The story of one neglected Daytona

Today was a day long awaited, as I finally got to take my new baby home! Even though the taking home part didn`t go exactly as planned... But first of all a few pics, I know you all love pics :biggrin:







A 2002 Daytona 955i. Well, most of it anyway... Bought it as a project and a project I damn sure got! Someone`s started trying to make some kind of a naked version of it, emphasis on the trying part... It`s butt ugly but should be mechanically sound, 25tkm on the clock but damn, it`s gonna need a whole lotta love during the winter...

The first thing that I noticed when I and the previous owner started taking it apart to get to the battery was the appalling craftsmanship everywhere, tape spun around electric connectors that are clearly broken, wrong/different size screws and bolts everywhere, broken tabs fixed with flatiron and wood screws... shit, this is gonna be a bit of a project just to take apart and see what has to be done with it...

I didn`t get to take it for a spin yet, cause it has been standing for the whole summer so the battery was completely dead, we got it running after a bit of a battle but as soon as I disconnected the jumper wires from my car it immediately died, I had bought a new battery but as it happened, forgot it in the charger in the garage :upyeah: so I had to go fetch my lorry, load it up in there and truck it home. As I got home I took it in the garage, changed the battery only to discover it does crank happily but does not start! I gave some start pilot spray to it and started again, what I got was a MASSIVE backfire, and I mean HUGE! The exhaust shot about a foot long flame out and the bang got my ears ringing for a good while in the garage, like someone had shot a pistol right beside my head! Even fresh fuel didn`t help so I decided to start digging into the bike to see what I have to do to get to the plugs, I lifted the tank up and heard a stream of liquid dropping into the floor. Gas, fuck! One of the quick-release plugs going to the fuel rail had disconnected from the pump plate and fuel was gushing out! I tried pushing it back in but the bugger just refused to lock on no matter what I did, after a quick but fierce battle this happened:



*snap* FUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!

How the FK those connectors are supposed to lock on, I consider myself to be a proper gearhead but I could not manage to reconnect even the intact one I disconnected to get the tank out!

After that I decided to take a deep breath, forget the test ride for now and just get to know to what I had just bought... Can`t tell I liked all that I found...




What is that round metal thing? It looks exatcly like a fuel pressure regulator from my Volvo`s fuel heater, and where it is supposed to connect as nothing was attached to it? Also found gasket seal and a wood screw from both sides where the little fairings go, and where should probably be bolts...



What are these nipples for, breather hoses?



What are these hoses for, and where are these supposed to connect? I`m guessing these are the tank breather hoses but why does one of them have a filter (or is it a blowback valve?)



Should here be something connected to this? If nothing else, a cap even...



What is this do-hicky? Some sot of a jumper? Looks dodgy to me...





A few pics from afar in case someone spots something else!

...and so started my life together with a Triumph :biggrin: Well, as they say, you get what you ask for... Next in the checklist, a tall pile of plastic boxes :tongue:


BTW, I started thinking about possible directions to take the bike, and discovered all Daytona frames have always came out from the factory in silver, but I thought IF i paint the fairings metallic/ "electric" blue with blue candy lacquer, I think a golden frame would look cool. Whaddaya think?

 

Banged into the language barrier there a bit, but think I understood :wink:

Yea well, we all got our crosses to bear, one of mine is I like tinkering as much as I like riding :tongue: and the winter here is long, dark, cold and has no shortage of snow...

 

Honestly did LOL on that one, well, I`m in no hurry to get it finished as I have the CBR to ride, if it takes a winter it does, if it takes three then so be it, I do have some perks through my job as I know a sand blaster, a powder coater and I also have a chance to get parts ceracoated (ceramic coating) all for a fraction of the price they usually cost.


Heh, the Fast Show is one of the best comedy shows ever made!

Bono estente!

 

If someone could point out to me what the fuel line quick release plug things are officially called I`d appreciate it! Even more so if someone would find the time to fish them for me from eBay, a bit hard cause I don`t know what they are called...

 

Continued digging further into the bike today to find out why it won`t start, firstly I took a second look at the fuel couplers:



No wonder this thing won`t lock onto the socket...



...if half of it is already in! Surprised no one said anything...

