1998 Triumph Sprint Project.

[Buckster]

What do say @Clive?

[Saul]

I should be fine, I haven't separated the carb bodies so it's just the floats, jets and a few sundary bits, reasonably easy, one done already just stopped for a cuppa.  Although I know i am tempting fate.  

[YamaHead]

Myself, I enjoy doing that kind of work...especially if you've got an array of new parts for replacement. Inline 4's or parallel twins/triples are much more pleasant to deal with vs. wrestling w/ V4 carbs, which can sometimes be a real bitch.

[Saul]

All done, carbs clean.  All new jets and O rings.  Emulsion tubes cleaned and checked, diaphragms all good. Carbs still retain original sync as I didn’t separate the bodies.  Although I will balance them when they are on the bike.  I will check the float valves are sealing before refitting the carbs but apart from the that ready to go.      I want to drain the tank and get fresh fuel before doing more.   
Other more pressing jobs next on the list.   Repairing my bike shed being top of it.  
 

Left over bits

[Saul]

1 hour ago, YamaHead said:

Myself, I enjoy doing that kind of work...especially if you've got an array of new parts for replacement. Inline 4's or parallel twins/triples are much more pleasant to deal with vs. wrestling w/ V4 carbs, which can sometimes be a real bitch.

Oh forget that, the thought of working on V4's disturbs me   I would love an old Honda 750 VFR but I just don't fancy spannering on it.  

[boboneleg]

You can replace those screws holding the float bowls with Allen heads, much easier to undo if you have to get in there again.

[Saul]

8 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

You can replace those screws holding the float bowls with Allen heads, much easier to undo if you have to get in there again.

Good plan I have some nice stainless ones I could use as well.  

[Saul]

Started refitting the carbs today, they passed the leak test before going on the bike.   Got halfway through fitting them and got called away.  Hopefully get chance to do more tomorrow.  

 

[Saul]

Well that was an hour of high tension but the carbs are back in.    Won’t lie it’s not a pleasant job but doable with a bit of patience and a hair dryer to warm up the rubbers.   
The bike started first time on choke, came off choke reasonable quickly and once warm was able to set the tick-over to where it should be around 1050  ish.  Supposed to be 950 to 1050 so no complaints.     Still have to check the carb balance but to be honest it’s doesn’t seem far off  IMHO.   
The point for me is that the bike ticks over well off choke now which it didn’t before.  So for now I will take that .      Still be a bit of  fine tuning to come but I am a happy bunny.   Still have to clean the tank out before the bike is rideable but my garden is currently like the Somme so getting the Sprint in and out isn’t easy on my own so no rush for that.   Much else to do.  

 

[boboneleg]

I think you're better off with a slightly higher tickover on a carbed bike in winter 

[Saul]

Just now, boboneleg said:

I think you're better off with a slightly higher tickover on a carbed bike in winter 

Yeah I agree, especially with T300's and their delicate spragg clutch.  From what I have read well set up clean carbs and strong battery are a great way of protecting it.  

[Saul]

Spent a few more hours on the Sprint this morning.    When I got the bike the oil light worked but after a few starts it went out but sort of glowed when the motor was running. I didn’t worry to much it didn’t run badly at all, I thought electrical gremlin more than low oil pressure.   A gamble I know but that was the choice.    Anyway when I changed the clocks I put new bulbs in the idiot lights as there were some cheap LEDs in the old clocks.   The oil light never worked again.    I checked the oil light bulb again and it was fine.   Oil pressure switch is a known weak point I was advised by the Triumph cognoscenti.   So replaced that and no joy it made no difference.    
I got the manual out and studied the wiring diagram.   Traced the wiring runs from joint to joint.  All good until I checked the last one between the pressure switch to the first connector behind the battery box.    So simple enough to fix, ran a new wire and replaced the connector.   Covered everything in dielectric grease reassembled everything and the job was done. All technically simple enough but it took bloody ages tracking the different connections on the loom and making sense of the wiring diagram next to the bike.  I got there in the end but what made it more of a ball ache was that some of the wiring colours were different to the illustration in the Triumph workshop manual.   Yes I checked I was using the right diagram with the bikes Vin.      Must have just been a random week that mine was built in Hinckley

Works perfectly now though.        Next job is to sort the low fuel light.  

 

[Saul]

Finally got the chance to sync the carbs.   Bike is ticking over beautifully.  Throttle response is spot on and sounding very smooth.   Short of getting a colour tune and playing with the air screws not sure there is much else to be done.    
 

As to the chinky gauges I am amazed at how good they are for £19.99.   Not suggesting they are the best but the appear to be working very well.   

[Saul]

Just got to do a valve check then the Sprint will be confidently on the road.  

[Catteeclan]

6 hours ago, Saul said:

Just got to do a valve check then the Sprint will be confidently on the road.  

If you adjust any clearances you'll have to do the balance again but you know you way round that now.

[Saul]

Valve check done on Saturday, all within spec.    Did at my mates workshop with him watching over.   He is much better qualified than me plus has all the tools.   Anyway took no photos, he is keen on privacy.    I didn’t really care, also looks to me like they were checked at the last service but of course a guess.   
Carbs off and on again to day, I neglected to fit new fuel lines after doing them.   A mistake that is fixed now.     Got fitting the carbs off to a fine art although it took some swearing to learn it.  


