could see that in downshift it went about 3/32" further than the original and I knew I was onto something good.

After putting everything back together, a quick test ride confirmed that the problem was gone - downshifting is crisp and clean. No more downshift malfunctions, and first gear no longer pops into neutral when descending the steep driveway hill in gear.

Victory! After two years.

July 10, 2016

69,950 miles

Service

• Re torque head bolts
• Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter
• Sync carbs
• Adj valves
• Clean, lubricate, and adj chain

Changed crankcase/primary oil/filter

Winter 2016/Spring 2017

Pulled off gb outer cover and found lots of bronze 4th & 5th photos down).

Oil reservoir and oil lines removed.

Removing oil bottle - remove battery carrier and push reservoir towards DS before twisting and removing.

Scheduled Maintenance & Repairs

• Measure distance between fork legs to verify: 6 1/2" for pre-'69 yokes ("triple tree and fork crown") or 6-3/4" for '69 and later
• Repair speedometer ✔
• Repair seat tear
• Repack (replace?) steering race balls
• Replace battery
• Clean carbs (TS cylinder balky startup) ✔
• Replace high tension wires
• Replace throttle cables ✔
• Replace fuel lines ✔
• Repair oil tank dent ✔
• Replace all oil lines ✔
• Inspect primary chain case/adjust pressure plate ✔
• Re-seal alternator wires ✔
• Change fork oil ✔
• Grease swing arm ✔
• De-glaze front brake drum/Adjust front brake shoes

End of Season 2017

March 2, 2018

Pulled the engine out of the frame three days ago. Used a floor jack to keep the engine suspended while I removed the front and bottom engine mounts and then wrapped my arms around it and pulled it out from the left side with an upward motion, then a tilt towards myself, and then up and out.

Have been cleaning up and inspecting everything. Findings thus far (not including all the bronze in the gearbox):

• Primary chain needs replacing, as well as the slipper, which is gouged pretty deeply.
• The gearbox sprocket teeth don't look worn, but they are starting to hook (!)
• A witness mark at two o'clock behind the gearbox sprocket
• Layshaft low gear bush is .007" under spec

Andy Hansen is shipping back my repaired speedometer. I asked him if I'd over-lubed it or anything like that. His reply:
"What had failed on your speedo was the drag disk. It is an aluminum disk that is captured by the magnetic field and transfers the motion to the pointer. The shaft through the drag disk had become loose. It appears I had used a new drag disk originally and this was simply a part failure.
I advise against using oil on a cable and recommend grease because the oil can "corkscrew" its way up the inner cable and into the instrument. However, your instrument was clean and dry inside with no evidence of oil entering it."

30 May 2018

First ride of the season - Ste Cat.

Winter 2018 Tear-Down

With only a thousand miles so far this season, and no oil leaks, the Bonnie is still pretty clean from its winter teardown, but being how I'm going to the Mtl CMVG Ormstown rally this weekend I took it to the car wash and then came home for a shining and polishing session.

I tried to make corresponding reference marks at 4 o'clock on the Pazon disk and the inside of the timing case by applying red nail polish and then scratching a line across both. Didn't work - not enough contrast against green disk. Also got too much nail polish in there - may have glued down the disk. Looking for a better way.

31 July 2018

TR7RVMan (BritBike.com) thought the problem might just be fuel washing the rings. I took his advice and poured a couple of tablespoons of oil down the plug holes, cranked several times to blow out the excess oil, replaced the plugs, and low and behold the Bonnie had compression again and started right up.

I celebrated with a ride over to Montgomery and the northern Greens (156 miles).

By the time I got back I had no tailight or headlights and when I tried to put the bike on the center stand in the Bonnie Castle the stand crumpled and she fell over onto the timing side - luckily caught by myself and a couple of horses.

What next? I wonder.

The 'perfect' tune I had three weeks ago has vanished. Low-speed running fairly decently, but not as well as before and the engine died every time I tried to idle it.

30 August 2018

77,957.1 miles

Pulled off the center stand. None of the #7 Parts pivot bolts/nuts/tab washers I have in stock fit this stand so I began researching center stands. I came up with a table of stands and mounting hardware for 650s from '64 to '71.

Based on that info I have deduced that Bonnie NC00125 came equipped with an 82-5692 center stand. The 82-5692 stand was supplied with '64 to '68 650s. Maybe Frank changed it, but it's also quite possible that the factory was using up the old style stands at the very beginning of the '69 production.

I have the appropriate hardware for the 82-5692 stand on order - hoping it all fits together.

Table: Triumph 650 Center Stands & Mounting Hardware

1 Sept 2018

78,019 miles

Adjusted carbs

14 Sept 2018

78,292 miles

• Took up rear chain by two flats (new chain)
• Removed slack from primary chain (new chain) From 10/16" play to 6/10" play
• Synced carbs and adjusted idle

5 Oct 2018

78,976 miles

Removed leaking float chamber bowel on TS carb - reassembled using Hylomar on gasket and it seems to have stemmed the flow.

12 January 2018

New K70 rear tire mounted by Thibault, Sherbrooke. Sixty-eight bucks for a tire mounting, maybe I should start changing my own tires, but how to balance?

End of Season 2018

79,006 miles

Bonnie Log 2019

12 February 2019

Drained gearbox and recuperated 400ml of the Red Line gear lubricant.

After sitting for a couple of weeks the Red Line lubricant on top was very clear, but the bottom layer was gray with metal. I suppose this is "normal" wear.

