Sidecar Flip
Living Legend
Somehow, my 'trip to the dealer' takes a bit of time, like 2 days each way. Oh well. Baxter's is my dealer from now on.
I picked the bike on Monday. I arrived in Marne, Iowa at Baxter's at around 10:30 am. I stayed in Grinnel, Iowa at the Pioneer Best Western. Grinnel is about 30 miles east of Des Moines or about 510 miles from where I live in Michigan. I guess the lousy part of going out there is the trip through the south end of Chicago on I80. People are rude and it's dirty and the road is just as rough as up here in Michigan. Just another reason for me to dislike Obama. Anyone who hails from that pit can't be much.
I had a good dinner at the steak house next door the the Best Western and spent a bit of time in the hot tub before retiring. After a nice Continental Breakfast, I headed out to Marne. I rolled into Marne and parked the trailer where Randy's crew could unload the 3 vintage bikes I brought along. Randy asked me if I would bring back 3 bikes and who am I to refuse, besides, I like vintage bikes. Had a '65 G80 Matchless in Concourse condition, a mid 60's Triumph 650 unit twin that someone tried to chop (and failed miserably) and a fairly ratty early 70's Norton Commando with the rare (and dangerous) fiberglass fuel tank.
I headed off to the shop. My R3 was inside hooked to a battery tender. It was all back together and clean and waxed, not at all looking like when I delivered it, unwashed and loaded with bugs from the Eureka Springs trip. I glanced at the tire to see if Gus had did too many burnouts...it was a little thinner but it's still serviceable.
Gus was working on a Black R3. he told me he had done 2 since he finished mine 3 weeks prior. The black had a blown head gasket. Triumph was warranting that too.
Gus rolled my R3 out, fired it and rode off. he returned in 5 minutes and parked it and told me to take it for a ride. He cautioned me that I would be very surprised. he had ridden the bike just under 100 miles in the weeks after he finished it but hadn't ridden it in about a week.
I got on the bike and fired it up. It was appreciably quieter than when I dropped it off, even at an idle. Revving it revealed no rattle, nothing, just the signature whirrrr.
I snicked it down to first. First surprise. I was used to a clunk. It always clunked, even when it was new. As it got worse, it developed a false neutral. That was all gone. A gentle tap down and it went right into 1st. I fed out the clutch, second surprise. The friction point was right off the lever end and the friction point was almost abrupt and there was NO.....NO slop in the TDU or the accompanying clunk. NOTHING.
I pulled out of the drive and headed north. I shifted up at 2500 rpm. It shifted crisply and positively. About a week ago, I had a chance to ride a newer Speed Triple. The shift and the throw as well as the selection was comparable to the Speed Triple and quite alien to what I was used to. No more Beemer airhead shifts.
I held it in second out of town, I cleared the town limits and rapped the throttle all the way and shifted into third at 6,000 rpm with a full power shift and a scream from the tire...something it never did before. The shift was very positive. I took it up to an indicated 110 and let off, got down to a sane 50 or so and rode out to I80 and turned around and went back to the shop.
I came back all smiles. It's a different bike entirely. When I got back, Gus saw that ****te smile on my face. This guy KNOWS how to do what is necessary and do it right.
I saw all the parts that were exchanged for upgraded parts. There are a lot. It even has upgraded clutch springs, lifter shaft. It had a new fuel sending unit, new ignition switch harness. Gus pressed the old TDU bearing off and put on a new one. I held the old one. It was rough...and ugly. New gears, springs, thrust washers...just a pile of stuff.
I could have had all the parts but I was asked not to post any pictures of them on any site. I was told that Triumph prefers that the parts replaced aren't made public property. I left the parts with Gus. It would be hard for me not to take pictures and Gus and Baxter's have treated me so well, I have no desire to compromise them in any way.
My work order says it all. It says in part............... Install all engine upgrades, N/C. I wasn't even charged for the oil change or the filter. I wasn't charged for new anti-freeze nor was I charged for Final drive lube and of course my overhead has been set to factory specs as well.
My R3 was out of warranty when I took it to Marne and it sounded like a bucket of bolts, it rattled so bad at 1300 rpm. When you rode it, your eyeballs vibrated from the final drive vibration. All that is gone. I asked Gus what he thought about longevity now that it's all rebuilt. He said with proper maintenance, the engine and drive train should outlast me.
I'm extremely impressed with Triumph for standing behind their product with an absolutely at no cost to me, warranty repair, I'm extremely impressed with the competence level and level of professionalism that Randy Baxter and his crew exhibit at Baxter's Triumph in Marne, Iowa. I'm especially impressed with Gus. This man knows his way around the R3 engine, bar none.
Again, I'd like to thank Tomo for his guidance. Without his help and the expertise of Baxter's Triumph, this could have had much less than desirable results.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say to any and all of you, if your bike exhibits and of the symptoms of what Triumph considers a 'condition' of warranty, paint can rattle (timing chain, lower sprocket, guides, tensioner), rubber shifter, false neutrals or TDU noise, don't hesitate to contact Baxter's Triumph in Marne, Iowa.
