Tuning Notes for the Triumph

Bonneville Family of
Motorcycles

Includes the Bonneville, T100, Thruxton, Scrambler, America

and Speedmaster - 2001 onwards
Version 4: October 2005
Cat No: CTN 01
 Page 2 To order: Phone +44 (0) 1722 711 745

About Tuning
Why Tune? to the red line, from any throttle position. Snap
At Jenks Bolts we get regular enquiries about open full throttle from 4000 rpm in 3rd or 4th
tuning the Bonneville motor and the best carbu- should result in an immediate increase in revs,
rettor setup for a particular exhaust system and without any hesitation. There should be no obvious
riding style. flat spot and a smooth even mid range torque.

As with all modern Triumphs, the parallel twins Remember, to optimise setup there is NO substi-
used in the Bonneville family are set up by the fac- tute for an experienced technician with an exhaust
tory to ensure the bike meets all the various per- gas analyser and a rolling road or Dynamometer.
mits for Type Approval around the world. This Without proper analysis it is easy to end up with
means that the carburettors are set to run very settings that seem OK, but in fact leave the mixture
lean, so that with the secondary air injection system very weak at high revs. We use a local Dynotech
the simple oxidative catalysts in the stock exhausts facility and encourage you to find one near youbut
will work correctly. make sure the technician understands carburet-
tors: many younger operators don't.
The graphs below show the power curves from an
early 790cc Bonneville, with (blue) and without Triumphs Twins
(red) Triumph off road (TOR) exhausts. The vibra- With the launch of the 2006 model there are, in
tion in the blue line at high revs shows that the mix- effect, 6 versions out on the streets. The table on
ture is very lean. The dip in power and torque page 10 is based on Triumphs published data and
curves in the mid range is also very noticeable. information developed by Jenks Bolts. It shows the
stock setup in green text; validated tuning options
in blue; settings reported to us by other riders, but
not validated by us, in black and finally provisional
information in grey. Take a moment to see where
your ride or rides fit into this matrix.

What this Booklet Does

In this booklet we will:
Look at how the CVK carburettor works and how
the various jets and needle interact,
Fuel injected bikes, with the complex mapping
options available, are much easier to optimise: it is Examine the tuning changes that can be made
a sign of Triumphs skill that they have been able to to various parts of the motor, and
keep carburettors on the Bonneville into the 2006 Bring all the information together with a clear
model year. explanation of the changes you can make and
To get the most from the new Triumph twins it is what to expect.
necessary to fit free flowing exhausts and air filter, By following through this booklet you will:
re-jet the carburettor and remove the air injection
Gain a clear understanding of the variation in
equipment, effectively undoing much of what Tri-
carburettor settings between the stock models
umph did to get the bikes legal.
Understand the options that are available for
There is considerable scope for improvement: over
enhancing performance
the last five years we have built up a range of set-
tings that cover most requirements. The aim is a set Understand the changes that need to be made
up that allows the bike to pull strongly in every gear to achieve improved performance.
 Jenks bolts Performance Parts Page 3

Understanding Keihins CVK

Basics
The CVK carburettor used on the Triumph parallel
twins is technically a bleed type carburettor, with a
variable venturi that's controlled by a slide that is in
turn controlled by the vacuum above the dia-
phragm. It's also known as Constant Depression or
Constant Vacuum carburettor. The 36 in the name
represents a 36 mm venturi exit diameter.
Most carburettors have a one piece needle jet. On
the CVK36 it consists of 3 parts: a collar, the jet
and what Triumph call a holder. Most 4-stroke car- Both the CV and conventional slide carburettors,
burettor jets have pin holes along the length of the like Amals, are classified as variable venturi carbs.
jet or holder. These pin holes allow air from the air The slide on a conventional carburettor is directly
jet to premix with fuel from the fuel jet to start the connected to the throttle cable. Twist the throttle
mixture emulsification process before it enters the grip and the slide is raised in the venturi.
venturi. The photo below shows the main parts of
the main jet and the pilot jet. On a CV carburettor the throttle cable is connected
to a butterfly valve that varies the volume through
the venturi. It's not the throttle, it's the pressure
difference from the venturi to the outside atmos-
phere that moves the slide.
Most carburettor problems boil down to it being
either too rich, (too much fuel or too little air), or
too lean, (too much air or too little fuel). The mix-
ture is theoretically ideal at around 13 parts of air
to one part of gasoline/petrol vapour. The outer
A venturi is a tube with a convex taper, (one end limits for safe running are between 12:1 and 14:1.
wider than the other). As air enters the wider end
it's squeezed into the narrower section of the tube, Too rich and you're wasting fuel, spewing more pol-
lowering air pressure. lutants, diluting your oil, fouling engine parts, and
as a result performance suffers. Too lean and you
The area of lowest pressure in the carburettor ven- run the risk of detonation, damage to the valves
turi is just past the narrowest point: Bernoulli's Prin- caused by overheating and performance suffers.
ciple outlines the fluid dynamics involved in this
effect. This lowered pressure, known as a An air-cooled engine needs to run richer (more fuel)
comparative vacuum is a completely separate to aid in engine cooling, which is a further conflict
effect from the engine vacuum caused by the piston that the Triumph twins have to do with and why
descending. their oil system plays such a big part in cooling.

