Triumph Quit Ignoring Your Ignition Problems

Hi. At last, Just found this thread about R3 ignition switch problems. I live in the Highlands of Scotland, not a place you want your bike to break down.. oh No! So, I'm about 60 miles from home when I stop at some traffic lights, the bike just goes dead on me. No lights on ignition, just nothing. I pull over to the kerb and toggle the ignition key on and off, no lights just NOTHING! Now i'm worried. I tug around under the ignition switch thinking that something has come loose, maybe a wire or something.. I turn on the ignition again... still nothing! Its getting dark and I don't like the idea of being stranded in a town that is 3 thousand feel above sea level. up in the mountains, but it looks like I am going to be. I'm getting cold, I'm getting worried and I'm really getting pissed off, what will I do? I leave the bike and walk back to the town I've just passed through, find a pub have a strong cup of coffee and begin to pray. There are no garages here, there is only one phone and that is in the pub i'm sitting in. There are no breakdown rescue services here, I'm too far out in the sticks for that. I pray again, then again. I walk back to my bike an hour later. I just hope that its going to flicker its ignition lights at me when I try the key again. Yes! its on, and I thank God! I get her fired up and I'm on my way. I get down the mountain and then, then, then... as i'm entering another town I lose power and the lights go out again.. ****! I've had enough, I have done nothing that makes me responsible for this ignition failure. I keep my bike in tip top condition, I clean her and give her all the love she needs, so why me! By the grace of God I eventually get the bike home at 6 am in the morning, this after it stopping 7 times with the same ignition fault. Next day, after along sleep, I take a look at the ignition wiring on the bike, looks good to me, what's the problem, I don't know, but I'm sure its the ignition switch, I'm positive of that! So here I am, talking to you, or the person reading this. Now I find out that I'm not the only one that has experienced this R3 ignition switch failure, in fact it is obviously a problem that Triumph know about and probably knew that their crap ignition was going to fail. Now I have my babe, my Rocket 3, just sitting in my shed and I'm wondering how I'm going to fix it, help me!
 
Hi. At last, Just found this thread about R3 ignition switch problems. I live in the Highlands of Scotland, not a place you want your bike to break down.. oh No! So, I'm about 60 miles from home when I stop at some traffic lights, the bike just goes dead on me. No lights on ignition, just nothing. I pull over to the kerb and toggle the ignition key on and off, no lights just NOTHING! Now i'm worried. I tug around under the ignition switch thinking that something has come loose, maybe a wire or something.. I turn on the ignition again... still nothing! Its getting dark and I don't like the idea of being stranded in a town that is 3 thousand feel above sea level. up in the mountains, but it looks like I am going to be. I'm getting cold, I'm getting worried and I'm really getting pissed off, what will I do? I leave the bike and walk back to the town I've just passed through, find a pub have a strong cup of coffee and begin to pray. There are no garages here, there is only one phone and that is in the pub i'm sitting in. There are no breakdown rescue services here, I'm too far out in the sticks for that. I pray again, then again. I walk back to my bike an hour later. I just hope that its going to flicker its ignition lights at me when I try the key again. Yes! its on, and I thank God! I get her fired up and I'm on my way. I get down the mountain and then, then, then... as i'm entering another town I lose power and the lights go out again.. ****! I've had enough, I have done nothing that makes me responsible for this ignition failure. I keep my bike in tip top condition, I clean her and give her all the love she needs, so why me! By the grace of God I eventually get the bike home at 6 am in the morning, this after it stopping 7 times with the same ignition fault. Next day, after along sleep, I take a look at the ignition wiring on the bike, looks good to me, what's the problem, I don't know, but I'm sure its the ignition switch, I'm positive of that! So here I am, talking to you, or the person reading this. Now I find out that I'm not the only one that has experienced this R3 ignition switch failure, in fact it is obviously a problem that Triumph know about and probably knew that their crap ignition was going to fail. Now I have my babe, my Rocket 3, just sitting in my shed and I'm wondering how I'm going to fix it, help me!
 
