The Bonneville Work Begins! | The Only Option is to Try and Fix it Myself 

A simple tip for installing new spark plugs - go finger tight then a half turn with a wrench to compress the seal. You don't want to ever over tighten a spark plug as the thread is usually aluminium!

Hi Freddie, another great video, a couple of tips if I may ? 1. Always, always use the cold start knob on the lhs of the bike. It's a two position control; pull out to 1 when starting a warm engine; pull out to 2 on a cold engine start; it's not a choke it's a fast tick-over control and helps the bike to start easily every time; 2. Be aware that this engine has an anti-pollution system called SAI (Secondary Air Injection) and what this does is to let more air into a second inlet on the head to reduce pollution under certain conditions. Throttle openings between 0-6% in other words on tick-over and just above. This gives a slightly different sound to the engine, which is normal. 3. Your bike has a non std. exhaust from TECbike parts, which means it's been modified. It is also VERY common when changing the exhaust to remove the SAI system and blank it off. This mod gives smoother engine performance particularly on smaller throttle openings like in busy traffic. Depending on how it was done (if at all) you may still hear a ticking noise (the system solenoid working) and air escaping if not blocked off correctly. 4. When fitting new spark plugs, don't forget to check and if necessary adjust the spark plug 'gap', to ensure it is correct for the bike. Cheers Dave

I’m no mechanic but to me it definitely sounds like you need to check the cam chain tensioner.

Well done, Freddie. I’m glad your channel is growing so well. Your honest enthusiasm and affection for motorcycling and life in general are terrific and infectious. Thank you for putting yourself and this channel “out there”!

Now get it booked into the dealer for a proper service to check the valve clearances, cam chain adjustment, brakes, ignition and chassis that your quick fix home service didn’t cover. Personally I would also invest in a new pair of HT leads and plug caps.

Freddie, Don't know if someone else has already mentioned it, but your old air filter appears to be a K&N item. They're serviceable for life with air filter cleaner fluid and air filter oil. So it'll be worth doing that and keeping the new one as a spare. The engine will breath better with the K&N as it uses a cotton-like material instead of paper. I haven't watched the whole video yet, but with the hissing sound, squirt a strong solution of washing up liquid around the area and start the bike, any gases escaping will appear as bubbles making the cause more obvious. Spark plug's should be tightened to half a turn after finger tight (assuming it has a crush washer), doesn't require a torque wrench as some people suggested.

Good work Freddie. I love your enthusiasm when things aren’t going as planned. I would definitely recommend investing in a torque wrench. That would have solved your issues during the first fitting.

As a teenager, I remember push my Yammy DT 50 miles home - only later to discover a similar issue. This is equalled out though by the satisfaction of fixing it yourself. It's all experience and of course you'll be wise to it, if it ever happens again - as will we! Thanks Freddy.

well done Freddie. I'm an engineer and been working on my bikes for forty odd years and I still don't like working on bikes,.But sometimes you get no choice unless your'e lucky enough to break down outside a bike shop and you have the money to get it fixed.

Glass is always always always half full with our Freddie Thats why we love him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are learning basic bike maintenance out of necessity ! Motorcycling is not all about going to the bike shed and drinking lattes! Well done on perseverance, it is satisfying to do these things on your own .

That feeling when you fix your bike, well done Freddie.

Awesome video dude! Can’t believe you put your tank on the floor though 😣 that poor paintwork!

Might be a good idea to get some new plug leads, they are a service item, and may have been redesigned to not pop off. Great that you fixed it, just builds confidence that you can do stuff, next time you will do more, and be less worried as problems arise, and tackle them on the road if needed.