A variable venturi carburettor is able to vary the ef-

The Main Parts
fective venturi diameter at the depression point by
We have already mentioned some of the main parts
raising or lowering an obstruction, known as a slide.
in the CVK, but it is worth looking in some more de-
On a CV carburettor the slide is also known as a
tail at the parts of the carburettor that can change
piston or diaphragm valve.
the mixture, as understanding what they do and
The following diagram nicely illustrates the main how they work together is the key to optimising your
parts of the carburettor. carburettor settings.
 Page 4 Jenks bolts Performance Parts

1. The Float the diaphragm valve that leads to the diaphragm

The float bowl acts as a fuel reservoir to meet en- chamber.
gine demand. The float is hinged on a pin in the The top chamber is separated from the bottom by a
float boss. It rises and falls with the fuel level in the rubber diaphragm. The bottom chamber is open to
float bowl. The small metal tang integrated in the atmospheric pressure from the airbox. When the
plastic float supports the float valve, also known as vacuum in the top chamber rises enough, the con-
the float needle. stant ambient pressure of the lower chamber helps
As the fuel in the float bowl rises, the float valve is the diaphragm valve overcome the downward force
pushed into the valve seat, until it's high enough to of the diaphragm spring, so it rises from the ven-
shut off the fuel flow to the bowl. As fuel is used the turi.
level in the bowl drops lowering the float which pulls As the diaphragm is raised the needle is pulled out
the float valve from its seat, and fills again. Adjust- of the needle jet, exposing a thinner portion of the
ing the height of the float has a big effect on the needle taper which allows more fuel to rise into the
mixture as a low or high float level makes it harder venturi to meet the increased engine demand.
or easier for the vacuum to suck fuel into the ven- The key parts of the main system are shown in the
turi. Differing float levels cause an imbalance which photo below.
may be perceived as vibration.
2. The Choke
This system is referred to as the choke. But that's a
misnomer. When you pull the choke knob, what
you're doing is retracting a plunger that opens a
tube connected to the starter jet, allowing addi-
tional fuel to enter the venturi just below the vac-
uum hose nipple. It supplements the pilot system at
start up.
3. The Pilot System
The primary purpose of the pilot system is to supply
the mixture at idle. It continues to supply fuel The slide is on the left, with the diaphragm above.
throughout the entire throttle range, but after about The drill bit indicates the vacuum drilling that you
1/8 throttle is reached the main system starts to may wish to consider enlarging. On the right is the
put out more of the total mixture, up to full throttle. spring, with needle spider and tapered needle.
By adjusting the idle with the big screw on the left When assembled, the spring, needle carrier and
side of the carburettors the position of the butterfly needle sit inside the slide, with the needle sticking
is altered, so exposing one or more of the four small through the centre hole in the bottom of the slide.
holes that are drilled into the venturi, (leading to the 5. The Overrun EnrichneR
pilot jet) just under the butterfly valve, letting more
or less air pass the butterfly. This is the little cover on the left side of the carbu-
rettor, visible above the idle adjuster knob.
Adjusting the pilot screw that's under the carburet-
tor varies the amount of air premixing with the fuel When the throttle is closed the butterfly valve is
before it enters the venturi. swiftly closed so the slide drops. The bike is still
rolling with inertia, keeping the engine revs high. It
4. The Main System
can't get the mixture it's trying to suck in because
Open the throttle and the cable that's connected to the butterfly valve is closed, blocking the air flow.
the butterfly valve turns it from vertical to horizon- To get round this there is an air jet in the lower dia-
tal, so letting more air through the venturi. This in- phragm chamber that transfers ambient pressure
creases the vacuum effect that is transferred to one side of the coasting Enrichners spring
up through the vacuum drilling in the slide to loaded cut off valve.
 To order: Phone +44 (0) 1722 711 745 Page 5

