TRIUMPH Complaints

FRONT BRAKE LEVER IS ALWAYS VERY SOFT ON FIRST PULL AND PRODUCES REDUCED BRAKING ABILITY. THE LEVER IS FIRM ON THE SECOND PULL AND THE FRONT BRAKES OPERATE AND STOP PROPERLY. I USUALLY SQUEEZE THE LEVER TWICE TO STOP, BUT THAT COULD TAKE TOO LONG IN AN EMERGENCY STOP.

I HAVE HAD 3 SIDE STAND SPRINGS FAIL DURING THIS CALENDAR YEAR 2020, IN LESS THAN 3,000 TOTAL MILES. 2 OF THE FAILED SPRINGS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED PARTS FROM A TRIUMPH INTERNAL SAFETY BULLETIN REPLACEMENT. THIS LAST SPRING FAILED 900 MILES AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED ONLY A MONTH AND A HALF AGO. ALL INSTALLATIONS WERE DONE BY THE AUTHORIZED TRIUMPH DEALERSHIP. ALL 3 OF THE SPRING FAILURES OCCURRED AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, TOP GEAR, IN TRAFFIC - WHEN IT FAILS, IT ACTIVATES A KILL SWITCH THAT CUTS POWER TO THE MOTOR, LEAVING ME IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AT SPEED WITH A NON-RESPONSIVE MOTORCYCLE. AFTER THE SECOND OCCURRENCE, I EMAILED TRIUMPH AFTER SALES CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM AND THEIR HEAD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE PETER CARLEO, MY EMAIL WAS NOT RESPONDED TO, I REPLIED AGAIN - AND NO RESPONSE. I HAVE NOW EMAILED THEM A THIRD TIME. MY DEALERSHIP SAID TODAY AFTER INSTALLING THE 4TH SPRING ON MY BIKE THIS YEAR THAT THEY CALLED TRIUMPH CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY WERE DISMISSED AND THAT I AM ON MY OWN TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN AS I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IN TRAFFIC 3X DUE TO A SIDE STAND SPRING, A $6 PART FAILING 3X. THIS IS THE MOST SIMPLE OF PARTS AND ONE THAT IN MY 13 YEARS OF RIDING NEARLY EVERY DAY ON 3 DIFFERENT TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES, I HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED BEFORE. TRIUMPH NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND RECTIFY THIS ISSUE COMPLETELY BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED - IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ALREADY. MY SPRINGS FAILED ON 1/30/20, 6/17/20 AND 11/28/20, OVER THE COURSE OF LESS THAN 3,000 MILES TRAVELLED.

NOTICED SPONGY BRAKE LEVER FEEL WHEN I PURCHASED THE BIKE. SPONGY FRONT BRAKES - REQUIRES A DOUBLE PULL OF LEVER. HAVE BLED BRAKES AND SPONGY FEELS COMES BACK AFTER FEW LEVER PULLS. HAVE HAD MANY OTHER MOTORCYCLES WITH BREMBO BRAKES AND NONE REQUIRED A DOUBLE PULL FOR PROPER ENGAGEMENT.

THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON THIS MOTORCYCLE IS BREMBO MASTER AND CALIPERS AND ALWAYS REQUIRES A PUMP OF THE LEVER TO PROVIDE PRESSURE. THIS SEEMS IMMUNE TO BLEEDING AS IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CALIPER PISTONS. TRIUMPH IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NO REMEDY FOR THE ISSUE OTHER THAN CONTINUING TO BLEED THE SYSTEM IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIX THE ISSUE TO NO AVAIL. THIS IS CONCERNING AS EMERGENCY BRAKING REQUIRES A FIRM LEVER ON THE FIRST PULL WHICH IS NOT POSSIBLE CURRENTLY.

