Welp, It Happened…Bike No Start While Out

Jay

E pluribus unum
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
873
Location
California, USA
Ride
2023 Rocket 3 GT (Ego), 2021 Zero SR/S (Earth)
Had to humble myself and roll into Triumph service while out on a ride and leave the bike there. Was out for a Saturday ride running errands through the valley. Had the dreaded no start despite key being detected, TFT on, kick-stand up, Neutral, hearing the fuel pump, clutch in and nothing. Quick trouble shoot, check clutch switch position and kick stand, nothing obvious. So I bump start the bike, which worked and I was on my way to another appointment. Same thing second time. This time I am with one of my mechanics, local racer and builds track bikes. So more troubleshooting, check battery charge, fiddle with clutch sensor and kick stand sensor, but nothing. Fortunately on a hill again and bump start. Strange. Was within 5 miles of Triumph dealer and decide best to head straight there. Service manager comes up to me and I explain the woes of the day after shutting off the bike. Bike starts right up in front of him, so I explain it was likely his presence intimidated the bike into complying. I decide to let the bike sit and cool off while I see if there is any Triumph gear I “need.” About 20 min later return to the bike and same symptoms…no start. Additional troubleshooting with the lead tech, including replacing the battery in the fob, additional fiddling with clutch sensor, and checking/cleaning battery leads; still no start. I was trying everything shared here on previous no start threads. So we determined it must be a sensor going bad and I checked the bike into service. Wondering if there is something with the starter relay. Hopefully the scan tool can confirm signals on the CAN and rule out things quick.

Funny thing is, I had this happen a couple times earlier this year and jumped the bike thinking maybe my trickle charger wasn’t working. Replaced that and no issues, but I was worried something might happen while out on my 2,500 mile ride a couple weeks back. A full week riding every day with multiple starts between tourist traps and no issues. Best it happened so close to one of the best Triumph dealers in the area…what luck.
 
you replaced trickle charger or battery? did you perform a CCA test with a decent battery tester? was your battery ever allowed to be discharged?
 
you replaced trickle charger or battery? did you perform a CCA test with a decent battery tester? was your battery ever allowed to be discharged?
Replaced trickle charger. Battery is still the same one from factory. Bike is a 2023, so battery should be fresh enough and never run super low. In past with non-starts I still had lights, TFT, and fuel pump. Must be a gremlin that needs to be rooted out.
 
You really need to load test it, or jump start it with an auto battery, to be sure it has starting amperage under load. That could be an easy fix.
 
What do you mean by no start? Does nothing happen at all when you press the starter button, like the switch has been disconnected, or does it click and the dash go out momentarily but the starter motor doesn't turn, or something else?