RE: Valve Clearances

[De Vries Marc <Marc.DeVries@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I wan't to reply on this that it's a dealer problem. I had the valves
checked at the 10,000km service.
It was not I who did asked for it, it was the dealer insisting to do the
check. In my case 3 shims
were replaced and none of them were out of spec. I asked my dealer why he
did checked them
and he said it was recommended by Triumph themselve. So I think Your dealer
may be not
wel informed about this whole problem. The next valve check will be done at
30,000km.

Marc.

Marc de Vries
Siemens Atea
Tel +32 (014) 253949
E-mail office: Marc.DeVries@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
E-mail home: Marc.DeVries@xxxxxxx
E-mail home: Marc.DeVries@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
homepage : www.ping.be/marc_the_bike


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Jonathan Schulster [SMTP:Schulster@xxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent:	woensdag 7 juli 1999 9:48
> To:	ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject:	Valve Clearances
> 
> Had a long chat with my dealers' chief mechanic last night, after taking
> in the ST for its 10,000km service.  I insisted on them checking the valve
> clearances since 8 of 12 on my T509 were out of spec by 9500km last year.
> He related an interesting account of how Triumph is handling the situation
> which makes for a sad story typical of British attitudes to business (I am
> a Brit so I can say this!).  Here goes...
> Triumph know that most 1997-98 bikes taken in for service at 10,000km
> (6,000mi) are showing serious valve shim wear on 509/595/955i models, but
> it would cost them alot of money (estimated £7M for frame swaps in '97) to
> replace these free of charge.  So, they are using the following loophole.
> The bike is sold with a service manual which states that the valve
> clearances should be checked only at 20,000km and NOT at 10,000km
> (6000mi).  If you choose to pay to have this done at 10k service then that
> is your problem, but as it was not a warranty service item, anything
> revealed at 10,000km service is NOT THEIR PROBLEM.  Of course if you leave
> it to 20,000km there is a good chance you have burnt out valves or
> permanently damaged engines, and all they will pay for (perhaps) is the
> cost of changing the shims!
> They were selling bikes in 1997-8 will shims made of 'cheese' and this is
> their 'business' solution to the problem.  From a marketing point of view
> they have been quite successful in brushing this whole thing under the
> carpet - it is much harder for motoring magazines to run a bike for 10k to
> find out if the shims wear, than to crash-test a few frames (as they did
> in '97 leading to the frame swap).  Fortunately some magazines, like
> Motorrad have done long-term detailed tests on the Daytona and sure enough
> the valves were partly burned out at 20,000km.  From a long-term business
> perspective, it will lead to Triumph's (in the 90's) getting the kind of
> envious reputation for reliability that Ducatis have - when these engines
> start dying after 50-60,000km alot of people will think twice about buying
> a 2nd-hand Triumph, and all bikes including the ST will depreciate
> quickly.  This is not really the kind of reputation you want if you are
> trying to build a long-term market on sport-tourer and touring motorbikes!
> The only good news is that the mechanic believes the 1999 model engines
> have changed source of valve shims and are lasting much better.  All we
> can do is collect detailed information on valve clearances measured by
> those who choose to have it paid for at 6000mi service and compile a list
> on the web page.  I should have mine tomorrow.
> cheers
> Jonathan
> 
> 
> 
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