THE FRONT BRAKE NEEDS TO BE "PUMPED UP" BY PRESSING AT LEAST TWICE BEFORE THE FULL POWER OF BRAKING IS APPLIED WHILE THE BIKE IS IN MOTION OR STOPPED. THIS HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE SELLING DEALER AT LEAST ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN PROBLEM

WHEN I RIDE THIS MOTORCYCLE, I NEED TO PUMP THE BRAKE TO GET THEM TO WORK AND BRING THE MOTORCYCLE TO A STOP. IT'S VERY SCARY IN A SUDDEN SITUATION WHEN YOU NEED TO STOP AND THE LEVER GOES VERY CLOSE TO THE BAR WITH BARELY BRAKES GRABBING TO SLOW DOWN. IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, I CAN SEE HOW THIS COULD BE THE CAUSE OF A CRASH. FOR THIS REASON I BARELY RIDE MY BIKE NOW. I TOOK IT MULTIPLE TIME TO THE TRIUMPH DEALERSHIP WITH NO REPAIR AND TELLING ME THE BRAKES WERE NORMAL. MY 1988 HONDA STOPS BETTER WITH 32 YEARS OLD BRAKE TECHNOLOGY, THAN THIS NEW MOTORCYCLE. IN MY 3 YEARS OF RIDING THIS TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLE, I HAVE FLUSHED THE BRAKES MULTIPLE TIMES AND THE CHANGED CALIPER PISTONS, BUT TO NO AVAIL. I WOULD LIKE TRIUMPH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.

THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER MUST BE PUMPED FOR FULL EFFECTIVENESS PRIOR TO STOPPING. THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE, AND OCCURS EVERY TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED.

SINCE NEW THERE HAS BEEN INCONSISTENT BRAKING WHEN APPLYING THE FRONT BRAKES; OFTEN REQUIRING MULTIPLE SQUEEZES OF THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER TO GET EXPECTED BRAKING FORCE. THIS WAS IMMEDIATELY REPORTED TO THE SELLING DEALER AND THEY PERFORMED A FRONT BRAKE SYSTEM BLEED. WHILE THIS INITIALLY APPEARED TO REMEDY THE ISSUE THE INCONSISTENT BRAKING PERFORMANCE RETURNED SHORTLY AFTER. ADDITIONAL BRAKE SYSTEM BLEEDS AND REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER HAVE NOT RESOLVED THE ISSUE. I CONSIDER THIS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AS UNPREDICTABLE BRAKING PERFORMANCE CAN RESULT IN NOT BEING ABLE TO SAFELY STOP OR SLOW THE VEHICLE IN BOTH NORMAL RIDING AND EMERGENCY SCENARIOS. INQUIRIES WITH THE SELLING DEALER AND OTHER DEALERS WHO CARRY THIS BRAND INDICATE THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ON THIS MODEL AND OTHER MODELS WITHIN THE BRAND THAT USE A SIMILAR BRAKE SYSTEM BUT CLAIM THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT OFFERED A PERMANENT RESOLUTION. ONLINE RESEARCH ALSO INDICATES OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE WITH THE POSSIBLE CAUSES RELATED TO THE MATERIALS USED FOR BRAKE CALIPER COMPONENTS.

THE FRONT BRAKES HAVE AN ISSUE WHERE I NEED TO PUMP THE BRAKE AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE GETTING SOLID BRAKE PRESSURE. THE FIRST PULL ON THE BRAKE LEVER IS SPONGY AND GOES NOT HAVE SOLID PRESSURE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY A CONCERN WHEN TURNING INTO A BLING CORNER AND NEEDING TO PERFORM EMERGENCY BRAKING. THE FRONT CALIPER IS NOT ALIGNED EVENLY WITH THE BRAKE ROTOR EVEN AFTER THIS MOTORCYCLE WAS WITH THE TRIUMPH DEALER FOR OVER A MONTH FOR REPAIRS. I CAN SHARE A VIDEO SHOWING HOW THE BRAKE LEVER TRAVEL BEHAVES.

2019 TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN WITH BREMBO FRONT BRAKES. FRONT BRAKE LEVER FEELS MUSHY ON FIRST PULL, IT'S SOFT ENOUGH TO PULL ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BAR. IF RELEASED AND PULLED AGAIN IMMEDIATELY, THE LEVER FEELS NORMAL/MUCH FIRMER. THIS "DOUBLE PULL" ISSUE RECURS WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE NOT USED FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE OR SO. ISSUE OCCURS BOTH WHEN THE BIKE IS STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. ISSUE HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE THE BIKE WAS NEW. BRAKES WERE BLED TWICE BY THE SELLING DEALER, BUT THE ISSUE PERSISTS.