The excess vacuum in front of the butterfly valve is mally it is necessary to ensure that:
transferred to a drilling that leads to the other side The main jet size,
of the cut off valve. This sucks it open, allowing the
pilot jet to feed more fuel to the engine preventing The pilot jet size,
an overly lean condition. Changing the size of the The pilot screw,
drilling will alter the speed with which the slide
The needle diameter and taper,
rises.
The needle height and
6. Putting it all Together
The slide
The figure below shows how all the various parts
already mentioned interrelate as the throttle is are all working in harmony to give the correct air
opened. The figure also shows how needle height, fuel ratio from idle to the rev limiter. This is not
diameter and taper have a big influence as the revs easy and compromises have to be made!
rise. This means that to get the bike running opti-

The Jenks Bolts Experience

Until the arrival of the 856cc Thruxton motor, most most riders settled with main jets between 125 and
Bonneville tuning was simple: 130 and often with 42 pilot jets.
Fit free flow exhausts,
My Bonneville
Improve inlet air flow with a Unifilter, remove
the snorkel and possibly take out the internal I was not convinced that messing about with the
baffle. airbox was a good idea: it is a complex device and
the baffle in the centre is there for a purpose.
Adjust the mixture by changing jet sizes and
using shims. As is clear from the graph above, adjusting the
shape, taper and height of the needle has the po-
As a final step, some removed the airbox and tential to improve fuelling over a wider throttle
fitted pancake air filters. range than just altering jets, pilot screw settings
Reported results were mixed: without the airbox and shims.
some talked of using 150 or 155 main jets with 42 In mid 2003 I fitted a pair of specially developed
or 45 pilot jets. The felt they had considerable tapered needles into my 790cc Bonneville. Id al-
power gains at the top end, but others felt this was ready fitted TOR exhausts and a Unifilter and had
at the expense of mid range flexibility. In the end removed the rubber inlet snorkel. I took the bike to
 Page 6 Jenks bolts Performance Parts

improved mid range flexibility, but no apparent loss

of top end power.

My Thruxton
In May 2004 I changed my Bonneville for a Thrux-
ton. It got the same treatment: TOR exhausts, Unifil-
ter, snorkel removed, replaced with a carefully de-
signed Bell-mouth or velocity stack, shown in the
photo below.

Dynotech in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. The re-

sults are shown in the figures above, power top and
torque below. The lower blue trace is my bike on
arrival: it was clear that the 106 main jets were not
big enough. We ended up with 120 main jets: they To take advantage of the improved airflow we in-
gave a better performance, as the upper red trace creased the main jet size from 110 to 118 and put
shows, with the bike delivering 59bhp and 47 ft lbs 2 shims under the needle. A visit to the Dynamome-
torque at the rev limit. But the big dip between ter at local racing team (Crescent Suzuki UK) result-
4000 and 6000 rpm was still much in evidence: it ing in the technician suggesting that another shim
was impossible to do anything about this. would be a good idea. So with 3 shims I thought it
was going well. Wrong! The technician was used to
At about the same time I received good reports working with fuel maps and doing everything with a
from the USA of results by fitting the Triumph Thun- computer: the bike still didnt run as I felt it should.
derbird Sport needle (Identification code N3RF) in
the America and Speedmaster. The TBS needle is I then talked to the technician at my dealer, 3 Cross
tapered, but not evenly. Triumph in Dorset, UK, who suggested increasing
the size of the hole in the air slide to 3mm better
Then, in 2004, Triumph released the Thruxton, pick up immediately and going back to Dynotech.
which was found to have a markedly tapered nee- So I did and the result was interesting as the set
dle as shown below. The Bonneville needle is the of graphs on page 8 clearly show.
lower one, the Thruxton above: note that it is not
only more tapered, but slightly longer. The middle red line is the Thruxton on arrival: much
too lean, almost 15:1 in places. Increasing the
In early October 2004 Mike Selman in the USA, main jet to 125 and removing 2 of the 3 shims
solved the problem, as the upper blue trace shows.
The best result was 64bhp and 53 ft lbs torque.
Good, but not that much better than the results
from my Bonneville, shown in the lower blue trace.
The big difference is in the real world mid range: at
4500 rpm the Bonnie was making 35 bhp and 39 ft
lbs torque, whilst the Thruxton was making 45 bhp
(www.Bellacorse.com) tried Thruxton needles in his and 52 ft lbs torque.
Bonneville. The result was very positive, with much Much more importantly, compare the lower blue
 To order: Phone +44 (0) 1722 711 745 Page 7