A good tip is to read forums about your model bike to find out tips like spark plugs popping off.Alot of bikes pop spark plug leads.Warm engine first before draining oil.Invest in a 3/8" & a 1/2inch tourqe wrenches. Book it in for adjusting tappets( valve clearance) which is probably over due. GET THE TOURQE WRENCHES.

a basic motorcycle maintenance course would serve you well, glad to see its running good now :)

Yess. I love to watch riders being a rider which I have in common. But...... Nothing beats seeing a rider work on his bike as try often to master. Bravo! Greetings from Southern N.M USA

Glad you fixed it yourself. Have you thought of buying a tool roll then you could carry basic tools to repair simple issues like that at the side of the road. It definitely helps me when miles from home and needing to make progress. Might be worth checking the valves, changing the fork oil . Oiling all the pivot points and cleaning out your brake callipers and if needed changing the brake fluid. Then you’ll have done a full service. Best wishes Phil

'Summer in the UK', strolls around on a bike in what is basically autumn gear, leather boots, jeans and a nice (not much ventilated) jacket :D . Me, northern Italy, just returned from a sunday trip: sweating my soul out of Dainese Air gear, in 36+C degrees..... We're not far from becoming a tropical country.

A good tip is to clean the bike before you start removing parts or working on it. Also blow out the spark plug recesses with an air line/air duster before removing the plugs in case any grit or debris has got in there. The last thing you want is anything falling into the cylinder when the plugs come out. 👍 Compared to many Jap fours these bikes are a cinch to work on with great access to the important bits. Shimmed valve clearances are a bit more of a faff than screw & locknut types but still DIY'able.👍 As already mentioned a torque wrench is a must. I guarantee when you service your own bike or fix a problem you'll enjoy that coffee so much more!😁

After fixing something I own I walk with that swagger you just did. Classic guy thing man well done. This Texan is enjoying your show.

I do not even own a motorcycle and will probably not own one in the future, but I enjoy your videos. I started out watching the budget travel to Barcelona. Great story telling and budget minded content.

Enjoy the content, Freddie. Love how positive you stay during the challenging mechanical shenanigans:-) Like a lot of people below - it sounds like the valves might need doing; perhaps the cam chain-tensioner too? But really glad you got that plug torqued up and you got to enjoy the coffee. Cheers.

Stumbled across your channel recently. Really enjoying it. Thank you 👍

Glad you got it sorted relatively cheaply and always a nice feeling when you fix it by yourself. Tip I learnt from an old greaser - if you can hear air getting in and it’s not obvious, test spray some WD40 in certain areas. When the engine note changes, you’ll know you’ve found the faulty area. Also, and I’m not doing an egg sucking lesson here 😂, did you check the spark plug gaps against the bike manual? You’ll need a gap tool (£1) or a feeler gauge. All bikes are different, and if you haven’t got the gap within tolerance, you won’t get best performance or economy. Finally, cold oil change - good idea to leave draining overnight as the oil is less viscous and takes ages to fully drain. Ride safe and looking forward to next vid 👍

Freddie forgot to mention. It was your and the 44T channel that gave me the inspiration, motivation, and a kick up the bum to start riding. I was waiting until I felt responsible enough, and at 38 it was time. So in October I did the CBT, bought a CB125R, and had my first DAS lesson yesterday. Even on the 125, on a sunny day, nothing beats it. 👍

Great to see it sorted…… just needs a proper clean now.

I haven't owned a bike in 40 years (350LC) and I love this channel. Freddie is such an enthusiastic presenter and great videography from the lovely Monica xx I am now looking at the Royal Enfield website :)

Great content Freddie and bravo for tackling that. That hissing you heard was the necessary engine compression build up being lost by the sealing washer on the spark plug. If you look at the old plug, you will notice a washer present that has been compressed flat from correct tightening torque applied. Exceptionally important to have this done correctly. Well done again.

Congratulations on getting the Bonnie fixed. I know you don’t like being a “bike mechanic”, but hopefully your recent success will help you to become more confident, and in time you will also become happier to get the spanners out when needed - saves money and reduces the worry when you are (especially a long way) away from home. I hope you enjoyed the thunderstorm last night, from a “near neighbour” in Felixstowe.

Two Spark Plug wires Off is very unusual, most probably someone pulled them while you were gone.