So Bonnie lost 100ml of gear oil while covering around 3,000 miles. Where'd it go? My money is on the thru-hole in the gearbox casting for the shifting fork shaft. I thought I could seal it after assembling the gearbox, but couldn't get to it afterwards with the gearbox sprocket in place.

28 March 2019

79,006 miles

Removed rear chain and checked stretch: 5/16". This is well within the acceptable wear parameters according to the workshop manual, but I think the workshop manual's maximum wear spec is way past what would be harmful to sprockets, something pretty much confirmed by a query on TriumphRat.net.

Tried once again to find a Tsubaki chain but could only find o-ring chains by them so I ordered a DID chain.

10 May 2019

79,006 miles

Oil Change. Oil and filter, crankcase and primary.

Rainy day, finally laid off clearing trails long enough to get some work done in the Bonnie Castle.

• Modified British Only's chain guard to fit properly (ground the rear mounting bold slot wider)
• Installed repaired and powder-coated center stand
• Changed crankcase oil and filter (again!)
• Replenished gearbox oil - Ravenal (see below) Great telescoping spout!
• Installed rear wheel with new K-70
• Installed new chain (DID)
• Adjusted valves
• Sync'ed carburetors
• Installed new battery

After completing the work I removed the Bonnie from her winter throne, backed her over to the doorway and after a tickle she started up and ran on the first kick and ran like a clock.

Using the New Thin Wrench & Replacing the Rear Wheel

Re-installing the rear wheel I got to use the new thin wrench on the inner axle nuts. I had to buy a complete set (made in India I think, $70 Cdn at auto parts) and then have the largest wrench (1-1/4") enlarged to 1-5/16" by a Magog machine shop ($15). Definitely worth the time, effort, and money - replacing the rear wheel was never so easy!

The thin wrench makes it possible to tighten the inner axle nuts in place, on the bike, so no more trial-and-error. Now it's easy to align the speedo gearbox in place while tightening up the inner nuts. And so much easier to center the brake shoes applying pressure with the brake pedal with wheel held securely in the frame.

Ain't it sweet when the tool does the job?

Ravenol Gear Oil

The Redline gear oil I used last year (Red Line 50304 MT-90 75W-90 GL-4 Manual Transmission & Transaxle Lubricant) was ok, but shifts didn't feel as smooth as they should. This year I'm trying a Ravenol product. It's 'Neutral to metals' and 'no foaming', which I take to be a good thing. And it comes with a built-in 2-section telescoping tubular spout that takes all the hassle/mess out of filling the gearbox. Amazon description:

"Ravenol Multipurpose Gear Oil SAE 80W-90 GL-4 is an EP (extreme pressure) gear oil for manual transmissions, transfer cases, steering gears, and axle drives under standard conditions. Contains highly refined base oils that are paired with a balanced additive combination. These ensure a high load carrying capacity, wear protection, and oxidation stability are all guaranteed. Due to a superior viscosity-temperature behavior, low pour points, and the elimination of foam formation, the oil can be used in a wide variety of operating conditions.

Technical Characteristics and Features:
- Very good adhesion & pressure resistant lubricating film even high loads
- Excellent oxidation stability
- Optimal viscosity-temperature properties
- Provides an anti-wear effect
- Good air release characteristics with no foaming
- Neutral to metals and sealants used in transmissions and differentials

13 May 2019

79,053 miles

Registered Bonnie and rode to Magog/Ayer's Cliff/Lennoxville/North Hatley.

12 May 2019

79,006 miles

Pre-season ride - Katevale/North Hatley/Katevale.

Beginning of Season 2019

Todo

• FINALLY DONE IN SEPTEMBER: Drain & refill front forks
• Get oil filters

4 June 2019

Speedo gearbox imploded.

For oil change interval, additional mileage before parking: 332 miles.

• Local: 50 miles
• Elmore: 140 miles
• Around the Lake: 120 miles
• Same day: 22 miles

5-12 August 2019

Ordered:

• Rocker gaskets (2 Covseal)
• Side panel knob and rubber washer
• Gaiters, pair CBS 10-year guarantee
• Speedo gearbox
• Rear axle short spacer tube

12 Aug 2019

Stripped down far enough to remove exhaust rocker box and replace gasket due to pesky oil leak on exhaust TS. I should have used baby powder before I had to park the bike - hard to tell, but seems to leak at rocker box/head joint just below the valve inspection cap. But maybe also from the domed nut on the oil line to exhaust rocker spindle, or does that just catch the fine 'spray'?

Hunch is that this might be because when I re-torqued the head bolts after last re-installing the head, I got lazy and didn't bother removing the tank, coils, and head steadies in order to re-torque the inner 4 head bolts. 'Ahhh, they'll be ok, they're held down by the head steady nuts, right?'. Wrong. Being locked with another nut of course has nothing to do with they're needing re-torqued after a heat cycle or two.

So the intake side was ok, but the exhaust leaked copiously - at the end pooling up on engine fins every 30 miles or so.

Also polished the original headers - Wow! Nice chrome! Tempted to put them on - supposed to be a little more quiet with the balance tube - I actually wouldn't mind that, even if the tube is ugly in my eyes.

2 Sep 2019

79,456 miles

• Replaced exhaust rocker box gasket. Replaced one was installed last spring - light coat of grease. New gasket went on with Hylomar. Quite a bit at that. Replacement and replaced were both Cov-Seals.
• Adjusted exhaust valve clearance - (extra clearance for "bedding down" after installing new gasket and re-torquing all head bolts)
• Also put new gaiters on front forks.