The Unifilter
There has been much discussion about the effec-
tiveness of the Unifilter and removing the snorkel.
The Thruxton was re-tested with a stock air filter
and inlet. The results are shown below.
Top Red = 125 jets, Unifilter and velocity stack
line from the Bonneville with the top red line. No
Bottom Blue = Stock filter and snorkel.
mid range hole! The result is that between 50mph
and 80mph the Thruxton is a joy to ride. There is Difference = 7 bhp at 4500 rpm! This experiment
always ample power to overtake without chasing seems to show that the stock paper air filter to-
the torque peak, it is there, all 53 ft lbs of it, from gether with the rubber snorkel is restrictiveindeed
3500 to 6000 rpm it was possible to reduce the main jet to 115 with-
out going too lean.

What Can You Do?

In this section we look in some detail at the non the bike breath better, so it can burn more fuel and
carburettor areas where modification can be made, produce more power, but many of the more radical
and consider some of the costs. changes have side effects.
1. Air Injection Removal Step 1:
Fit a free flow air filter, we recommend the Unifilter,
Removing the air injection equipment does not re-
available for the Bonneville family and America and
quire ANY change to the carburettors.
Speedmaster.
BUT any increase in jet size, without removing the Step 2:
air injection equipment, means that your exhaust
Remove or modify the snorkel. Removing it im-
pipes will go very dark blue very quickly and you will
proves air flow at high revs. It is easy to remove and
get lots of popping and backfiring on the overrun.
easy to replace. Noise levels increase, especially
2. Air Box Management with a wide open throttle. Adding a spun shaped
The air box has 3 important functions: filtering the velocity stack smoothes airflow into the filter.
air, suppressing inlet noise and providing the carbu- Step 3:
rettors with smooth, un-turbulent air. Take out the restrictor plate inside the air box, easy
There is scope for changing the inlet side to help to do once you have the air box removed, which is
 Page 8 Jenks bolts Performance Parts

not so easy! Results vary and some riders have re- camshafts! The Thruxton cams improve mid range
port that mid throttle ride-ability is compromised. torque, but reduced overlap lessens top end power.
Step 4: The 2005 Speedmaster has been optimised for
Remove the airbox and fit pancake air filters. This torque at low revs. Clearly camshaft changes can
step requires expensive additional parts and al- improve the bikes performance, the problem is to
though there are good reports they seem to be know what to do.
linked to fitting flat side carburettors such as Mi- 6. Rev Limit
kuni and Amal.
The rev limit is programmed into the engine man-
3. Exhausts agement computer, produced for Triumph by Gill
The standard exhausts supplied by Triumph are re- Engineering Ltd.
strictive: tests on the dynamometer show a 6 bhp It is possible to re-program a higher rev limit, but
loss compared with free flowing exhausts. But they unless the exhausts and inlet restrictions are re-
are very quiet so the bike meets noise regulations. moved there is little point. The Thruxton already has
From 2006 in most markets the stock exhausts a higher rev limit.
contain single way oxidative catalysts to reduce un-
7. Fuel Injection
burnt hydrocarbons.
A number of experimental systems, built around the
Triumph offer so called off road exhausts. These
Megasquirt open system design have been devel-
are not homologated, so their use is illegal. These
oped. The results are good, with one UK owner re-
exhausts produce a traditional Triumph sound,
porting almost 70bhp at the back wheel with a
unlikely to attract attention and as mentioned, re-
790cc Bonneville.
turn 5 to 6 bhp. They are easy to fit and look indis-
tinguishable from the stock exhaust. More information? www.megasquirt.info
Some third party systems have become available: It is expected that as emission restrictions get
some are very loud. Listen before buying! stricter in 2008 that Triumph will have to fit fuel
4, Capacity injection to their parallel twin cylinder bikes.
Turbocharging
The Bonnie has the potential to be bored out to
about 1000cc. Triumph, with the Thruxton, Speed- There is a Turbo option: with a big bore kit, fuel in-
master and T100, have taken the capacity to jection and 0.8 bar boost, around 100 bhp at the
856cc. There are after market alternatives avail- rear wheel.
able at 900, 950 and 1000cc. Turn up the boot to 1.6 bar and the power goes up
5. Camshafts to 160 bhp, but the clutch is at its very limit!
The 2006 model year 856cc bikes use a number of More information? www.stabbarps-auto.com