I just read a thread like yours and it turned out the battery terminal was loose.
clean and check battery terminals.
does not sound like the ign prob to me. although u might look into if it has the eastern beaver kit installed to save the ign switch.
also sounds like u might want to look into how to hot wire to by pass the ign
 
The white wire inside the keyswitch has probably come unsoldered. You can take it apart and resolder it, but you will have to remove 2 tamperproof screws, which you will replace with new metric bolts. In my signature you will also find instructions for an inexpensive digital ignition bypass. The best solution is from another Scot @DEcosse , (I am only half Scottish) who has a plugnplay system which is excellent.
 
On investigation I find that you were exactly correct about the ignition wire having come disconnected. Thank you so much for that information! In fact you got it right down to the actual colour of the loose wire, which indeed is white, as you said. Please can you tell me how on earth I get those 2 tamper proof bolts out? so that I can put new ones in, probably with a new ignition while i'm doing the job? The 2 anti tamper bolts seems well rusted in and they don't seem to have any kind of head on them, and since I have to remove them from below, looking up at them from below, its seems like its quite a job. I have removed the horn and the head lights to give me some room, but still I can't seem to get any kind of tool in the limited space to grab onto the bolts. Can you give me more advice please. I guess you might tell me to remove the whole yoke and turn it upside down so that it can be done that way, I've thought about that too, but I really don't want to do that.. any other ideas my friend?
 
You can remove the entire key switch mechanism from the bike without removing the yoke. Manual is in my signature. This makes it easier. I used a Dremel to carve a slot in the head and then used a screwdriver. Others have used other methods. Once you get them started they should come out reasonably easily.
 
Reactions: wjb
OnlyLexus said:
The 2 anti tamper bolts seems well rusted in and they don't seem to have any kind of head on them,
Click to expand...
The thing that makes them 'anti-tamper' is that they are actually 'shear bolts' - when installed and they reach a certain torque, the heads actually shear off - so yes, you need to try to dremel some kind of slot on there, or drill the remaining part of the shoulder off
Also note there are actually TWO sets of shear bolts - there are two (larger) ones holding the whole switch/lock assembly to the yoke and two smaller ones that hold the electrical switch and the mechanical lock assembly together - you want to remove the larger (outer) ones to get the whole switch off.
Once it is out you can use std socket cap screws to re-fasten to the yoke.
 
Thanks so much for your help. You say the Manuel is in your "signature" what do you mean by that? I am new around here, sorry.
Thank you so much for the advice, I'll try on that you suggested, let you know how I get on.
 
OnlyLexus said:
Thanks so much for your help. You say the Manuel is in your "signature" what do you mean by that? I am new around here, sorry.
Click to expand...
At the bottom of every post there is a signature. If you are using a cell phone then you will need to go from portrait to landscape mode, and possibly scroll up or down a bit to see it. In my signature you will find a link. Click on it and you will find some useful stuff.
 
I've been following this thread for a couple of days now, as my 08 R3T experienced the same exact symptoms as others have had, with no advance warning. no ignition, no lights, no indicators, no fuel pump, and oddly enough only the horn worked. Tried the switch on and wiggling wires, Nothing. Tried changing battery, etc, all to no avail. Resolved my self to tearing the ignition switch apart, expecting to find the white wire disconnected or toasted.
Didn't happen.
Essentially everything was as it should have been, no bent or badly scored contacts/connections, no scorched wires, and nothing got hot enough to de-solder itself. Got out the contact cleaner and di-electric grease, and carefully rebuilt it back the way I found it. Checked the connections and relays for snugness, and tried it. And it was if there hadn't been any problems at all, it came alive again.
I'm not sure I feel better about this. It's good that it only cost me an afternoon, 2 drill bits, and $25 for the U-haul trailer to get her home, and operating again. But puzzle some in that other than cleaning and rebuilding it with the original parts, there was no clear cut fault to pin this total failure on. I'm not planning any long distance trips anytime soon, but its still no fun being stranded at work after a long day. Hopefully, this fixed it, if not I'll report back.
Many thanks to all who contributed on this thread. I went into this having never torn an ignition switch apart before, but the advice I found here helped me feel prepared to tackle this issue
 
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