Triumph Quit Ignoring Your Ignition Problems

thats my rocket fixed , there was dampness on the starter relay .
 
Hey there...Had the same problem with 2005 R3 on 1st September 2012..the day after returning from an 800km odd trip...went out at 04:00 for what we call a first day of Spring breakfast run and to watch the sun rise...stopped at a petrol sation to meet up with mates..and when it came to strating the bike...nothing..no lights, needle swing, etc..did the fuse,relay and battery check..all OK..this fortunately happended around 10km from home...had the bike towed to the local dealer ltaer in the day..found burnt out ignition switch...two weeks later bike back in the fold....was glad it happened near to home as opposed to 400 km from home..ride the bike a primary transport and often ride out to clients, with round trip ranging from 160km to 800km...around 6 months later went on a 500km ride with a bunch of mates, with plenty of stops and starts..at the penultimate stop, +- 5km from end of run and 35km from home..stopped for a cold one, and when came to strating the bike, lights came on briefly and then, total deadness...nothing twitched...again checked all the fuses, relays and meter over battery..all seemed OK..bike back at dealer...informed battery incapable of delivering required current..so, again two weeks later..new battery and working bike...now last Wednesday, out on the bike and stopped off at local restaurant and visited till quite late..hop on bike..turn ignition, lights on, lights off and total darkness remained..the next morning went back to bike...did all the checks..and multiple key turns, etc..nada..called for towing service, who arrived 2 hours later..before loading the bike...put the key in the ignition switch and turned it..lo and behold, lights came on and needles did their swing thing..the bike started and still does...however am now loathe to ride far in the event the bike leaves me stranded...am going to a full check on all the earthing in the possibility that earth connections on frame, etc, may be corroded as bike has just over 100 000km on the clock
 
Welcome to the group Billy and a good write up of you issues. Please formally introduce yourself in that thread and give us more detail of your trails and error with any mods you've made. Again, welcome.
 
my breakdown was the final straw for me !
a guy is coming to see my bike on saturday & with a bit of luck he will buy it , its a shame about the electrics on the rocket as its a great bike apart from that .
 
Hey guys..Sorry for the bad manners in being remiss in introducing myself..Am Billy Haskins from Pretoria, South Africa..currently try and ride a Rocket III..lol..have been riding for around 48 years...with a few years off while raising 3 sons..of course was a rider off the old school British bikes in the youth, viz. BSA, Triumph amd Norton..had a smatering of Japanese and BMW's in between and then strated with new generation Triumphs with a 2005 Speed Triple and then the R3..Love the R3, except for the eratic and unprecedented ignition issues..am currently loathe to ride any major distance in the event of being left stranded..
 
Welcome aboard Billy. It's always difficult to diagnose electrical issues from afar. Couple of suggestions though.

Sounds ridiculously simple but you could check and change out your battery bolts. I have a few extra things running off my battery and the bolts were only just long enough to go through all the terminals and the battery post. I had some occasional cold starting issues yet the battery always checked as good. Couple of new, longer bolts seems to have fixed that. I still have my original battery.

I also had my bike die on me on the road once. Had been playing up for a while but I always got going, first by moving the handle bar from side to side and when that stopped working, by working on the the main connector plug from the ignition - under the tank, at the front. Turned out to be a burnt pin in that connector. When your ignition fried it could also have damaged something in that plug. Worth pulling it apart and checking; only half of it would have been replaced. I just bridged the burnt pin with a wire. Others have actually bridged the whole plug.
 
Welcome aboard Billy, Richard has you off to a good start with diagnosis, these guys are magic with the Rocket.
When you have the time you might want to drop by the introduce yourself forum. I am sure the fellows will want to give you a warm welcome!
 
Welcome Billy. Have you had the ignition switch relay fix added to your bike? The early bikes were notorious for burning out ignition switches and the only permanent cure is to add relays to take the headlight load away from the switch or it will continue to overheat and melt. Lots of info on here about this, google Eastern Beaver for a ready made solution if you aren't electrically handy.
 
Hi Canberra3

Thanks for your feedback..bolts on battery terminals are fine...did have bad wiring on the first replacement of the ignition switch...will re-check the connections...
 
add me to the list. I'm getting my second ignition installed as I speak. Wake the F*&K up Mr. Bloor! Your customers are speaking quite loudly.