Tuning the Carburetors

The Theory tion of the theory to the bike!

In the previous chapter we looked at some other It is important to be able to recognise the parts
parts of the bike that can influence performance. mentioned in this chapter. The photograph on the
next page shows the underside of the Keihin CVK
This section looks at the parts of the carburettor 40 Carburettor, which is very similar to a CVK 36,
that can be altered to improve performance and including the position of key components that
how they can, in theory, be changed. In the second you need to be able to quickly recognize.
part of this chapter we go on to look at the applica-
 To order: Phone +44 (0) 1722 711 745 Page 9

operating temperature, it is too rich in the midrange

and the needle should be loweredif you can. With
the Triumph nail head needle, this is impossible.
If the engine pulls better when hot but is still not
great between 5000 and 70000 rpm try raising the
needle using 1 or 2 x 0.5mm shims to enrichen the
2500 to 3500 rpm region.
If the engine pulls equally well between 2500 and
3500 rpm when cooler, compared to hot, the nee-
dle height is probably about right.

3. Float height

To get best low-end power, set float height (fuel

level) so that the engine will accept full throttle,
without missing or stumbling, in 2nd gear from
1. the Best Main Jet
1500 to 2000 rpm.
To get the best, most even top end power (full throt-
tle from 4000 to 5000 rpm), select main jets that Float heights are measured, with the carburettor
produce the highest top speed and pull strongly at inverted and the float chamber removed, from the
"gasket surface" of the carburettor body to the high-
high revs. The photo on page 3 shows the main jet
est part of the top of the float - with the float tang
If the bike pulls harder at high rpm when cold and touching but not compressing the float valve spring.
.less hard when hot the main jet is too large. In this The stock Triumph setting is 17mm, 1mm
case fit a 1 step smaller main jet and retest step by
step until you find the main jet that pulls the hard- If the engine has a "wet" rhythmic, soggy area at full
throttle in the 1500 to 2000 region and it gets
est at high rpm when hot .
worse as the engine heats up, lower the fuel level
If the bike doesn't pull well at high rpm when cold by resetting the float height 1mm greater.
and gets only slightly better when fully warmed up,
the main jet is too small. If the engine is "dry" and flat between 1500 and
2000 rpm, raise the fuel level by resetting the float
Setting up the main jet must be done first - before height by 1mm less.
moving on to the other operating tuning ranges. It
is much easier to do this with a dynamometer and REMEMBER, since the main jet WILL affect low
exhaust gas analyser. speed operation, the MAIN JET has to be set cor-
rectly first before final float setting.
At this point do not concern yourself with the low-
end mixture. It is important to get the main jets WARNING: If the fuel level is too high as well as
right to produce the best power at high rpm. poor performance there is a risk of plug fouling.

Finally, if there are still low-end richness problems,

2. Adjust needle Height even after lowering the fuel level much more than
To get the best power from 2500 to 3500 rpm at 1.5mm from initial settings, check for needle wear
and needle jet (part of the emulsion tube). It is re-
full throttle adjust the needle height, after you have
ported that the brass needle jets (in the top of the
already selected the best main jet. The photo opn
"emulsion tube") in 36mm CV carburettors can start
page 4 shows how the needle fits into the carrier. to wear in as little as 5,000 miles.
If the engine pulls better or is smoother in this
4. Pilot Screw setting
range during a full throttle roll-on starting at <1500
rpm when cool, but is soft and/or rough when at full In some markets there is an aluminium cap over
the fuel screws on all but newer Triumphs, which
 Page 10 To order: Phone +44 (0) 1722 711 745