Right off the bat I had trouble getting the exhaust valve inspection caps off - never had that happen before. As it happened they came right off with a little heat from the propane torch.

3 Sep 2019

79,456 miles

• Replaced speedometer drive gear box - as usual, the rear wheel turns very stiffly after tightening the inner bolts
• Replaced fluid in front forks - 200cc each of 20W Bel-Ray - found a bit of water in the DS fork - odd because the TS gaiter was the ripped one

When re-assembling the rear wheel I used a new TS distance piece (37-1477). John Healy says this piece should be 1.055" to 1.060" long. Bonnie's original one is 1.042", and the new one is 1.048".

After completing the work I rolled the Bonnie out into the orchard and put a little more oil down the cylinders. After pumping the kickstarter to clear excess oil I put in a brand new set of NGK B7ES, primed the gas, and commenced kicking. She made me work for it, but after a couple of patient pauses she finally started up, and then commenced to pollute the entire Northern Hemisphere with smoking burning oil.

A ride down under bunker was thrilling, but the exhaust valve clearance was excessive and the exhaust tone has a strange sound to it - kind of low and flat. Then on the way back she wouldn't take a lot of throttle without bogging, although sufficient to make it back up my road to the Castle.

Back at the Castle I checked the plugs (they looked ok) and also verified that the carb slides were working properly. The cable synchronization was a wee bit off and I fiddled with that until it was perfect. Tomorrow morning I'll re-adjust valve clearance and take it for another test ride if it's not raining.

4 Sep 2019

79,456 miles

Checking valve clearance I found the TS exhaust rocker completely loose - I must have missed tightening the nut on the adjuster pin! The pushrod was right off the rocker so I stripped everything down a second time, re-positioned the pushrods, put on a new gasket, and replaced the rocker box. Whereas the job took me just under 5 hours the first time, it only took two-and-a quarter hours the second time.

5 Sep 2019

79,481 miles (plus 530 un-clocked miles = 80,011 actual miles and time for another oil change)

Finally got out for a short run in the evening. Seven Celsius upon return, time to put the liner in the riding jacket! Bike's running decent, but throttle could be smoother on de-acceleration. On the bright side (finally a bright side), the rocker box oil leak has been banished!

8 Sep 2019

79,632 miles

• Oil Change. Crankcase with filter, primary chaincase.
• re-torqued exhaust rocker box bolts
• checked valve clearances (Intake had closed right down, exhaust were unchanged - very loose)

15 Sep 2019

79,716 miles

Pre-flight check-up for ride down to White Mountains

• cleaned chain and checked wear (3/32" 'stretch')
• checked rear tire alignment - it was spot on
• checked valve clearances (Intake unchanged - slightly loose, brought exhaust back to spec)

16/17 September 2019

80,031 miles

Returned from two-day trip to White Mountains.

20 September 2019

80,114 miles

Added 375cc oil before departing for a day trip to East Randolph/.

New centerstand broke in half and dragged on roadway.

22 Sep 2019

80,356 miles

Topped up oil with 200cc before leaving for trip around Lake Memphremagog.

27 Sep 2019

80,490 miles

• Primary chain case: drained 425 ml & replaced 300 ml 30w non-detergent.
• Removed broken centerstand.

Screwed up and didn't check primary chain tension until after I'd refilled with oil. The chain's a bit on the loose side.

The centerstand is the one that came with Bonnie - a 1968 part number and used the older mounting hardware (shouldered bolt, tab washer, lock nut. The cross-bar weld broke on the DS.

Ordered 1969/70 centerstand, for which I already have plenty of hardware (and I always wondered why the nuts and bolts I ordered never fit!).

4 Oct 2019

80,637 miles

Oil Change

• Oil change with Wix filter (1st of 12-pack)
• Changed chain case oil (again!) 300ml out, 300ml in
• Adjusted primary chain tension
• Adjusted clutch rod clearance

Much quieter after chain adjustment. Went from 3/4" slack to 3/8".

And shifting is much smoother after adjusting clutch rod from 3/4 turn out to 5/8" slack.

10 October 2019

Received wheel balancing weights and balanced the front tire on the bike. Had to use quite a few weights. After balancing the wheel I inspected the tire tread wear and realized that the weights are compensating for very heavy abnormal wear around half the tire.

15 October 2019

New K70 3.25 x 19 tire mounted by Thibault. $147.98 for tire ($123 plus tax). Glue-on weights 'cause that's all they got. Service manager is sending old badly warn tire to Dunlop to see if they'll replace or ?

Bonnie Log 2020

15 April 2020

Not all that much to do on the Bonnie this winter. I puttered around in the Castle on and off all winter. Mostly cleaning and polishing. Sunglasses now mandatory at the Castle!

Also updated my inventory program to include a bin number for each part. After taking an inventory and re-arranging the parts rack I printed out all new tags with bin numbers. Now I can find any part quickly and easily and I always know where to return part bags after using them!

I ordered new control levers (pivots on originals are so worn and loose that they flap in the breeze over 15 mph), a new chain, and a few other parts on the 17th of March. They arrived at my VT pob one day after the Canadian/US border was closed to traffic so there's no telling when I'll be able to pick them up.

2020 winter to-do list

• √ Change gearbox oil
• √ Replace crankcase & gearbox drain plugs using Hylomar
• √ Touch up powder-coat on lower front frame
• √ Fettle the battery carrier
• √ Remount podtronics
• √ Install new center stand (Bend those tabs!!)  Clean chain
• √ Change crankcase oil
• √ Tires - rear 32, front 30.

