Thread: 1979 bonneville first trip on the open road

I'm located in NYC, actually already have a shop manual and someone who could help me with the work. Just all the talk about getting in there and not cleaning things out thoroughly enough (such as not cleaning out the sludge trap) and the chance that problems could occur again down the line because of it has made me reluctant to take on the task. Has made me consider passing on the job to someone who will go all the way with it with a...

Where are you located Ezra? Have you tried to find a local classic bike shop, or a local motorcycle club? Do you have a friend, family or acquantence with some mechanical ability or works on cars, boats, go carts, small engines, etc.? A blown piston is not that uncommon and anyone with competence with motors has skills that would be transferable to swapping a piston in a bike engine if they had a manual. Get someone to help you out either as...

A 1,000 word equivalent.

go for it. you've spent $2k on the bike and maybe $300 on other stuff. a decent set of spanners and a workshop manual won't set you back much and could be sold on if you give up. Start slowly, photograph and sketch everything as you take it aprt,bag or box it as you go and examine what the damage is. The weather (here) is closing in so turn on the radio and find out how it works. It ain't rocket science! It's scary how...

Removing the engine and flushing out the crankcase meticulously should get any bits & pieces out. Top end only is not a bad option, just one that COULD come back to bite you. Then again... '69 Bonnie race bike, scratch built with "semi-clean" looking engine of unknown history, raced 4 races (including practice sessions) in '07, 13 races in '08, 1 dyno run, plus a class record speed run at Bonneville...

Many thanks SP. Those are deffo missing off my bike. I can't see the middle ones without taking the tank off but the outer ones are not there and I'd assume neither are the middle ones. The stub tubes on the carbs look 'free' but I can't really tell. What worries me though is that there is no room to fit the pipes - the outer stub pipes on the carbs to which the air vent pipes attach point staright at the forward ends...

Hi ezraloomis, Do you really think it's a good idea to sell the bike? All you need is a weekend in the garage to do the top end, I'm sure it would not cost more than $500. As Dave says these things are not rocket science. I'm near the end of my first rebuild and I started off with a couple of boxes of parts! Don't be too hasty until you've had a good look at the motor and see how much it will really cost you. Webby

the D & E models used to put holes in pistons due to lean running caused by crimped/pluged air vent pipes in the carb. failure to flush the crank is a mistake.

Ezra, Your unhappy plight is one experienced by many Triumph owners, yours truly included. Do not despair, it is not the end of the world nor your lovely '79 Bonneville. Your question for help raises more questions than answers at this stage, and these need to be addressed, if sound help is to follow. The quality of responding posts will be limited by the information that you provide. The first thing here is to determine just what...

Ditto to what everyone has said. Plus.... We need PICTURES.