Carburetor Settings2005
Triumph "Off road"
"Open" ex- Modified
Free Flow Air "Off-Road" exhausts &
Model Needle Jets Stock Bike hausts & free Airbox (no
filter Only Exhausts free flow
flow Air filter baffle)
Only Airfilter

Main Jet 110 115 120 125 135 140 +

Pilot Jet 40 40 40 42 42 42
790cc Bonne- Shims 0 0 0 1 1 1 to 2
Stock Needle
ville versions Pilot Screw 2.5 turns 2.75 turns 2.75 turns 2.5. turns 3 turns 3 turns
Needle Code NAGB NAGB NAGB NAGB NAGB NAGB
Air Hole 2.5mm 2.5mm 2.5mm 2.5mm 2.5mm 2.5mm

Main Jet 105 110 -112 115 - 120 125 or larger

Pilot Jet Not Not 40 40 40 40
790cc Bonne- Shims Advised Advised 13 1 1 1
Thruxton Needle
ville versions Pilot Jet 2.75 turns 3 turns 3 turns 3 turns
Needle Code NBTZ NBTZ NBTZ NBTZ
Air Hole 3.0 mm 3.0 mm 3.0 mm 3.0 mm

Main Jet 110 115 120 125 130

Pilot Jet 42 42 42 42 42 No information
790cc America Shims 0 0 0 1 1
Stock Needle
& Speedmaster Pilot Screw 1.5 turns 1.75 turns 1.75 turns 2.0 turns 2.25 turns
Needle Code NBAD NBAD NBAD NBAD NBAD
Air Hole 2.5 mm 2.5 mm 2.5 mm 2.5 mm 2.5 mm

Main Jet 122 125 130

Pilot Jet Not Not 40 40 40 No information
Thruxton or Shims Advised Advised 2 with NBTZ 2 with NBTZ 2 with NBTZ
790cc America
Speedmaster
& Speedmaster Needle Pilot Screw 2 turns 2.25 turns 2.5 turns
Needle Code NBTZ or NBZY NBTZ or NBZY NBTZ or NBZY
Air Hole 2.5 mm 2.5 mm 2.5 mm

Main Jet 110 110 115 120 125 130

Pilot Jet 40 40 40 40 40 40
856cc Bonne- Stock Thruxton Shims 0 1 1 1 1 1
ville T100 Needle Pilot Screw 2.5 turns 2.75 turns 2.75 turns 2.5. turns 3 turns 3 turns
Needle Code NBZT NBZT NBTZ NBTZ NBTZ NBTZ
Air Hole 2.5 mm 2.5 mm 3.0mm 3.0 mm 3.0 mm 3.0 mm

Main Jet 120 122 125 128 130

Pilot Jet 40 40 40 40 40 No information
856cc Speed- Stock Speed- Shims 0 1 1 2 2
master master Needle Pilot Screw 1.5 turns 1.5 Turns 1.75 turns 2 turns 2.25 turns
Needle Code NBZY NBZY NBZY NBZY NBZY
Air Hole 2.5 mm (?) 2.5 mm (?) 2.5 mm (?) 2.5 mm (?) 2.5 mm (?)

Main Jet 110 112 118 125 130 135+

Pilot Jet 40 40 40 40 40 40
Stock Thruxton Shims 0 1 1 1 1 1
856cc Thruxton Needle Pilot Screw 2.5 turns 2.75 turns 2.75 turns 2.5. turns 3 turns 3 turns
Needle Code NBZT NBZT NBTZ NBTZ NBTZ NBTZ
Air Hole 2.5 mm 2.5 mm 3.0 mm 3.0 mm 3.0mm 3.0 mm