• Replace chain
• Replace control levers
• Replace twist grip

Remounted the Podtronics under the battery carrier to be a little more forward to eliminate interference with rear fender. Used screws & nuts instead of wire ties to be sure it stays put. Compensated for screw heads beneath battery by using two layers of rubber padding. Remains to be seen if this leaves sufficient clearance between the seat and the top of the battery.

The rear battery carrier strap was badly worn by vibrating contact with the battery last year. All the batteries I've used have been 3-1/2" wide so unsure why the problem just cropped up. When I can order from the States again I'm going to pick up a Motobat AGM MB9U which is just 3" wide.

I tried getting a new battery carrier 'strap' (82-8028) but I ended up returning it because is was badly formed and I wasn't about to take a torch to a brand-new $30 part. All vendors seem to have the same crappy stock.

Finally I remembered that the oil tank and side cover I bought off E-Bay also included a battery carrier and the front and rear straps - used old stock fits perfectly! I made the purchase to have a back-up oil tank when the original developed a leak. Danny Guay did a great repair on the original oil tank (barely touched the brand-new paint job!), but the $65 E-Bay purchase is looking real good now!

Installed the new center stand. New stand from British Only (RIP, we miss you!) is the correct part which replaces the older style that Bonnie came through with. Now I'm using the correct mounting hardware that I kept buying for the old stand and wondered why it never fit!

28 April 2020

Oil Change. Crankcase and primary chaincase oil & filter.

Checked primary chain tension and found 3/4" slack. Strange because I remember adjusting it during the fall. When I tried using the adjuster tool it didn't seem to engage the adjusting screw. Something wrong, so offed the primary cover and discovered that the 'slipper' had cracked in two.

Re-installed the original part, adjusted for 3/8 slack, and buttoned the primary back up (Hylomar on both sides of gasket as last time - gasket won't be re-usable, but no leaks!

29 April 2020

2020 Maiden Voyage.

First kick got me a wicked kick-back, but the Bonnie started on the second. I went easy on the throttle blipping but kept rpm's above 1,200. Whenever I let the throttle go slack she idled without stalling, which surprised me! In fact, cold and hot the idle was very dependable between 900 & 1100 without stalling, even once! Now I'm amazed! Slight bog on acceleration and de-acceleration - will sync the carbs.

2 May 2020

Second ride: 50 miles.

Pre-ride, TS carb was going first so I started to sync it to DS. Was taking way too much adjustment so I looked around and found the ferrule on top of the TS carb was mostly pulled out of the carb. Is this why I have to perpetually sync the cables? Replaced ferrule, re-adjusted.

Made a bolt check and found both the clutch and front brake hand lever controls were about to fall off - don't think I ever tightened the fasteners after putting back the old parts I'd removed in anticipation of replacing them with the new parts which are stuck at the us address.

Adjusted clutch and front brake cables and the mirrors.

7 May 2020

(81,872)

Adjusted rear brake, checked tire pressures. So far not a drop of oil has shown up on the shop floor. But sometimes takes time to saturate and drip. I also succeeded in banishing the TS fuel leak - a loose clamp on connection to banjo bolt. The TS is now so clean all the time!

Previous carb hesitation is gone after syncing cables, but it's not quite as smooth on de-acceleration - a slight burble-burble thing. Mixture?

15 May, 2020

81,999.0 miles

Rear chain adjustment

Still running quite well, although the warm idle speed has increased to around 1400 and de-accelerating is less and less smooth.

I added about a half-cup of oil to the resevoir and it brought the level up to exactly what it was at the beginning of the season - to the first 'L' in 'Full' on the stick.

After 376 miles there is still not so much as one drop of oil on the Castle floor, although for the first time this year there was 'mayonaise' on the floor - about 1/4 teaspoon. So 4 oz of oil in 376 miles would project out to less than 12 oz of oil per thousand miles. I think this is a little less than she used last year, so maybe the rings are finally bedding down?

19 May 2020

82,118

During yesterday's ride a mounting bracket cracked and the TS muffler fell off in Saint Etienne de Bolton. New set of mufflers and brackets on order from Walridge.

Idle is getting wonky and she stalled twice coming to stops on yesterday's ride. First time this season she's done that.

8 June 2020

82,162.6

Checked valve clearance prior to going on a ride. Intakes are probably very slightly wide, but from experience I know it'd be hard to get less gap without it closing up, so I left them as is. The exhaust gaps were slightly less open then I usually set them, but that probably just means they are closer than usual to the official 4 thou, so I left them alone also.

ARe-synced the cables as the TS was lifting slightly in advance of the DS.

The Bonnie ran strong and smooth on the ride.

4 June 2020

82,118

Mufflers finally arrive from Walridge.

Not excessively pleased with the new mufflers. "Made in England" stamped into the backs of them, but the forming just behind the intake is poor compared to the other two sets I have, the exhaust ends have a slightly rough finish, and the seams in back are visible (off, not on the bike). And most dissapointing of all, they are louder than the previous set. I guess that's all you get for $300 these days. Wonder if the cheaper Taiwanese units were actually better quality?

8 June 2020

82,258.6

Checked crankcase oil upon return from ride. Went from the top "L" in Full down to the full line - so pretty negligible oil consumption over the last 259 miles.

24 June 2020

82,703

Oil Change. Changed crankcase oil & filter and primary chaincase oil and cleaned chain.