This is how you evolve into a real biker 😂. Once you get to know your bike inside out, you won't fear having minor issues when you tour.

Hey Freddie. If you ever get caught out with gloves too thin for the weather again, slip on a pair of those disposable ones they offer at petrol pumps under your biking gloves. They’re enough to keep the wind chill off and make a world of difference!

Well done for sorting it, I know relatively very little regarding Bonneville's so didn't know about the spark plug cap/lead issue, my money was on the exhaust mounting clamp being loose, but what a relief being such a simple fix, now clean it!! lol it deserves it.

Great channel and pod cast Freddie. I was convinced it was internal engine damage but wonder why the Bonneville didn't come to a grinding halt.. sorry but I had to Chuckle to myself when I found out what was wrong with it. Glad you sorted it

My V-Strom started making a whining noise going through the gears, as time moved on it got louder a nd louder, for the life of me I couldn't figure it out, the motor and gearbox is running perfectly, I decided to give it a major service tyres, sprockets brake pads the works, once finished I took her for a test ride, whining noise was gone, quiet as a mouse, I started inspecting the old parts and realized that the front sprocket was basically almost smooth, and it was still the original OEM one, I mean 14 years old and never replaced by the previous owner, a simple $20 fix, set your mind at ease Freddie, I've been riding and working on my motorcycles for 30 odd years and many times been caught out by something simple, like an old mechanic told me once "always start with cheapest part first"

Thanks so much for posting this. I have a Bonnieville and am taking a long trip for 9 days in July. I’m going to check my spark plug leads, just in case. Good to know and this came at the perfect time for me. I just did a trial run with all my luggage strapped on today and when I got back, I found that my tank bag had scuffed my tank after only 40 mins. 😑I was able to buff it out mostly with Scratch Doctor, but it will never be the same. So I’ll have to make a change. PS , it’s the same here in Canada, most bike shops are booking a month or more out. Our shop where I work, books 6 weeks out starting in January through the whole year almost. So many people riding now with the price of fuel. I’m glad to have learned to do all my own basic maintenance too. 👏 Enjoy your summer with peace of mind about the bike. That’s a great feeling.

HI Freddie, really enjoying your content. Just an observation after the Barcelona trip and the problems with the Bonneville. i think you should build a small travel toolkit with a few spares, so that you can always do basic maintenance. In fact I am surprised that Triumph did not supply one with the bike.

When getting misfires, I've always been taught to check the three things your engine needs to make the little booms that make you bike move: does the engine get fuel, air and spark? It's a great memory aid for when you run into trouble

As a Bonneville rider I can confirm the Ignition system is notorious for failing as the bikes get on a bit, Igniter unit, coils etc. I had a similar problem and it was a faulty spark plug cap, and also faulty Igniter unit, so took me a while to narrow down. a UK company called Triumph Twin Power do replacement upgraded items should you need them. but If you are trading it in for a Moto Guzzi for example be quick ! I noticed the air filter you removed looks to be a K&N washable type that can be cleaned and reused. If you don't require it, it will sell on ebay .

I only you had spoken to one of those many bikers or even a french bike shop. They would have tightened the plugs for pennies. You have a good media persona so deserve success for that.

Way to go Freddie, Maintenance What A Concept! Your video shows how important it is to learn your bike and to know your bike. And the benefit to posting online and getting valuable advice from fellow experienced riders... Enjoy Summer in your hometown and take that pretty lady of yours out for a ride!! Peace

A good tip when tightening bolts is wack it up until the thread strips, then half a turn 👍 your welcome

Commercial Union. We won't make a drama out of a crisis. Even the mundane to the ordinary is interesting on this channel. The blending of travel, bike, clothing, coffee and fun in a unique and engaging style draws us in hypnotically. We don't need a large wad of folding to enjoy life. Just a willingness to engage with it and get out and try. And this vlog does that better than most others. Thanks for the ride so far. Happy travels 👍

Now I see why you appreciate, adore and possibly lust over the R.E. 350 Classic.