Got some electrickery to sort, new indicators, heated grips, voltmeter, usb charging and stuff to sort than I should be on the road.    

[Saul]

Oh and I have to flush the tank and fit a ScottOiler that I actually bought.    Also gonna take apart any connections I missed, clean and cover them in dielectric grease.      

[Clive]

On 12/01/2026 at 16:05, Saul said:

Oh forget that, the thought of working on V4's disturbs me   I would love an old Honda 750 VFR but I just don't fancy spannering on it.  

I still have the scars from doing the spark plugs on my VFR ....apart from plugs, oil/air filter and oil change I never had to take a spanner to mine.

It was originally a French registered bike, bought it from Granby motorcycles who sold many imported bikes, They MOTed it when I bought it, at the next MOT it failed because the headlight was for countries driving on the right of the road, i couldn't (or afford)  get a UK headlight for it at the time,  so i sold it cheap.  

[YamaHead]

4 hours ago, Saul said:

Got fitting the carbs off to a fine art although it took some swearing to learn it.  

Know exactly what you mean....did that so many times w/ my 550 Seca....eventually had it down to a science where I could do it in my sleep. The swearing really commenced though, when doing carb work on my VF Sabre. 

The Sprint is gonna be a real sweetie when you get it all sorted mate...

[boboneleg]

Africa Twin (RD04 & RD07) are a bitch to get the clearances done without skinning your knuckles 

[Saul]

7 hours ago, YamaHead said:

Know exactly what you mean....did that so many times w/ my 550 Seca....eventually had it down to a science where I could do it in my sleep. The swearing really commenced though, when doing carb work on my VF Sabre. 

The Sprint is gonna be a real sweetie when you get it all sorted mate...

Thanks I will settle for it being reliable, I want to get plenty of miles on it this summer.   Never gonna be a silk purse but it is everything I want in a bike.  Big old analog bruiser, no fuel maps or abs.  Also something I can maintain and fix.  Probably change my mind but at the moment it’s what I want to ride.  

[Saul]

Out sorting stuff on the Sprint this morning.    First off I wired in an Oxford junction box at the front of the bike in the fairing so that my accessories will go off with the ignition.    I know I could have wired a relay myself but I just like these break out boxes they do a tidy job and have 4 fused circuits.   I also have a voltmeter and usb Charing to wire to it.   May ever get some aux lights in the future if needed. And no my Sprint doesn’t have half a dozen auxiliary circuits built in

Also going to fit these, I have exactly the same on my CBF and they work perfectly. I got them for £37 a set so pretty cost effective.  

This is the 4th set of these grips I have fitted and while the grips and controllers always work well the connectors are pretty cheap and nasty now.   I had to replace two on my CBF and one on Graces CBR125.   So I am going to replace all of them on the Sprint before I attempt to fit them.  Just easier to do it sooner rather than later.     Also be a good chance to lose some of the excess wire and make a tidier job all round.  

 

I reckon these are the original grips from 29 years ago.  

Also silly to put scuffed up bar ends back on.  

[Saul]

All on and working.    Ran out of time to put everything together this evening but can spare a few hours tomorrow so I can reassemble the front end carefully.    Also fitted a new set of indicators, I wasn’t a fan of those smoked out chinky chonky one’s.   

 

All working 

Bar ends looking better.  

I like these water proof connections, bit fiddly to fit but they seem to work well enough.    

To do list is shrinking, next job is flush the tank then Scott Oiler.    Then just some engine casings to paint  and a few other random bits to do.    mot due in March.  
 

[boboneleg]

There are several levels of Oxford grips , the more expensive ones come with waterproof connectors and a bigger range of heat on the controller.

I have the cheaper version on my Suzuki , they were already fitted when I bought it but I fitted the better items on my Yamaha.

[Saul]

Just now, boboneleg said:

There are several levels of Oxford grips , the more expensive ones come with waterproof connectors and a bigger range of heat on the controller.

I have the cheaper version on my Suzuki , they were already fitted when I bought it but I fitted the better items on my Yamaha.

Yes I had a set of the more advanced grips on my CBF before but the grips had actually worn through to be able to see the heating elements on the clutch side.  I can imagine they were several years old just by the look of them, I only ever used the first couple of settings, there were 5 in all, that's why I was happy to downgrade to the cheaper ones.     Also the old grips had a facility to switch themselves off if the voltage went below 12.8v I think, never used that as I had them wired to the ignition.  They had the same crappy connectors as the commuters though, also the Sports Bike ones I fitted for Grace also had the same crap connectors.    I expect there more expensive ones have the better connectors like you say but if I was going to spend that sort of money I would get the Ultimate Add Ons  grips like I have on the Hornet.    I put some Chinky Chonky heated grips on Shadows bike last year and they have been just fine and only cost about £15.  I still have another set sitting on the shelf but just couldn't bring myself to fit them to my bikes but I bet they would be fine.  .