NHTSA Complaint #10088915 — 1998 TRIUMPH TRIUMPH

I HAVE A 1998 TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD SPORT MOTORCYCLE, WHICH I BOUGHT NEW AND WHICH CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 22,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. THIS PAST WEEK I NOTICED THE SMELL OF RAW GASOLINE EVERY TIME I CAME TO A STOP. CONCERNED, I PARKED THE BIKE ON THE CENTER STAND, TURNED THE GAS ON, AND STARTED THE ENGINE. TO MY SURPRISE, I SAW RAW GAS DRIPPING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CENTER CARBURETOR. I STOPPED THE ENGINE, AND TURNED OFF THE GAS. THE DRIPPING STOPPED. THINKING THAT I HAD A LEAKY FLOAT, OR A BAD NEEDLE, I SET ABOUT REMOVING THE GAS TANK, SIDE COVERS, AIR CLEANER, AND CARBURETORS. I THEN PULLED THE CENTER CARBURETOR FLOAT BOWL COVER, AND PULLED THE FLOAT. I SHOOK THE FLOAT, AND HEARD NOTHING. I THEN TOOK THE FLOAT AND SUBMERSED IT IN A CONTAINER OF LIQUID. AN HOUR LATER, I LET THE FLOAT LOOSE, AND IT POPPED UP TO THE SURFACE EVENLY. I THEN SHOOK THE FLOAT, AND COULD PERCEIVE NO LIQUID INSIDE. I WAS NOW CONVINCED THAT THE FLOAT WAS OK. I THEN STARTED CHECKING EVERYTHING. NO PROBLEM WAS EVIDENT UNTIL I EXAMINED THE FUEL LINE. UPON EXAMINATION, I NOTICED THAT THE BASE OF THE FUEL LINE WHERE IT CONNECTED TO THE CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY WAS CRACKED. TWISTING THE FUEL LINE REVEALED MULTIPLE CRACKS THAT ONLY SHOWED UP WHEN THE LINE WAS BENT INTO POSITION TO DELIVER FUEL. COVERING THE OTHER END, I BLEW IT INTO THE FUEL LINE AND HEARD AIR ESCAPING FROM THE CRACK. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS LEAK REPRESENTED A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD INSOFAR AS THE LEAK WAS POSITIONED OVER THE GENERATOR. THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT. PERSONALLY, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE IS ANY EXCUSE FOR THIS FAILURE. GAS LINES ON AUTOMOBILES CAN LAST FOR A DECADE OR MORE AND FOR 100,000 MILES OR MORE. GIVEN THE PROXIMITY OF THE RIDER TO THIS POTENTIAL SOURCE OF IGNITION, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON FOR TRIUMPH NOT TO USE THE HIGHEST-QUALITY REINFORCED GAS LINE.*AK