June 23, 2017

Top 3 Parts That Always Need To Be Replaced

Owning a vintage BSA, Norton or Triumph motorcycle can be sometimes be a handful. There always seems to be something that needs to be fixed or improved upon.

Ever hear someone say they completed there "full restoration"? - Don't believe it because its not true! When you say it's "done" or "complete" it really means the work and headaches have just begun.

I complied my top 3 list of parts that I have found that always need to be replaced on a Triumph, BSA, or Norton motorcycle. You might be surprised that my top 3 list of parts can usually be purchased for under $30.

Sometimes its the least expensive parts that can cause the most headaches and time-consuming problems - alright let's get right to our top 3 list.

#1 Petcocks

Ever walk into your garage and smelled the stench of gasoline? Chances are it's your petcocks leaking fuel into the carburetor or around the tap it's self.

If your bike has been sitting for sometime we recommend replacing the petcocks before you attempt to start the motorcycle.

Having exposed fuel leak onto your engine case can be very dangerous - especially for those that have magnetos under your carburetor.

Usually removing and installing new petcocks takes no more then 15 minutes to change.

#2 Fork Seals

There's nothing worse than strapping down your motorcycle on a trailer or riding over bumps in the road and to only find that your fork seals are blown.

There are no cutting corners on fork seals – if it's leaking replace it - plain and simple.

Running front forks without oil will cause serious damage and also is extremely dangerous.

Fork seals usually run about $15 a set and completing the task usually takes a couple hours.

#3 Rubber Components

One of my most annoying problems that I have with new rubber components today is that they only seem to last five months or less.

That includes fork boots, foot rest rubbers, kick start rubbers, and anything else made of rubber.

Regardless of where you purchase your rubber parts from, what brand, and the country of origin – it's all going to crack in a short period of time.

The most infamous rubber parts that crack are the fork gaiters.. typically a $20 part.

"So has this happened to you...?"

So there you have - my top 3 list of parts that usually wear and need to be replaced the most on a vintage British motorcycle.

So has this happened to you? If so let us know by commenting in the section below - we would love to hear your feedback. Thanks for reading today.

7 comments

Jerry December 21, 2019

Opps touched the post button. So I give all external rubber parts a touch of silicone lube.
Jerry December 21, 2019

me upon a partial solution many years ago that extended the life of many rubber parts. On my 74 Norton for instance the rubber boots from the air cleaner to carb cracked in a year. I always had a spare on hand. I tried an experiment with a set by putting them in a freezer bag and laced them with silicone lube and sealed the bag . When time to replace them came I wiped them off and installed them , put the next set in the bag with lube. They are still there 12 or 14 years later!! The ones on the Norton are still good and I wipe them with the lube a couple times a year. Seven years ago I rebuilt my T100r and presoaked the boots in silicone and they are still perfect. On clean the bike days they get wipeped again
Jerry December 21, 2019

me upon a partial solution many years ago that extended the life of many rubber parts. On my 74 Norton for instance the rubber boots from the air cleaner to carb cracked in a year. I always had a spare on hand. I tried an experiment with a set by putting them in a freezer bag and laced them with silicone lube and sealed the bag . When time to replace them came I wiped them off and installed them , put the next set in the bag with lube. They are still there 12 or 14 years later!! The ones on the Norton are still good and I wipe them with the lube a couple times a year. Seven years ago I rebuilt my T100r and presoaked the boots in silicone and they are still perfect. On clean the bike days they get wipeped again
Classic British Spares June 24, 2017

@douglas lightfoot – I agree 100% with you – thanks for reading today
douglas lightfoot June 23, 2017

Headlamp and tail light bulbs. The more night riding I do the more often I have to replace them.

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