#1998 triumph thunderbird manual

It looks like it’s never been opened before - I see no traces of oil or grime. That HAS to be another drain plug! But they don’t say anything in any of the books about it! So I looked under the bike and noticed the 17mm hex bolt on the left side of the oil pan near the side stand. How Much Oil Does the TBird Need?Īll I got was the 2.5 liters!!! What’s going on here?!! Either there HAS to be another oil drain plug, or I’ve got a serious problem with 1.5 liters of old oil hiding somewhere! (R) Oil pan, left side: yellow arrow indicates the correct 17 mm hex drain plug. (L) Oil pan from right side: blue arrow = oil filter cover (17 mm hex) red arrow = center 8 mm Allen bolt white arrow is the other (correct) 17mm hex drain plug. This time I measured it with a 500cc graduated cylinder. Out came the 8mm Allen screw I opened up the filter cover and drained everything once more. So I figured the only thing to do would be to drain out all the now wasted $50 oil to start again with an empty engine.

#1998 triumph thunderbird manual

How can this be, when the owner’s manual, the Haynes manual and the Triumph shop manual all say it takes 4 liters? I learned some interesting things from various sources: the site glass is wrong (probably true see below) and a guy with a Triumph who works at the local Harley dealer told me that the bike only takes 3 quarts (2.8 liters) of oil.

This will allow you to turn over the engine with the starter after the oil change to build up oil pressure prior to starting it up). I started up the bike up and everything seemed fine (by the way, a good tip is to shut off the fuel on your ride home prior to changing the oil, then let the bike die in the garage from lack of fuel. How can this be?! The book says it takes 4 liters!

Exactly 2.5 liters later, the sight glass shows that it’s full!! I put in a new filter, buttoned everything up and start pouring in the new liquid gold. I went in the house for a while to give the oil some time to drain.Ī little while later I went back in the garage, and everything’s done draining. Open the 8mm Allen key drain plug and drain the oil (per the photo on their page 1-14) then loosen the 17mm hex nut on the oil filter cover and let that drain also. The owner’s manual, the Haynes manual and the official Triumph motorcycle shop manual all call for 4.00 liters of oil with an oil and filter change in a Triumph Thunderbird Sport.Īfter I bought a 4-liter jug of the super expensive Mobil 1 “4T” Racing Oil as specified by Triumph (more on that topic below), I situated the bike as level as possible, and I opened up the Haynes manual and followed the instructions: See More: Motorcycle Accessories, Motorcycle Tire, Motorcycle Helmets Where to Buy Triumph Thunderbird Sport Oil Check Reviews & Prices on Amazon Alternate sources for Triumph motorcycle parts & oil filters.Triumph Thunderbird Sport oil level and sight (site) glass.What type of oil to use in a Thunderbird Sport.E xact replacement oil drain plug and crush washer.

Easy and cheap replacement for stripped oil drain plugs.

Here are some observations and tips that may help owners of the Triumph Thunderbird Sport and other Triumph motorcycle owners. Changing the oil and filter in a motorcycle shouldn’t be this hard. I’ve changed the oil in may motorcycles, but the first oil change in the Triumph Thunderbird Sport was a real adventure!