Your videos are absolutely delightful! Today is 1st time I've seen any and was very impressed with your England to Barcelona trip videos. Look forward to catching up many others! Thanks! 👍👍👍

Great video. Isn't it a great feeling when you manage to fix your bike yourself. That rollercoaster of emotions & then in the end, success. Well done.

Glad you got the Bonnie working - might check the valve's if you have the time. Great luck and looking forward to the next installment!

Awesome video and awesome content can’t wait for the next video Thank’s Freddie and Monika

Hi freddie glad unfixed the bike. When I watched the incredible Barcelona vlog and heard the noise: I almost knew a cylinder was out from the sound. So hopefully if a simple fix it had tobe plug, coil or more seriously valves or severe engine trouble.its great you fixed it but you really should have taken a couple of plugs, a spare coil and my advice would be to get valves done listening to the engine noise it’s slightly rattle I think plus the misfire for so many miles will have put a strain on the valve gear causing bad vibration. The ticking you were getting was the spark jumping from the coil to earth. There are different types of spark plugs. I prefer to torques mine up. The reason being is a lot of heads are aluminium and you are tightening a solid metal plug into aluminium and over tightening causes permanent damage and under tightening causes them to vibrate free. Having worked on them for years I still get nervous esp on cars that have the plugs 10” inside the head. Get a torque wrench Fred, i am sure if you mention some tools on here you will get a sponsor. Watching this and the barce vlog has made me see the tougher side of you. Years ago I was on an yam 1200 was not as mechanically minded and as I got off ferry on uk side coming back on a bleak cold Saturday eve I noticed a large nail in my rear tyre.lots of other bikers gathered round. Tried ringing bike shops etc no chance of a tyre till Monday. Had 300 miles to go and was at work Monday. Older guys said ride it it’s not losing air.and I did and I got home safely where i pulled the nail and tyre stayed up.i now carry puncture kit. Other bikers would have helped you Fred. Tantalising stuff but without breakdown, take a few spares and tools imo. Those leads and plugs must have vibrated loose, get the valves and also throttle bodies or carbs balanced to cure the vibration. You can do the valves yourself if you watch u tube but need a balancing tool which is also fairly easy job on a twin. I dont know wether urs is fuel inj or carbs. Thanks for all this hard work. Full of respect

Great to see you fixed the Bonneville and that it was so easy. Nice jacket. Take care safe ride.

Glad you got the bike sorted out! Looking forward to your next new adventure. Blessings from Georgia, USA 🙏 ⚔️🇺🇸⚔️ 🤜🤛 If I was still at Ipswich, I wouldn't be where I am today. ~Dalian Atkinson 🙏🌹 (Mar 1968-Aug 2016)

Wow, what a pleasant surprise. I'd recommend you check the valves now after the extra stress on the engine. Idk how that works on a Triumph, but it's generally not a big deal and should be done from time to time anyway.

Glad to see the bonneville is up and running again also glad to see that you had a go and fixed it yourself ( you will have learnt things that might help you next time ) as others have said WD40 is useful for finding air leaks and carrying a small selection of tools/plugs will help you fix it on the side of the road.. as always another entertaining video 👍

Congratulations for getting your Bonneville up and running, I felt your frustration, thankfully it was only something minor otherwise a month without your bike, I can’t imagine being without mine for a day! Ipswich looks lovely by the way. Stay safe, look forward to your next vlog

Its so satisfying fixing your own bike

Phew nice to see it was a simple fix. It shows that knowing some basic mechanics, as that has saved you a fare few quid had you taken it to a bike shop.

I felt this vid, I had a recent problem with bike I couldn’t work out, after cleaning it, it wouldn’t start, had a mate around trying to jump start, as flat battery due to me trying to get it going, wouldn’t of been so bad, if we wasn’t going on holiday with bike to do NC500. Long story short, it was the vacuum pipe, I knocked it of while cleaning bike.