Baxter Cycle
400 Lincoln Street
Marne, Iowa
(712) 781-2351
www.baxtercycle.com
I picked the bike on Monday. I arrived in Marne, Iowa at Baxter's at around 10:30 am. I stayed in Grinnel, Iowa at the Pioneer Best Western. Grinnel is about 30 miles east of Des Moines or about 510 miles from where I live in Michigan. I guess the lousy part of going out there is the trip through the south end of Chicago on I80. People are rude and it's dirty and the road is just as rough as up here in Michigan. Just another reason for me to dislike Obama. Anyone who hails from that pit can't be much.
I had a good dinner at the steak house next door the the Best Western and spent a bit of time in the hot tub before retiring. After a nice Continental Breakfast, I headed out to Marne. I rolled into Marne and parked the trailer where Randy's crew could unload the 3 vintage bikes I brought along. Randy asked me if I would bring back 3 bikes and who am I to refuse, besides, I like vintage bikes. Had a '65 G80 Matchless in Concourse condition, a mid 60's Triumph 650 unit twin that someone tried to chop (and failed miserably) and a fairly ratty early 70's Norton Commando with the rare (and dangerous) fiberglass fuel tank.
I headed off to the shop. My R3 was inside hooked to a battery tender. It was all back together and clean and waxed, not at all looking like when I delivered it, unwashed and loaded with bugs from the Eureka Springs trip. I glanced at the tire to see if Gus had did too many burnouts...it was a little thinner but it's still serviceable.
Gus was working on a Black R3. he told me he had done 2 since he finished mine 3 weeks prior. The black had a blown head gasket. Triumph was warranting that too.
Gus rolled my R3 out, fired it and rode off. he returned in 5 minutes and parked it and told me to take it for a ride. He cautioned me that I would be very surprised. he had ridden the bike just under 100 miles in the weeks after he finished it but hadn't ridden it in about a week.
I got on the bike and fired it up. It was appreciably quieter than when I dropped it off, even at an idle. Revving it revealed no rattle, nothing, just the signature whirrrr.
I snicked it down to first. First surprise. I was used to a clunk. It always clunked, even when it was new. As it got worse, it developed a false neutral. That was all gone. A gentle tap down and it went right into 1st. I fed out the clutch, second surprise. The friction point was right off the lever end and the friction point was almost abrupt and there was NO.....NO slop in the TDU or the accompanying clunk. NOTHING.
I pulled out of the drive and headed north. I shifted up at 2500 rpm. It shifted crisply and positively. About a week ago, I had a chance to ride a newer Speed Triple. The shift and the throw as well as the selection was comparable to the Speed Triple and quite alien to what I was used to. No more Beemer airhead shifts.
I held it in second out of town, I cleared the town limits and rapped the throttle all the way and shifted into third at 6,000 rpm with a full power shift and a scream from the tire...something it never did before. The shift was very positive. I took it up to an indicated 110 and let off, got down to a sane 50 or so and rode out to I80 and turned around and went back to the shop.
I came back all smiles. It's a different bike entirely. When I got back, Gus saw that ****te smile on my face. This guy KNOWS how to do what is necessary and do it right.
I saw all the parts that were exchanged for upgraded parts. There are a lot. It even has upgraded clutch springs, lifter shaft. It had a new fuel sending unit, new ignition switch harness. Gus pressed the old TDU bearing off and put on a new one. I held the old one. It was rough...and ugly. New gears, springs, thrust washers...just a pile of stuff.
I could have had all the parts but I was asked not to post any pictures of them on any site. I was told that Triumph prefers that the parts replaced aren't made public property. I left the parts with Gus. It would be hard for me not to take pictures and Gus and Baxter's have treated me so well, I have no desire to compromise them in any way.
My work order says it all. It says in part............... Install all engine upgrades, N/C. I wasn't even charged for the oil change or the filter. I wasn't charged for new anti-freeze nor was I charged for Final drive lube and of course my overhead has been set to factory specs as well.
My R3 was out of warranty when I took it to Marne and it sounded like a bucket of bolts, it rattled so bad at 1300 rpm. When you rode it, your eyeballs vibrated from the final drive vibration. All that is gone. I asked Gus what he thought about longevity now that it's all rebuilt. He said with proper maintenance, the engine and drive train should outlast me.
I'm extremely impressed with Triumph for standing behind their product with an absolutely at no cost to me, warranty repair, I'm extremely impressed with the competence level and level of professionalism that Randy Baxter and his crew exhibit at Baxter's Triumph in Marne, Iowa. I'm especially impressed with Gus. This man knows his way around the R3 engine, bar none.
Again, I'd like to thank Tomo for his guidance. Without his help and the expertise of Baxter's Triumph, this could have had much less than desirable results.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say to any and all of you, if your bike exhibits and of the symptoms of what Triumph considers a 'condition' of warranty, paint can rattle (timing chain, lower sprocket, guides, tensioner), rubber shifter, false neutrals or TDU noise, don't hesitate to contact Baxter's Triumph in Marne, Iowa.
Baxter Cycle
400 Lincoln Street
Marne, Iowa
(712) 781-2351
www.baxtercycle.com