Somehow managed to drag the chain off the gearbox sprocket and spent ah hour-and-a-half getting it back on. Then another hour-and-a-half cleaning up the mess left behind.

Over the last 1,000 miles she used very little oil. I topped up twice, but very little both times - maybe about a cup of oil altogether.

Only 200cc of oil came out of the primary chain case, but it was only draining for about four hours so it probably hadn't fully emptied yet. I added 10 ounces of new oil.

6 July 2020

82,897 miles

Topped up crankcase oil with 150 ml. So 5 ounces over 195 miles, which would be approximately a bit more than 3/4 of a quart per 1,000 miles. A bit less oil consumption than last year, I think.

6 July 2020

83,198.1 miles

Added 2 oz of oil.

The end of the DS exhaust tappet spindle had a light film of oil and road dust. I wiped it clean and I'll check to see how long it takes to weep again.

And as usual there was a bit of oil sitting on top of the tank. Beginning to wonder if perhaps the cap needs a new gasket?

Both tires were a little soft, I put 32lb in the front and 31lb in the rear. http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/663044/re-tire-pressures#Post663044

28 July 2020

83,262 miles

Adjusted valves. DS Intake was tight.

After weeks of near perfection in tune, Bonnie doesn't have that same perfect smoothness on the throttle, up and down, and she recently stumbled a couple of times at low & high rpm. A cold start at the Castle took two kicks one day recently.

Just changed from 94 octane (Orford PC) to 91 (Burrough's Falls PC). Also noticed degraded performance using Crook's 91. Ran super good before on 94. Could be a gas thing. If so, is it octane or quality? Moisture? Too, I have to consider that I'm using gas from containers sitting in the tractor shed. But that was true before also.

3 August 2020

83,390 miles

Added 8 oz oil to top up to Full line. Have added 20 oz thus far on this oil change.

Checked tires - front ok, rear back down to 28 - (hadn't refitted valve caps last time). Re-inflated to 31/32, replaced valve caps. Should re-check soon.

Tune's been on and off and has settled for now on 'pretty good'. I touched nothing except valve lash last week. Twice near end of Tuesday's ride she died going down to idle at a stop - of course that was after blasting up Ste-Cat-in-the-hat hill and coming to a fairly quick halt at the top. Until now I had 100% confidence of no low-speed stalls.

27 August 2020

83,681.5

Oil Change.

• Drained & replenished crankcase oil & filter
• Drained 340 ml primary chaincase oil, replenished w 330 ml 30W non-det.
• Installed new DYD drive chain
• Installed new K70 4 x 18 rear tire
• Noticed swing arm starting to have a bit of play
• Rear wheel alignment
• Checked valve clearance - A-OK
• Checked tire air pressure

I added 20 oz of crankcase oil during the 1,000 mile interval of last oil change. That's definitely less than I was using last year.

Primary chaincase is definitely not leaking! Replaced drain plug with new washer and used sealant on both sides.

Removed K70 was installed in January of 2019 @ 79,006 miles, so it gave me 4,675 miles of service. About average mileage.

14 October 2020

84,340 miles

• Adjusted rear chain tension
• Added 1 pint of oil
• Adjusted ignition timing (was tiniest bit advanced)
• Synced throttle cables
• Put new gaskets (white plastic) under floatbowl drains and tightened floatbowl screws to stop gas leaks on both sides

Voila! A new motorcycle! Feels and sounds less heavy and plodding. Throttle response back in sync. Low-speed under load coming up hill is way smoother.

Somewhat shocked by amount of black sediment on drain bolts. Didn't clean carbs last winter!

24 October 2020

84,824 miles

Ran over oil change mileage on yesterday's ride. Gonna wait and see impending snow forecast before changing right away. I'm sure Bonnie won't mind.

11 November 2020

85,022 miles

Oil change. 1,322 mile interval - Bad Boy! But oil was still cleanish - clear/brown.

Primary drain bolt was a bit loose. As was the rear battery strap nut.

• Crankcase - 40w and filter
• Primary Chaincase - replenished with 300 ml #30
• Did not clean the chain yet

Last few oil changes it seemed like I took more oil out of the primary than I'd put in. This oil change confirms that is the case. Previous oil change I filled primary with 330 ml and today I drained 375 ml.

Crankshaft DS seal? Since last oil change I'd added a bit over a pint of crankcase oil. The primary chaincase has been completely oil-tight.

Next Oil Change

86,000 miles

Bonnie Log 2021

April 2021

Began work on my list of work to do:

Winter 2020/2021 To-Do

• Replace leaking DS crankshaft seal
• Renew swinging arm frame bushes and sleeves
• Renew float bowl drain gaskets
• Carb cleaning
• Fork oil
• Gearbox oil
• Check gearshift bush - seems to be weeping a little

Loose Stuff Discovered During Disassembly

• Rear battery carrier sleeve nut finger tight
• Front seat hinge bolts pretty loose

Transmission Teardown

85,022 miles

• Clutch nut wasn't loose, but it wasn't terribly tight either and I pulled the clutch center loose on the mainshaft by hand - no removal tool necessary.
• The rotor nut felt about right - 30lbs - but maybe a little loose.
• I was able to pull the engine sprocket loose on the crankshaft by hand, no need for puller.
• My notes say I put Loctite on the clutch nut and the rotor nut, but I see no evidence of any so either I didn't use much, or ?.

Engine sprocket, clutch center, sprocket, plates (steel & friction) have 100 miles short of 20,000 miles (replaced at 65,120 miles) and they all look pretty good.