So I started looking for a replacement and kept bumping into countless forum threads of people having the exact same problem, I believe there was a callback about it too where they changed the parts for metal ones, wonder why this hasn`t been done... I`m not entirely sure is there a Triumph importer ATM at all in Finland, but I managed to find some straight ones from Storm Motor that I`m gonna go and buy tomorrow to get it started, also CPC ones, not entirely sure do they fit there though but hoping for the best, should at least without the small fairing under the tank. Would like to swap both females and males for the nickel coated brass 90degree elbow ones but cannot find them anywhere from Finland, anyone know if some UK company would send them for me? these should do the trick and they also have the female ones.

While I was at it I pulled the air filter box off to get to the plugs (filter looked brand new), and there they were right up for grabs, as well as the expected wire/electric tape ratsnest usually tucked under the tank after trying to make a bodge job naked bike...

After getting used to the Honda this thing is almost fun to take apart cause everything is so super easy!

So I pulled the caps out (BTW, does this thing have stick coils? looks like it) and took the plugs out, all three completely dead, got a very faint spark dancing around the bottom of the central pin but nothing that would sustain proper ignition.

Tomorrow`s shopping list:

-CPC quick release plugs x2
-NGK CR9EK plugs x3
-more fresh fuel.

Next up was pulling the bar weights out to get the bar end mirrors fitted that I had bought earlier, I tried to unscrew the end weight off but the bolt heads were rounded out from both sides (big surprise...) so I took a drill and drilled the heads off, didn`t have to wary the end weights cause they were not going back, I managed to get the ends off only to find out the strangest thing: There is NOT any kind of bar weights cause the handles are completely solid aluminum! The original ends are held in place by some M3-M4 screws so I had to get big pliers, twist the very oxidized remains of the original screws out...



...drilled a 6,5mm hole in both handles, tapped an M8 thread on both...



...and fitted the new mirrors on. Managed to break the right side one cause one of the small poor quality bolts snapped flush into it`s threads, but that doesn`t matter much cause these are temporary mirrors anyway, the final ones are going to be bar end ones too but of different shape and design.

A lesson learned: 20 euros buys you a pair of 20e mirrors...

Hopefully tomorrow: the startup and test run cause as of tuesday they promised a drastic drop in temperature with a chance of sleet.

 

It`s Alive!



Sometimes the things you need the most are the smallest ones... As said, couldn`t find elbow connectors just yet, but I did manage to get the lines hooked with these when I re-routed the lower hose around the frame pipe from the outside. Took a helluva crankin` to get it going, I was just about to give up as well as the battery, but when I noticed a slight change in the cranking sound and a small increase in the revs I carried on and before long a throaty BRAOOOW filled the garage! Yess, the beast has awaken!

I let it idle in the yard while I threw my jacket and helmet on and went for a little test ride, couldn`t go far cause it was pitch black, I don`t have an insurance yet (coppers take the plates here for that) and the mercury had dropped to +1c.

The test ride went something like this:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*SHIFT*SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT*shift*FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK*shift*EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.......

Goddamn, this thing has some serious GRUNT! I think someone had forgotten the weights from the front wheel cause it refused to keep down! Couldn`t open the throttle any more than half way until I felt the front end losing grip from the possibly icy road so I had to back down and head to the garage.

This is no doubt the most powerful motorbike I`ve EVER ridden, and I`ve tested a few. Gotta do something about the riding position though, it`s a bit too aggressive for my wrists, thinking about a Woodcraft riser clipon set, got one in my Honda and they`re great cause you can change the riser bit to different height with four bolts per side.

So, it`s running and working, next up I guess is taking it apart to as small pieces as it will go :biggrin:

One more for flavor:

 

:biggrin: I see what you did there...

No dirtbike bars on my machines... Although not sure do Renthal make clip ons...

Got these kinds on my CBR and was thinking about using the same ones here.

:biggrin: come on, it`s not THAT bad... oh wait, it is...

 

More like in bursts, some times got weeks in between when I don`t have the time or the energy to go to the garage at all...

 

Well, if it´s of any help for you here`s a few pics of my project some years back, it`s a `91 Cagiva Freccia C12r 125cc I had, thank god, gotten rid of. Fart can`s off an R6





Ugly as fuck, stupid loud, no power, guzzled gas, a real gem!