Main Jet 120

Pilot Jet 40 No information No information No information No information No information
Stock Speed- Shims 0
856cc Scrambler master Needle
(?) Pilot Screw 1.5 turns
Needle Code NBZY
Air Hole 2.5 mm (?)
 Jenks bolts Performance Parts Page 11

use a security D screw head ,there is no cap. The Practice

This screw must be set to give a smooth idle and
2nd gear, 2000 rpm, steady state cruise. Initially Now you understand all the theory, what canor
set mixture screws at the recommended settings shouldyou do?
shown in the table on page 10. For the 790cc bikes fitting a Thruxton needle in
If lean surging is encountered during steady cruise conjunction with stock 110 main jets and 1 or 2
turn the mixture screws (turn out) in 1/2 turn incre- shims is a good starting point as it gives better re-
ments. sults than simply increasing main jet sizes. As
changes are made to the exhaust and inlet, the
Further, if the pilot screws are too lean there will be
main jet can be increased further.
surging problems when the engine is operated at
high rpm at small throttle openings. Opening the The table on page 10 shows all the available com-
mixture screws and/or increasing pilot jet size will binations, including stock settings and suggestions
usually cure the problem. Start by opening the for the 2005 model year, including for the America
screws by a quarter turn at a time, but if you need and Speedmaster. Settings for the 2006 Scrambler
to go more than 2 turns, change the pilot jet for the will be developed in due course.
next size up and go back to the stock airscrew set- For all the settings a Thruxton Needle option is
tings. given, but for the more extreme airbox changes ex-
NOTE: A rich problem gets worse as the engine perience is limited and these suggestions are pro-
heats up. visional.
If the throttle is lightly "blipped" at idle and the rpm
1. Main Jets
drops below the set idle speed then rises up to the
set idle speed, the low speed mixture screws are Settings for a Stock Bike with standard ex-
probably set too rich: try 1/2 turn in, to lean the idle hausts, stock air filter and the Air Injection
mixture. But if you need to go more than 2 turns equipment fitted.
then change the pilot jet for the next size down and Bonneville: Very early bikes came with 105
go back to the stock airscrew settings. main jets, Since mid 2001 bikes were deliv-
NOTE: A lean problem gets better as the engine ered with 110 main jets. Going up to 115 will
heats up. help: some dealers do this as part of pre-
delivery inspection work to get the bike to run
If the throttle is lightly "blipped" from idle at 1000 well.
rpm or less and the rpm "hangs up" before dropping Thruxton Needle Bonnie: Not recommended
to the set idle speed, provided that there are no Thruxton / T100: No change is needed.
intake leaks, then the mixture screws are probably
too lean: try 1/4 turn out, to enrichen mixture. Settings for Bikes with Free Flow Exhausts,
stock air filter and with the Air Injection
5. Drilling the Slide equipment removed.
The hole that transfers vacuum from the venturi to Bonneville: The stock exhausts restrict power
above the diaphragm plays an important part in by 12% from open exhausts. The off road ex-
throttle response. Too small and the bike feels hausts allow more air through, but the airbox
sluggish, too large and the air flow increases faster and air filters still restrict air flow. Jet choice
than the main jet can deliver fuel, so there is a sud- depends very much on the make and restric-
den loss of power. The photo on page 4 shows the tion of your pipes. For Triumph Off Road
slide, spring and needle. pipes, start with 120 main jets. With other
makes of exhaust it may be necessary to go
The stock bike has a 2.5mm diameter hole: with up to 135 main jets.
larger main jets you can enlarge the hole to 3mm. Thruxton Needle Bonnie: 105 main jets.
BUT reversing the change is expensive as new Thruxton/T100 With the Triumph Off Road
slides have to be purchased! Pipes: fit 115 main jets.
 Page 12 Jenks bolts Performance Parts