The duplex chain is beginning to have some stretch. I replaced it at 78,976 miles, so it has just over 6,000 miles on it.

• Clutch sprocket teeth look in excellent shape
• Clutch drum shows only very slight wear marks
• Clutch center in near perfect shape
• Engine sprocket teeth have slight wear, but not so bad
• Clutch plate tangs look quite good - only very slight bit of rounding on corners of some

After changing DS main bearing oil seal I grabbed the end of the crankshaft and worked it up and down - definitely detected play in the bearing.

That was pretty much it for the season.

Bonnie Log 2022

2022 Some Disassembly Notes

• Found I'd used Loctite blue on
  • coil brackets to frame nuts
  • Kickstart ratchet nut (lots!)
• Found both ends loose on TS intake pushrod
• Outside DS exhaust head bolt very stiff coming out - extra care cleaning
• A 1" wrench fits the inlet camshaft pinion nut, but the crankshaft and exhause cam pinion nuts fall between 1-1/16 and 1-1/8".
  I measured the flats and got 1,100 - 1,102 which the charts say is a 5/8W or 11/16"BSF. I ordered a socket from Samstag in TN ($32 us) sent to Greg who will forward to CA.
• Cylinder Block Bore
  • WS Manual - Bore: 2.7948-2.7953"
  • WS Manual - Max over-bore: 2.8348-2.8353
  • Bonnie's measure 2.864 (DS) and 2.868 (TS)
  • So between .011 and .015" over-over-bored.

February 7, 2022

After tearing down the transmission, gearbox, and timing chest I took crankcase assy to LD to part the cases and remove outer race of the DS mainshaft roller bearing.

February 12, 2022

Took crankcase assy to PL to ultrasound clean crankshaft and installed outer race of new DS crankshaft bearing.

February 14, 2022

Took cases and crank back to LD and he assembled them.

Complete Rebuild - 2022/2023

Found Over-Tightened

• Stanchion pinch bolts
• Steering stem nut pinch bolt

April 2022

I assembled the timing chest, gearbox, and transmission and was putting on the rotor when I discovered that the crankshaft was missing a big chunk of metal from the DS.

Crankshaft, Before

Crankshaft After

Discovered May 29, 2022, during final assembly.

November/December 2022

After acquiring a used crank ground .010" under and new connecting rods from Klempf, I took everything down to Frank's in NH. After replacing the sludge trap in the used crank we started assembling the rods to it. First one seemed ok, but the second was binding on the journal. Frank couldn't figure out what was wrong so I called Klempf and Mitch said to send everything back to him.

Klempf's machinist quickly discovered the problem - the caps were turned around on the rods. Frank had explicitly told me that the shell tangs should be installed so that they were at opposite ends of the shells. He'd also torqued the cap nuts fo 28 lb/ft. In reality the tangs should both end up adjacent to each other at the same end of the shells, and the cap nuts on '69 rods are only torqued to 22 lb/ft.

Decided to get the crank balanced dynamically so I had Klempf ship everything to Steve Dutcher, a machinist in MA recommened by Frank.

Bonnie Log 2023

February 25, 2023

Picked up crankshaft shipped by Steve Dutcher to Jensen in Derby Line VT.

Dutcher doesn't answer the phone and doesn't have email - you have to leave a message. He said he's charge $150 and the crank would be ready in about 3 weeks. Actually it took nearly 3 months and he charged $250 plus $35 shipping. After repeated requests he's failed to provide any details of the job, such as the measurements I asked for and what he used for bob weights.

March 2023

Summary of work performed during 2021/2022/2023 at 85,050 miles.

Engine

Replaced:

• Crankshaft (used, Klemph - heavy - reground -10 thou)
• Rods, nuts & bolts (new)
• Shells (new)
• Sludge trap (new)
• Oil seals (new)
• Crankshaft DS roller bearing DS RHP MRJA 1-1/8 J EE (new)
• Crankshaft TS ball journal bearing RHP MJ 1-1/8 C3 (new)
• Exhaust camshaft (used, Klempfh)
• Camshaft nuts (new)
• Cylinder block (new)
• Pushrod (1 new)
• Oil pump, incl. gasket, washers, and nuts (new)
• Pistons (new)
• Rings (new)
• Oil lines (new)
• Magnetic oil drain bolt
• Scratch the new exhaust pipes from Walridge - total rubbish!

Transmission

Replaced:

• Rollers (new)
• Sprocket (new)

Gearbox

Replaced:

• Ball bearings (new)

Additional Seal, Washer Replacements

• Oil tank Washer, fiber 82-1713 Bin D-3 Ref# 7 Fig. 23

Suspension/Steering/Wheels

• Front Fork
  • Stanchions (new)
  • Springs (progressive) (new)
  • Bearings (97-0441 & 97-0443) (new)
  • Oil seals (new)
  • O-rings (new)
  • 10W fork oil
• Swinging Fork
  • New sleeves
  • New 0-rings
• Steering
  • New cones, cups, balls
• Rear Shocks
  • New Hagon shocks
• Wheels/Tires
• New Devon Super SS rear rim
• New Dunlop K-70 rear tire

Random Note - Front Fork Nuts

There is a Triumph part number (97-4166) for a large washer for fitment beneath the front fork cap nuts. Available from Klemph for $2.50, from Baxter for $0.25. Seems to have been introduced in 1970 - new 650 forks with internal springs.

