79 triumph T140 out of storage

[justin345]

i just bought a 79 triumph bonneville that has been in someone's garage for a little too long.  i think the gas is pretty old too.  the bike is completely stock and is in great condition other than the fact that it has been sitting for quite a while.  The bike has trouble starting and then runs rough with small back-fires.

how should i clean the carbs and what other parts should i look at to get this back on the road?

[TBS]

Firstly buy a workshop manual, then drain out all the old fuel, take off the carbs, best way is to have them cleaned by ultrasound as this removes gum in all the small passageways, drain chaincase, gearbox, sump, oiltank and forks and re-fill as per manual, fit new spark plugs, and battery.

[Blue]

my advice would be to completely strip the carbs and check the jets and needles very carefully, as rotten fuel can eat away at these parts - and obtain new fuel hose, just to be safe

as TBS already said drain all the oil (probably best to leave it to drain overnight to make sure).  the manual should tell what grade of oil to use for each application.

also change the brake fluids and give the brake lines, master cylinders and calipers a very careful check for deterioration - there might not be any problems, but with brakes more than anything it pays to be careful
the same can be said for tyres - better to invest in good doughnuts now rather than risk damaging yourself or the bike

if the bike has only been sitting idle there shouldnt be any ignition troubles, but if the bike continues to run rough after you replace the battery/plugs and freshly-cleaned carbs it will need attention

that all said; sounds like a good buy, i hope you enjoy it!

[L.A.B.]

Don't buy the Haynes T120/T140 manual, it really is hopeless, as it tries to cover too many model variants so much of the information isn't relevant to many year models.

I suggest you get a copy of the factory manual (and parts book):  
http://www.ds.dial.pipex.com/slippery_sam/jr650wsh.htm

http://www.ds.dial.pipex.com/slippery_sam/jr650rep.htm