2, Modified Air Box As is clear from the figure on page 5 and the de-
Settings for Bikes with Free Flow Exhausts, scription of the action of this jet, the main jet must
the Air Injection equipment removed and a be set first. Then, as the main jet and the needle
range of changes to the air filter / air box. are adjusted, it will be necessary to re-adjust the
Pilot Screw. As a crude rule, the larger the pilot jet,
Step 1 change, (fitting a free flow air filter such as a
the less the Pilot Screw needs to be open.
Unifilter), allows a further increase in jet size pro-
vided that off road exhausts have already been Bonneville: Unless you have a problem with
fitted. cold starting leave the stock pilot jets at
(Bonnie 40, America 42). Some people report
Bonneville: Increase the main jet by 02 to 05
that going up a size (42/45 respectively) with
units, e.g. if you have a 120 main jet, go to
the pilot screws set at 2.5 to 2.75 turns open
122 or 125.
improves cold starting. Others disagree!
Thruxton Needle Bonnie: 110 or 112 mains
Thruxton: The stock pilot jets are fine, cold
Thruxton/T100: Go to 118 main jets starting does not seem to be a problem.
Step 2 change: (Step 1 plus snorkel removed and
optional velocity stack fitted) the main jet can be 4. Using Shims
increased in size, provided that both off road ex- Shims allow a subtle adjustment of the nee-
hausts and free flow air filter have been fitted. dle, and are useful in certain conditions.
Bonneville: Increase the main jet by a further Solo Bonneville: Using the stock needle no
02 to 05 unit, for example, if you have a 122 shims are needed, If you have either free flow
main jet, go to 125. exhaust or free flow air filter try a single
Thruxton Needle Bonnie: 115118 main jet. 0.5mm shim. With both, try a 1mm shim.
Thruxton: Increase the main jet to 125. With the Thruxton needle use 1 shim.
Pillion Bonnie: With the stock needle and
Step 3 change: (Step 2 plus air box baffle removed) both air filter and exhaust modifications, and
the main jet can be further increased, provided that you ride two up, dont shim.
both off road exhausts and free flow air filter have Thruxton: Dynamometer testing shows 1
been fitted. shim is fine with a free flow exhausts and air
Bonneville: Increase the main jet by a further filter.
10 units, so with 125 main jets go up to 125.
Thruxton Needle Bonnie: 120 main jet. 5. the Primary Sprocket
Thruxton: Some riders suggest 130 to 135
The smaller engined Bonnies have a 17 tooth pri-
Step 4 change, the final stage is to remove the air mary sprocket, the Thruxton and 900cc T100s
box and replace it with the Air box eliminator kit have an 18 tooth sprocket. With tuned Bonnies an
from Bella Corse in the USA. K&N pancake air filters 18 tooth main sprocket, or 19 tooth on the T100
go straight on the carbs. It is assumed that off road makes riding at typical road speeds more relaxing.
pipes have already been fitted. For the Thruxton the torque characteristics do not
Bonneville: Start at 145 and work up to 155. suggest fitting a larger sprocket, but if acceleration
Thruxton Needle Bonnie: 130 main jet, possi- is your thing try a 17 tooth main sprocket.
bly with 42 pilot jets.
Thruxton: One or two suggestions that up to 6. Altitude
135 main jets may be right. The Bonnie is set up to work from sea level to
3000ft / 1000m. All our instructions are based on
that assumption. Popular wisdom developed from
3. Pilot Screw and Pilot Jets
advice given by Amal Carburettors is that if you ride
The role of this jet was discussed on pages 9&10. between 3000ft and 6000ft then it may help to
The stock settings are shown in the table on page reduce main jet sizes by 5%. For every further
10: The right side jet may need to be about an 1000ft reduce jet sizes by about 3%.
eighth of a turn less open than the left side.
To order: Phone +44 (0) 1722 711 745 Page 13

Your Notes
 Jenks Bolts are manufactured in England by:

The Jenks Partnership Limited

PO Box 1840 Salisbury Wiltshire SP5 3WA

Phone: +44 1722 711 745

Fax:+44 1722 711 383
Email: info@triumph-bonneville.com

The words Jenks Bolts and the TJP Logo are Registered Trademarks of The Jenks Partnership Ltd.
TJP 2005

Notice
The name Triumph, the model names: Bonneville, T100, Thruxton, Scrambler, America, Speedmaster, Trophy, Thunderbird, Legend and
Adventurer and the photographs on the front cover of this leaflet are either trademarked names of Triumph Designs Ltd or subject to copyright
owned by Triumph Designs Ltd. The names and the pictures are used for model reference only.
The Paul Smith signature is a Registered Trade Mark of Paul Smith
The Jenks' Partnership Ltd is not affiliated with Triumph Motorcycles, Ltd. in any way and the parts and accessories offered by the Jenks
Partnership Ltd are not manufactured or endorsed by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd.

Disclaimer
The suggestions provided on this data sheet are without warranty and each user is responsible for making sure that the settings they chose are
suitable for their particular set of conditions. Following these instructions may make the bike suitable, in certain countries, only for use off road
or on closed tracks! Users should also inform their insurance company that performance enhancing modifications have been made.