Engine Internals Specs: Old and New

Determining Balance Factor

1. Obtain Conrod Weight: weigh falling (horizonatal) small ends
2. Obtain Reciprocating Mass: weigh pistons, pins, circlips
3. Obtain Total Reciprocating Weight: Conrod Weight + Reciprocating Mass
4. Obtain Hung Weight: add weights to hanging rods until crankshaft balances and then weigh the balancing weights
5. Determine Balance Factor by adding Conrod Weight and Hung Weight and dividing the sum by the Total Reciprocating Weight:
   Balance Factor = (Conrod Weight + Hung Weight) / Total Reciprocating Weight

31 March 2023

Spent afternoon at the Bonnie Castle using original parts to practice assy of rods and crankshaft, torquing the nuts, etc. Assembled DS four times and TS three times. DS rod was tight every time - tried assembling it twice both ways to the crank - no joy. TS was free each time after torquing - slight resistance, but i think it was the Permatex assembly lube - thick and sticky. Is there any difference between this stuff and chain saw bar oil?

I have red plastiquage - too big, need green. Practicing technique with red.

Original rods had shell tangs at same end as punch marks. Tangs of shells on new rods are opposite the punch marks.

Inspecting the replacement crank I found no signs of metal being removed apart from two new drilled holes that straddle where the sludge tube is. One is quite deep - actually broke through the thinner rim portion of the flywheel very slightly. The other is about half as deep.

Trial fit roller bearing on DS crankshaft. It's a very easy slide fit on the crankshaft - bearing land dia is below spec. Will use Loctite Green #620, bearing foundation.

Have been polishing nicks, scratches out of new rods. Forum posts seem to all say 180 emory paper. I find that very coarse - i've been using 320 and 600.

Plastiguage Tips Don

Note that plastgauge should be flexible. If it's hardened and breaks easily when bent it's too old and not accurate.

• Shells are not "round" until torqued. Fit shells to big ends and tighten caps to correct torque with non-locking trial nuts
• Remove rods
• With no oil on crank or inserts, take rod to crank.
• Place plastigauge on journal from side to side and hold in place with tiny bit of grease at one end
• Hold rod tightly, but steadily without rotation, against journal
• Push cap on with fingers, tapping very gently with plastic mallet if necessary
• Tighten trial nuts and toruque them to 22 lb.ft.
• Remove caps and rods carefully
• Measure clearance with plastiguage strip

26 April 2023

New shells and ARP conrad bolts from Baxter have arrived.

Installed connecting rods. Didn't use ARP bolts, evidently they are something special. Used new set of "ordinary" bolts and 4 new lock-nuts that I ordered from Baxter.

Installed the roller bearing onto DS of crankshaft using Lotctite 620 and clamped the bearing against the cheek using two engine sprockets, the tapered spacer that goes on the TS crankshaft, a couple of junk washers, and the rotor nut.

28 April 2023

Installed breather disk, spring, and intake camshaft in DS crankcase and then assembled TS crankcase over the DS using Loctite 518 scealant.

Everything seemed to go really well. Tightened and torqued crankcase bolts and studs and cleaned off excess 518 on outside of cases. Checked that crankshaft was turning freely. All good.

Was getting ready to leave the shop when I thought to try to turn the camshafts. All good for exhaust but the intake was bound up.

Disasseblend crankcases and cleaned off all the Loctite 518.

29 April 2023

Completly recleaned the case and crankshaft.

I'm done with Permatex assembly fluid - this is just over-priced bar oil as far as i'm concerned. Very stringy - strings end up places there shouldn't be any lube - and it quickly runs all over everything. Picked up a bottle of Lucas assy lube - similar to Permatex, but nowhere near as stringy and seems to cling better.

30 April 2023

Have test assembled cases many times now.

Binding occurs every time cases are assembled.

1 May 2023

Final assembly of crankcases.

Assembled crankcases dry a few more times in the morning and the intake cam was still binding. Had lunch and went back to Castle afterwards. Assembled everything for the 4th or 5th time and the camshaft was fine. Disassembled and reassembled twice more and the camshaft was always ok, so I cleaned off the joints, applied 570 and bolted everything up.

Camshaft was still free so I cleaned up the cases and called it a day.

3 May 2023

Nearly 48 hours passed for the 518 to cure and I assembled timing gears. Crankshaft pinion key was difficult to get in - took LA's help. I held the key in place with offset needlenose while LA held a pin punch against the key for me to tap on with a ball pein. Worked like a charm.

Did not torque nuts - will wait until gearbox and transmission are assembled.

Dropped engine into frame. Cleaned up workshop.

Cylinder Prep

Wash w HOT soapy water. stiff brush.

After wash a lint free rag which has a small amount of engine oil (or atf) - rub on bore until rag comes out without any grey haze on it.

Then everything, EXCEPT THE RINGS, is given an appropriate coating of oil: 1. The wrist pins are coated with assembly lube. 2. The skirts of the pistons are given a very thin coating of engine oil (not assembly lube). 3. The rings are left DRY. 4. The cylinder is left with only the light coating of engine oil or automatic transmission fluid. No additional oil is put on the cylinder.

Assembly

• hollow dowels 70-8751 (2) DS base studs
• tappet block locator bolts
• tappets - assy lube
• wrist pins - assy lube
• circlips on hand
• install pistons
  "dry-ring" above
• adjjust compressors
• base gasket
  sealant
• base nuts on hand - torque: 35 lb.ft
• cylinders
• attention to tappet feed dowel

4 May 2023

Assembled gearbox. Couldn't get inner cover on until i realized that i had hollow dowels in both the crankcase and the inner cover in the same location on bottom. Once I pulled out the 'spare' everything went better.

