Triumph Quit Ignoring Your Ignition Problems

[Fester]

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for installing headlamp relays? Twice now my bike has refused to start & I've had to wiggle the ignition switch harness. Found this under the tank too.

 

[charlie farley]

Fester i did the single relay mod on mine very easy and you can put a switch in to stop the relay energising a year now all worked well should find it with a quick search, with the break in the ignition loom that i think is in your picture you could go keyless lots here on that also, i did the 3 relay and with the wireless unit only cost £30 works very well once i got me head around the wiring , don't know where in the UK you are, I'm no expert but if you need help I've done both these mods without setting fire to my bike.

 

[albertaduke]

Fester i did the single relay mod on mine very easy and you can put a switch in to stop the relay energising a year now all worked well should find it with a quick search, with the break in the ignition loom that i think is in your picture you could go keyless lots here on that also, i did the 3 relay and with the wireless unit only cost £30 works very well once i got me head around the wiring , don't know where in the UK you are, I'm no expert but if you need help I've done both these mods without setting fire to my bike.

on my 2006 standard I installed the eastern beaver kit just before failure ,worked perfect but I suffered the output shaft bearing failure which was a hell of a lot of work to fix sent pictures to triumph showing the busted bearings both front and back never got a reply !! talk about a bunch of leeches

 

[Fester]

Fester i did the single relay mod on mine very easy and you can put a switch in to stop the relay energising a year now all worked well should find it with a quick search, with the break in the ignition loom that i think is in your picture you could go keyless lots here on that also, i did the 3 relay and with the wireless unit only cost £30 works very well once i got me head around the wiring , don't know where in the UK you are, I'm no expert but if you need help I've done both these mods without setting fire to my bike.

Thanks Charlie, I've cut a pair of relays from an old GSXR loom so may put them in for Dip & main, I quite like the keyless option too so I may look into that.

I'm in Kent so not too far away for you to pop down lol.

 

[knbaudio]

ok guys I've read almost all the post between last night and today. I have a 2008 classic that hasn't given me serous problems. the dealer I bought from didn't deliver it very good tire pressure to high and no gas then wanted me to drive back 2 hr to make right? the dealer south of me was the best and now doesn't handle triumphs. thing I've had (carrier bearing bolt leaking, headlights pointed straight down, brake light switch bad, battery ) since then it's been great bike I'm on my 3rd battery sense 2009. other than the upgrades I got new when I bought the bike for accessories a year ago I did the cat bypass, race pipes, and new map and still was running great. it sat for couple days and 2 days ago it ran fine but yesterday I drove ten minutes and went into the store. I can out to get going and the bike wouldn't start. it just clicked then the dash went black. I had my father show up with his AAA battery van and test it showed that battery needed to be charged and retest as voltage was good but CCA was at 21. it took the jumper pack on battery and jumper cables to starter and it fired up but wouldn't stay running unless the jump pack stayed on the battery check engine light came on along with the other lights like the bike went stupid. first time the bike had to be towed home and the bike. I put jumper cables on the wires from truck while the battery is out charging and the bike just clicks then will just barely roll over if you hold the button. so not sure what wrong with the bike I have a half of a page of things to look for after reading everyone issues. if anyone has some input for me would be great.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

YOU think TRIUMPH is bad well HARLEY and BMW are the least reliable bikes on the planet A buddy has had his BMW 1000RR in the shop over a dozen times in 2 years and its back in there now aND ITS BROKEN DOWN 4 TIMES riding with us

I am starting this thread and plan to take the post and pass it on the triumph as one big complaint. this is for Ignition switch failure Only So give me your stories.

I will start by giving you mine and you can join in.

