Silverado turned 50,000! I think we were somewhere in California.

After standing for 2.5 years, the first Hagon wept a bit of oil when we got Silverado back on the road. I should have done something about it then.

That’s 11,000 miles in 16 weeks; Silver’s total mileage is 52,000 miles in 11 years.

I couldn’t be more happy with the bike.  In the last four months we’ve conquered the USA and been down the length of the Baja peninsular in Mexico. Tomorrow we take the ferry to the Mexican mainland.

I’ve had to replace loads of sundry items:

• both tyres
• oil & filter
• coolant
• caliper seals all around
• drive chain
• front sprocket
• rear wheel bearings
• some individual brake pads
• fork oil

and I’ve chosen to improve some parts:

• front brake master cylinder
• front brake master piston

but the only actual failures were:

• regulator/rectifier
  • which also took out the battery
• rear shock
• Scottoiler feed tube
• hugger (still broken)

and if I’d done my homework during the year I had to prepare this bike, I probably could have avoided all of the last group.

Silverado’s had at least two name changes and is now running better than ever.  Suspension is taught, engine is willing and even the sodding brakes work at last.  He uses a bit of oil at 90-100mph but pretty much none at lower speeds.  I’d publish my mpg figures but they’re so high I’m obviously missing something.

That’s 6000 miles on this trip, 49000 miles on the clock.

Engine Oil
(hi ho) Silver has been leaking like a proper Triumph for some time.  With Mobil 1 inside, I wasn’t planning an oil change at 6000 miles but the word on the Internet was that leaks are due to non-Triumph oil filters; in my case a K&N filter.  The leak was getting bad enough to warrant concern with oil collecting on the main stand then dripping onto the rear tyre.

Did guerilla oil change at campground using improvised catch tray(s) from Walmart (pay your taxes) and was really careful not to leave a mess.

So (hi ho) Silver now has 15 w50 Mobil 1 (previous was 0 w40) ready for hotter temperatures of Mexico and C.America.  And no oil leak!

Leak was, indeed, due to K&N oil filter with recessed o ring. OE Triumph filter has much bigger, prouder rubber seal and I’ll endeavour only to use these in future.

Brakes
5/8″ front master cylinder now replaced with rough hewn Chinese 14mm job from eBay.  We’ve had the replacement since Nashville but I had no confidence in the thing so we’ve just been carting it about with us.

Did a rodeo change (unbolt old, bolt in new, don’t bother bleeding) and I’m really pleased with results.  We haven’t ridden far, yet, but lever remains firm (without bleeding!) but I can now stop without use of King Kong forearm.

Tankbag
Super expensive part for tankbag fitted with no immediate improvement to charging system. It usually responds well to bike being ridden (I think it likes the vibration), though, so we’ll see.

Coolant
Leak appears to be forward hose. Coolant replaced with 20:80 longlife and header tank seems to be working.

Front Sprocket
I committed the cardinal sin of changing the chain but not the sprockets way back when we were in Gunnison.  I maintain that the rear sprocket is fine but the front…

To remove the old sprocket:

• 36mm socket with breaker bar – nope
• add 1m steel tube as lever – nope
• heat with propane – nope

This was all done with me sitting backwards on the bike like some terrible parody of a cowgirl, applying the rear brake with the bike on its side stand and me putting as much weight on the bike as possible.  Rear wheel still turns instead of sprocket nut loosening.

In the end, I heated the bugger one more time but put the bike in gear (this is discouraged but by this point I had tried everything except praying).  Nut moved, new sprocket now on.

What’s Next?

• Oversize rear sprocket
• Rear brake pads