I indexed in 1st gear. Practiced raising the quadrant with the cover off the bike until I had a good feel for raising it by one tooth. When i indexed i could feel the quadrant fall into place with the camplate - haven't checked yet but i am quite confident idexing is correct.

17 May 2023

Wheel alignment, chain adjustment, TS mt plate, exhause pipes, brake cable, tappet clearance adj., carbs, sync carbs, seat, fluids, tank.

18 May 2023

Late afternoon rolled out into the orchard, gased up, pumped. 4 strokes gets 2 backfires. Rolled back into the Castle.

19 May 2023

Checked valves, ignition timing - both looked good. Then noticed a coil wire dangling in space as i repalced the tank.

All fixed - fired up on 2nd kick - revving hard (a lot around 4k, higher occaisionally, down to 3.6 briefly).

Down the driveway (scary! - back brake adjusted weakly - loose gravel - down to Vallieres to discover: ! loose gravel, recently graded. Flew a mile down the road and back driving like it was stolen, and back up the hill.

20 May 2023

Down to A-C, 10-min cool-off, back to the Castle, so little under 10 mi.

27 May 2023

After looking at Videos Don sent me I decided the thick square section seals i used provided too much crush. Ordered thin ones from Klempf. They arrived yesterday and today i pulled off tank, carbs, coils, steadies, rocker boxes, and head. 3-1/2 hours.

28 May 2023

Reassembled top end using thin seals - 8.5 hours.

23 June 2023

Longest ride to date this season: Island Pond and back - 114 miles.

4 August 2023

Filter and Oil change 85,969

Drained Lucas break-in oil and filled with Rotells 15w-40.

10-August-2023

Installed new drive chain - Diamond (from Klemph's). Something is still rubbing, and occaisionally "jamming".

20 August 2023

Swapped out Diamond chain for a Renold - rubbing seems to be gone now.

27 September 2023

Filter, crankcase, and primary oil change 87,235 miles

Interval: 1,266 miles.

Added 1.2L of oil during the interval. So using just about a litre of oil per 1,000 miles. Probably mostly through the valve guides.

Cleaned and re-lubed Renold chain. I still think the chain may be rubbing against something. Guess i'm tearing apart the primary case this winter.

8 November 2023

88,464 miles
End of 2023 Riding Season - Short ride on gravel roads between here and the border. Paved roads have been salted.

Bonnie Log 2024

10 December 2023

Put Bonnie on her winter throne and began dissasembly.

Chassis

• Discovered why Bonnie seemed louder to me last summer - exhaust leaks between exhaust pipes and mufflers on both sides.
• Missing bottom muffler-to-muffler bracket bolt on TS. Order.
• Outer nut on engine mtg stud that secures muffler bracket found loose on DS
• Mounting tab on TS exhaust pipe broken off. Could be welded, but for appearance it means new set of pipes. Brand new pipes from Walridge sitting in the shop - tabs so far off it's impossible to install without twisting the brackets, thereby rendering their chrome toast.
• Black exhaust leaks both sides of exhaust pipe/muffler joints. I this why Bonnie seemed loud? Order wider clamps?
• Missing bottom muffler-to-muffler bracket bolt on TS. Order 82-0929. $5 ea at Baxter
• Outer nut on engine mtg stud that secures muffler bracket found loose on DS

Engine

Rather severe oil leakage during last 300 miles of the season - tappet block looked clean, so either the base gasket or the inside base bolts wicking oil. Oil Leak Photos

Engine disassembly proceeded smoothly head bolts, rocker boxes, head, and cylinders all came off easily and in very clean condition.

Rocker Boxes/Pushrods/Valve Tips/Tappets

• Rocker box gaskets remained intact on the boxes - no damage, very clean - look as if they could be reused.
• The rocker boxes and valve springs were very clean. Rocker Boxes, Photos
• Valve tips definitely looked a little beat-up - was i running too little clearance? Valve Stem Photos
• There was no evidence whatsoever of leaks around top or bottom of pushrod tubes. PRT Photos
• Intake tube was very stubborn to take off.
• Will have to re-examine them, but the tappets didn't look that great to me. Tappet Photos

Head

• The valves and head have an uneven coat which ranges black to white.
• Copper head gasket remained on xxx and was also clean. Head Photos
• Valve seats are recessed. See Valve Seat Photos.

Pistons

Oil consumption diminished during break-in, but still continued all the way to season's end. Thus the heavy black deposites on the pistons, particulary DS. Pretty sure valve guides are the culprits. Break-in was good - Lucas break-in oil for 600 miles. Kept revs between 3.5-4.5K initially and up to 5K. Varied RPMs throughout the range. Piston Photos

Removed most of deposits using a piece of hardwood.

Cylinder Base

I used a thick, gray-colored paper gasket and it was in nearly pristine shape. Separated cleanly from both surfaces undamaged. Again, looks as though it could almost be reused.

Not sure, but i think i recall Don posting that he prefers thinner base gaskets. Less chance for leaks. Come to think of it, i had to re-torque the base nuts more times than in the past. Base Gasket

Looking for a new head for Bonnie - https://thetimingchest.com/triumph-twins-triples-cylinder-head-barrels-cast-numbers-model-year/

Oil Drained

Oil volumes drained:

• Primary chaincase - 350ml
• Gearbox - 300ml

Primary chaincase oil sounds about right, but down 200ml from gearbox leads me to believe that the oil seal for the gb sprocket is either leaking (or absent?).

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