Rebuilding motorcycle after timing chain skip 62K Km

Claudiu · 2026-01-18T06:36:09-0600

Journeyman said:
While you're there, too bad there isn't a piston and cam upgrade (that I know of) ala @Neville Lush for the older 2.3s. I did that for my Roadster at 45k miles and it was a raging beast. My '20 R3 uses some oil and thinking of rebuilding her sometime soon now that she's nearly at 50k miles. Watching your posts with interest.....

More pictures to come but it’s winter and the garage is cold. Mine uses some oil too. Check the gear position sensor at the rear, left side, under shaft. Other people documented oil leak there, possible orings to be replaced. I may try to replace them or I may just fill oil waiting for more topics to solve, as resetting sensors and adaptions may require dealer’s computer. The picture shows my leaking sensor. I am reluctant to touch the pistons, it’s awful to dismantle the engine at the bottom. I just rubbed the valve kisses off the pistons’ crowns hoping for the best. The bike was dismantled by the dealer, yet they borrowed me the spacers to keep the barrel block in place for transport. The barrels are like another head under cylinder head and there’s a gasket underneath. If it moves just a little you’ll have leaks between crankcase and barrels and you may have to replace that gasket. Stripping down everything after putting it together will give me PTSD.

Kevin frazier · 2026-01-18T06:36:46-0600

Claudiu said:
You mean, being a motorcycle again? Yes of course. But it needs rejuvenating treatment. There’s a combination of quality and cheap components which require regular maintenance. Like a gun. Not easy to reach everything. If this is how it looks after five years… then it needs to be torn apart more often.

A man after my own heart! To the frame or it dont count!

Kevin frazier · 2026-01-18T06:38:37-0600

Journeyman said:
While you're there, too bad there isn't a piston and cam upgrade (that I know of) ala @Neville Lush for the older 2.3s. I did that for my Roadster at 45k miles and it was a raging beast. My '20 R3 uses some oil and thinking of rebuilding her sometime soon now that she's nearly at 50k miles. Watching your posts with interest.....

and maybe with a proper piston ring break in it will not use so much oil between changes. Great idea! Get in there.

Kevin frazier · 2026-01-18T06:40:38-0600

Claudiu said:
More pictures to come but it’s winter and the garage is cold. Mine uses some oil too. Check the gear position sensor at the rear, left side, under shaft. Other people documented oil leak there, possible orings to be replaced. I may try to replace them or I may just fill oil waiting for more topics to solve, as resetting sensors and adaptions may require dealer’s computer.

Definitely oil, gold there.

Claudiu · 2026-01-18T07:02:51-0600

Kevin frazier said:
and maybe with a proper piston ring break in it will not use so much oil between changes. Great idea! Get in there.

I don’t want to dismantle the crankcase. Too much trouble. One remark though: simplified operations need simplified sequences for hobbyists like us. Don’t follow the manual by letter. Triumph say to take off the engine to replace the valves. That means take off swinging arm. That’s then bevel, shaft, suspension, split the frame… because frame is bolted to the engine through both cylinder head and crankcase… which requires coils, cables, lines, everything to go off. You end up in six boxes like me. So makeshift jigs can be done to keep things together when taking off what you need. You don’t need to butcher it like that.

Claudiu · 2026-01-18T07:28:47-0600

Claudiu said:
I don’t want to dismantle the crankcase. Too much trouble. One remark though: simplified operations need simplified sequences for hobbyists like us. Don’t follow the manual by letter. Triumph say to take off the engine to replace the valves. That means take off swinging arm. That’s then bevel, shaft, suspension, split the frame… because frame is bolted to the engine through both cylinder head and crankcase… which requires coils, cables, lines, everything to go off. You end up in six boxes like me. So makeshift jigs can be done to keep things together when taking off what you need. You don’t need to butcher it like that.

These explain what I want to say. The last picture I found on the internet, it shows the cylinder head taken off but the crankcase is Still on the frame. Somebody was smarter, I wish I found it earlier. With an elevator and some ropes hanging from the ceiling I would have had an easier life. That’s why we shouldn’t follow the manual blindly, it was written probably by a person having in mind the sequence on the manufacturing line. But for repairs we need a different one. My pictures are upside down.

stingray · 2026-01-18T07:30:38-0600

Thanks for the detailed pictures. All this from a timing chain tensioner at 35,000 miles. A typical Harley problem. Curious on what keeps the jug/case seal intact until those hold down bushings are installed? Seems like that gasket would need replacing after the head were removed releasing the torque on it. Just hoping it holds?

Claudiu · 2026-01-18T07:41:34-0600

stingray said:
Thanks for the detailed pictures. All this from a timing chain tensioner at 35,000 miles. A typical Harley problem. Curious on what keeps the jug/case seal intact until those hold down bushings are installed? Seems like that gasket would need replacing after the head were removed releasing the torque on it. Just hoping it holds?

I caused the trouble. I didn’t pay attention when tampering with hydraulic tensioner during my hunt for an obsessive rattling. There are motorcycles out there with 100000 miles on the clock. They’re built like tanks, with some occasional components from Alibaba. If I paid attention and worked in one step instead of working between two errands… I would not have had any troubles. Yet I wouldn’t have had the chance to build this collection. But since I missed so badly these details I think it’s good to share what I got for all to see and maybe make new interesting mistakes.

Claudiu · 2026-01-18T07:49:13-0600

stingray said:
Thanks for the detailed pictures. All this from a timing chain tensioner at 35,000 miles. A typical Harley problem. Curious on what keeps the jug/case seal intact until those hold down bushings are installed? Seems like that gasket would need replacing after the head were removed releasing the torque on it. Just hoping it holds?

Head gasket must be replaced. The one between barrels and crankcase, I hope it holds. Triumph has some long bushes/spacers in the toolbox especially to keep barrels in place. They use the head bolts. See those two bolts going through some aluminum sleeves. If I am in doubt I will lift the barrels and use a syringe to paint contour lines with Permatex Aviation Form-a-gasket #3. I don’t want to open the crankcase by all means. Amazing the level of brain surgery required for such a repair, isn’t it? In shop, you’ll pay one third of the bike for these… so beter try brain surgery first

stingray · 2026-01-18T07:56:44-0600

Claudiu said:
Head gasket must be replaced. The one between barrels and crankcase, I hope it holds. Triumph has some long bushes/spacers in the toolbox especially to keep barrels in place. They use the head bolts. See those two bolts going through some aluminum sleeves.

Those are the ones I'm mentioning. Aren't the barrels completely un-torqued before those fixtures are attached? Seems like an afterthought to me. In case the jugs are bumped into or like you say, hope they don't leak. At that point why not just replace that gasket?

Rebuilding motorcycle after timing chain skip 62K Km

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