Oh man, the dreaded barely-on-there spark plug! I have a tale about that... A friend of mine got into bikes and quickly traded in his first ride for a new Royal Enfield Classic 500. On the ride home from the dealership it would sometimes mysteriously die, and eventually start up again. I *looked* at the plug wire and thought it appeared connected. Eventually the dealership had to send a truck to pick him up. They told us they had to connect the plug properly. You can imagine my embarrassment, being the "expert" biker intending to shepherd the new guy home and not even being able to diagnose a loose plug wire. Although, I would assume the dealership guys felt some substantial burn as well, for having failed to assemble the bike in the first place. I love your Bonnie and I applaud anybody who isn't such a princess about their ride that they never take it apart. Your channel is great!

Congratulations on fixing your bike. Don't know if it was mentioned but when changing the oil don't forget to install a new copper or aluminum ring at the drain screw. and as someone who does some tiny works on my bike, I recommend to purchase 2 or 3 different sized torque wrenches, then you get the right tightness for spark plugs and drain screws

I recently watched a vid where it was highly recommended to run and rev the motor before doing the oil change because that will help warm up and liquify the oil and grab and wash out more gunk lying around in the motor and then washing it out with the old oil. In your case I guess that would have meant replacing the spark plugs first to make the motor run normally again and then taking a short but aggressive ride. Obviously the oil is then hot and more dangerous in handling. But the general idea of moving the motor before letting the old oil out makes sense to me. Especially when your bike‘s been sitting for a week.

Fixing a bike myself like that must be so satisfying. What you did there would be border-line brain surgery for me so I'd be over the moon if I'd achieved that. I've found that only doing minor stuff on my bike like adjusting and oiling the chain or changing a bulb and certainly going on a long ride makes me more emotionally attached to it for some reason too. Well done I'm glad you fixed it and what a story to tell the kids! Life is all about experiences and memories but without the experiences you have no memories.

Your videos are all top notch Freddie and Monica. High quality, classy, fun and interesting. Love the music choices too.👌

Good to see you got your old Bonnie into sparkling condition. Keep her purring, not hissing. Cheers mate.

Good job! I've worked on all of my bikes over the years, except for tire replacement. It is a character building experience :P

The deep satisfaction of sorting it yourself. Priceless. Well done mate. She lives.

Hi Freddie great video. Glad you’re showing your Bonnie some love but treat it to a good clean! If you’re ever up in Scotland let me know and I’ll detail it for free. Would be good to see it shiny! All the best.

great stuff Freddie, good to see you fixed it, thanks for filming the repair.

Watching your solo videos, I'm always aware that a lot if time is spent setting up the camera to show arrivals and departures.

Nothing more gratifying than fixing something yourself, a dying art.

😂😂😂, thanks Freddie, at least I didnt jump on the RG and head over! Main thing is you got back and safe! Looking at the video, could well have been breakdown burglary!!! Pull the leads, wait for you to leave bike at the side of the road, and then jack the bike! You habe to be much more aware of these thing Freddie 👊

I admire your confidence Freddie, working on the Bonne in a white t-shirt, impressive. Another great story and episode.

it's nice to try a cure and for it to work. The knowledge that you get sometimes is priceless, well done, I was watching the video and would never have thought check the leads - especially, when I get tired I don't think sensibly, but now I'm older and a little wiser, I take time out and google stuff, which itself is a skill filtering the bs our. well done again Freddie

Great video as always. When watching the previous one when it was playing up in France I thought to myself 'what would Dad say?' and that made me think to check plugs are in place and HT leads etc. I guess the issue would of stood out more if you had the 2-2 silences as one would been very weak. If I do a long trip soon I will make sure I take some spare plugs and leads. Used to on my Norton but you get out of the habit of it with modern machines so thanks for the useful reminder! Keep up the good work!

Freddie, I can’t wait to see what the different bike is ! 😎

That's a very good looking jacket, and what a man Adam from Easy Rider Tenerife is to help you get back on the road with his advice.