I took off on a Friday afternoon for what appeared to be the perfect holiday weekend for a getaway with my wife. Everything was going great the weather was perfect and the roads were great we were on US 421 in Manchester Ky making good time. We were trying to get across the mountain and to our destination, Johnson City Tn before dark. We pulled into a station for fuel and a Bio break and then ready to hit the road. I went to start my my bike and had no power to anything except the horn. My wife was waiting at the edge of the parking lot on her Harley Sportster ready to ride. I tried wiggling the key, checked the cut off switch, and did the usual things you do to get your bike started and still nothing. At this time I had wore out my welcome at the gas pump and the line was getting longer. So I pushed my bike out of the way and told the wife I was having problems. She parked her Harley and asked me what was wrong ? I told her I am sure it was something simple and assured her we would be back on the road in no time. I had just put a new battery on the bike for this trip so I assumed I did not have the connections tight and one must have worked lose. I removed the seat and the connections were fine. I checked the voltage on the battery with a meter and it was fine. By the way I highly suggest if you have a rocket get a cheap meter that checks voltage and continuity and keep it on the bike, I was lucky there was a guy in the parking lot with one. So i determined the battery was OK so i assumed it was a fuse. I proceeded to check the continuity on all the fuses one by one they checked out OK. I cursed and told the wife that the quick fix just became a little more complex and I was going to have to raise the tank. So off I went, removing the windscreen, removing the chrome around the switch housing, pulled the gauges, and raised the tank. I checked the voltage going into the switch and it was good I turned the key on and checked to see if there was voltage on any of the other wires in the harness there was none. At this time I was pretty sure it was the switch and by this time an hour had passed. I started calling people from the site I knew have had this trouble before and asked for suggestions. While I was waiting for a call back I decided I was sure it was the switch and I should go get the supplies needed to bypass before the stores closed. Now come the worse part I had to ask the wife if I could borrow her Harley to go to the auto parts store and I caught myself using a phrase I never though I would say "Thank God For Harley's". So I climbed aboard my wife's sportster 883 low and began my ride of shame to the parts store. by the way for those of you that have never meet me I am not the smallest person in the world and I am sure me riding this 883 looked like a bear humping a dog. So i get the the parts store and started browsing, by the way if you own a rocket I suggest you take good notes because this shopping list will come in handy some day if triumph continues to ignore the problem. I purchased a roll of electrical tape, Wire nuts, Wirestriper/crimpers, 14 gauge wire, and a toggle switch and mounted the Harley one more time and headed back to the stations. While I was gone I got the call I was looking for from NMrocket and he assured me he could walk be through the bypass and get me back on the road. So I put 12" leads on the switch and ran and ran them from under the bearclaw so I could access the switch and it still be hidden. Then I cut the wiring harness and instructed and completed the wiring and tested. I now had power so I reassembled the bike, did I mention that installing the bear claw is a pain in the arse. By this time it was 9:00 pm and we still had about 3 hours to ride most of it in BFE. So we opted to ride a little closer and get a room for the night in the thriving metropolis of hazard Ky were we had the pleasuring of staying in the worse motel ever.

Thanks Triumph for not doing an official recall on the switch that eventually left me stranded as it has a good percentage of rocket owners.

Sincerely

Your not so loyal Customer
Steve Cowherd

 

[TURBO200R4]

sounds like bad bat.
have you tried a voltage test while cranking?

 

[warp9.9]

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for installing headlamp relays? Twice now my bike has refused to start & I've had to wiggle the ignition switch harness. Found this under the tank too.

Fester that's the new plug in the update kit. It replaces the old one that was having some issues with moisture. There should be another one separating and feed the tachometer depending on the age of the update kit install. Your problem is most likely up in the ignition switch which is why wiggling the harness gets you a connection. You have two choices along with the EB kit one will be replace the ignition switch the other would be key-less. Either way since your is a classic the EB kit should be done.
If you go the route of a new ignition switch you can just change out the bottom so you retain the same key as the rest of the bike. The new switch will come with the same matching plug as long as you order it for a newer model like the 09 model. Stay away from the Roadster switch as it might have other wiring in it for the gear indicator and ABS stuff. Also even if you change the ignition switch out you can still go key-less if you want.
Hope this helps

 

[Fester]

Fester that's the new plug in the update kit. It replaces the old one that was having some issues with moisture. There should be another one separating and feed the tachometer depending on the age of the update kit install. Your problem is most likely up in the ignition switch which is why wiggling the harness gets you a connection. You have two choices along with the EB kit one will be replace the ignition switch the other would be key-less. Either way since your is a classic the EB kit should be done.
If you go the route of a new ignition switch you can just change out the bottom so you retain the same key as the rest of the bike. The new switch will come with the same matching plug as long as you order it for a newer model like the 09 model. Stay away from the Roadster switch as it might have other wiring in it for the gear indicator and ABS stuff. Also even if you change the ignition switch out you can still go key-less if you want.
Hope this helps

Hi warp9.9, found the problem, it was a poor connection inside the newer modified plug! the pins inside are very small so ive bypassed the plug & soldered it for now, no problems since.

Thanks guys.

 

[warp9.9]

Hi warp9.9, found the problem, it was a poor connection inside the newer modified plug! the pins inside are very small so ive bypassed the plug & soldered it for now, no problems since.

Thanks guys.

great that makes it easier.