TRIUMPH Complaints

THE FRONT BRAKES SINCE THE BEGINNING HAVE FELT SPONGY AND I HAD A FEW CLOSE CALLS WHEN I HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKES HARD, THE MOTORCYCLE STILL KEPT GOING I HAVE TO DOUBLE PUMP TO HAVE THEM ACTUALLY WORK PROPERLY.

THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER GETS A VERY SOFT, SPONGY FEEL ON THE FIRST LEVER PULL. I HAVE TO PUMP MY FRONT BRAKE BEFORE I START TO RIDE. AFTER PUMPING THE BRAKES THEY FEEL GOOD AS LONG AS I USE THEM EVERY SO OFTEN. IF I DON'T TOUCH THEM FOR ABOUT 15 PLUS MINUTES, THEY GO BACK TO BEING SPONGY AND SOFT FEELING WITH LESS BRAKING FORCE BEING APPLIED TO MY FRONT BRAKES. I FOUND THAT IT GETS WORSE THE HOTTER THE AMBIENT TEMP IS. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS WHILE THE MOTORCYCLE IS STATIONARY OR MOVING. SPEED DOESN'T MATTER, THE THINGS I FIND THAT EFFECT IT IS OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE (NOT BRAKE SYSTEM TEMP) AND THE TIME BETWEEN FRONT BRAKE ACTUATIONS. SOFT FRONT BRAKE FEEL AND APPLICATION HAPPENS ON EVERY ROAD, ELEVATION, CITY STREETS, FREEWAY, HIGHWAY AND IN MY GARAGE. I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE MYSELF AS THE DEALER TOLD.ME IT WAS NORMAL AND DID NOT CREATE A REPAIR ORDER FOR MY VEHICLE. I HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER WITH AN AFTER MARKET ONE, BRAKE FLUID, FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS, RETORQUED ALL OF THE BRAKE FLUID LINES, REPLACED FRONT WHEEL SPACERS AND REALIGNED MY FRONT BRAKE CALIBERS, AND COUNTLESS BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID BLEEDINGS WITH AND WITHOUT ABS PUMP ACTIVATION WHILE BLEEDING WITH A SCAN TOOL WITH NO SUCCESS. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE MOTORCYCLE WAS BRAND NEW.

THE FRONT BRAKE LEVER'S TRAVEL DECREASES UP TO ONE INCH WHEN NOT IN USE IN AS LITTLE AS 2 DAYS OF INACTIVITY. BLEEDING OF SYSTEM'S BRAKE FLUID, CLEANING OF PISTONS AND SEAL REPLACEMENT HAVE BEEN PERFORMED BUT NO PERMANENT CHANGE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 TRIUMPH THRUXTON MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE LEVER, THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 SECONDS, THE BRAKES ACTIVATED BUT FELT SQUISHY. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT AFTER PRESSING THE BRAKE LEVER A SECOND TIME THE BRAKING SYSTEM OPERATE NORMALLY. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO TRIUMPH SAN DIEGO LOCATED AT 5171 MORENA PL. SAN DIEGO, CA 92110 HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. AFTER RETRIEVING THE MOTORCYCLE, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 950.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TRIUMPH TROPHY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STOPPING THE MOTORCYCLE AND ATTEMPTING TO GET OFF OF THE MOTORCYCLE, THE MAIN STAND COLLAPSED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE MOTORCYCLE ONLY THING HOLDING UP THE MOTORCYCLE WAS THE KICK STAND. THE CAUSE OF FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. ADDITIONALLY, AFTER RESTARTING MOTORCYCLE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER SPIRIT INDIAN MOTORCYCLE OF SAN JOSE LOCATED AT 460 MERIDIAN AVE, SAN JOSE, CA 95126 WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

WHEN DOWNSHIFTING FROM 3RD GEAR TO 2ND GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE SECOND GEAR, BUT GOES INTO NEUTRAL. THIS HAPPENS IN MOTION AND RESULTS IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER OR ENGINE BRAKING. IT APPEARS TO HAPPEN IN BOTH HIGH LOAD AND LOW LOAD SITUATIONS AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THIS OCCURS IN BOTH STREET AND HIGHWAY CONDITIONS AND MOST ALARMINGLY WHILE TURNING. THIS IS APPARENTLY A WELL KNOW ISSUE WITH THIS GENERATION OF TRIUMPH TIGER EXPLORER MODELS, WITH NUMEROUS REFERENCES TO THIS ON THE OWNERS FORUMS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T120 MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO TRIUMPH OF BROOKLYN LOCATED AT 105 METROPOLITAN AVE, BROOKLYN NY 11249, TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT ELECTRONIC DISPLAY WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE ELECTRONIC DISPLAY WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER AND THE WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V133000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

THE RED NYLON FUEL CONNECTOR ON BOTTOM OF TANK HAS COMPLETELY SNAPPED OFF AND FAILED. BIKE WAS IN GARAGE AND WHEN I WENT TO START THE ENGINE I SMELLED GAS SO WITH FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THE FUEL LINE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK WAS COMPLETELY FAILED. *TR

THE FRONT BRAKES HAVE A VERY SPONGY FEEL AND REQUIRE MULTIPLE PULLS OR 'PRIMER PULLS' FOR THE FRONT BRAKES TO ENGAGE CORRECTLY. IN EMERGENCY BRAKE SITUATIONS, I DO NOT GET FULL BRAKING POWER OUT OF THE FRONT BRAKES WHEN THE LEVER IS PULLED IN QUICKLY. THE LEVER GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE HANDLEBAR GRIP. DEALERS AND SHOPS HAVE TRIED BLEEDING MY BRAKES NUMEROUS TIMES TO FIX THE ISSUE BUT THE LEVER RESPONSE DOES NOT IMPROVE. THEY ALL SUGGEST THAT I CHANGE THE WHOLE SYSTEM. I THOUGHT THE ISSUE WAS ONLY MY BIKE UNTIL A COMMUNITY OF RIDERS WITH MY SAME BIKE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE. THIS ISSUE OCCURS WHEN IN MOTION, STAND STILL, STREET, HIGHWAY AND TURNING. *TR

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