Nice one Freddie! My initial thought when you mentioned loss of power was the loss of one cylinder, but you threw me when you talked about losing top gear. I now see you meant that there wasn't enough power to use top gear. I'm not familiar with Bonneville anatomy but is the metallic rattling noise from a dry clutch? If not, your timing chain tension may need looking at. Great video, looking forward to the next one!

Well done mate, you done good 👍

Well done Freddie, good work. I am pleased for you that it wasn’t anything more serious with the Bonnie. I would have done exactly the same as you air filter, oil, oil filter and new plugs and I hate working on bikes too, just love riding them.😀

What a legend! Glad you stuck with it!! I’m a car mechanic at John grose!! Not the Ipswich one, the Diss one, and it’s a very testing job! Been doing it 10years now and it takes a lot of patience 😂😂

Well done Freddie just remember in future Spark plug tighten till it stops then quarter of a turn to compress sealing washer, and squeeze the plug lead clip slightly for a better fit.

Well done, Freddie! Its always rewarding to work on your own bike. I also recommend that you get yourself a sparkplug gap tool and adjust the gaps on your new plugs. The wire and coin types are very cheap, and by setting the gaps on the new plugs to your bike's specifications you will increase your fuel economy as well as engine reliability and longevity. And as I've mentioned before, always keep a basic tool kit in your panniers. Better to have and not need, than need and not have.

standard biker maintenance. got to keep on top of your machine, you did ok, we all started like that. use the brotherhood, welcome to the world.

I’m with you Freddie. I like riding machines 100% more than wrenching on them. With that being said, did you gap the spark plugs? Also, your valves sound a little sloppy. May be time to see if they’re still in spec or need adjusting. Glad the Bonnie is on the mend!

well done mate, at the very least she got a full service (much deserved for getting you back to blighty), glad it was a simple fix, and one you can check for at each night camp/stop to keep peace of mind

Showing the rough part and frustation coming from owning an old bike and fixing it by yourself, I think it's a great way to go with the video. That's also part of the journey! Also happy to see you featuring that great spanish jacket!

I love Freddie’s optimism. White T-shirt and clean jeans for a service session. 😉😁 Personally I favour a light tan safari jacket and cricket trousers but each to his own.

Yes, had similar issues with a 72 Norton. Turned out a simple fix with a new coil. A valve clearance check probably wouldn't hurt either.

Great job troubleshooting and getting the Bonnie up and running again !

Learning a bit of basic maintenance yourself is essential if you have an older bike. Besides saving quite a bit of money, you develop a feel for what an issue could be when you have problem and it is satisfying when you successfully fix the bike. Most maintenance is not that difficult but if you don't enjoy it find a friend who does who can help. A few decent tools can also make things easier.

Your brave trusting that my dad had a newish Bonneville back in the 70's or 80's can't remember which he said the ride home from the dealers bits were falling off it and it was dribbling oil everywhere needless to say he took it back and got his honda cb750 back.

its truly amazing how far confidence can get you.

Good i'm pleased it wasn't anything major. keep em coming .

Always a relief to get the bike up and running again.

It's a great feeling to fix your own bike, and a bit more freeing too. Carrying a few well selected tools is always a good thing. And now you know you can do it, I'm sure you'll be more inclined to have a go at the road side. It's all a learning experience, and a fun one too. Looking forward to your next video.

Not only a tour guide for Europe but rebuilding your Bonneville...man of many talents..ha!!!

A good start would be to adjust the saddle height of your dad's bicycle so it fits you.

Good one Freddie well done and you've learned something too she definitely needs a good top end service don't know what your mileage is but I would think that would help as stated below hey look after her she's done ya proud .😊👍

*The walk from the carpark to the café took more time than the bike repair.* LOL

Don't forget Freddie to check the spark plugs have the correct gap between the electrodes. You will need a set of feeler gauges to do this plus a tool to adjust the gap. NGK used to make and supply these. Also, a new set of HT leads would stop that problem coming back again. 👍