I have informed Triumph Canada who has informed Triumph USA as to what is going on and I also said we are finishing our trip with the potential stalling issue unresolved. No one here in Whitehorse can really help us with a Triumph bike so we are going to leave Whitehorse today and start heading home.
I don't know if this provides any helpful information concerning the stalling problem, but I had my first and only potential related issue on Friday. Situation was as follows: soaking wet roads due to recent rain, temps in the low 80s with high humidity, and I got stuck in stop and go traffic for about an hour. The Tiger got very, very hot -- coolant temp never got above the usual level, but there was a high level of heat coming off the engine and frame. After a while, the idle, which has always been quite steady at about 1100rpm, started fluctuating a bit, and I found the bike a little reluctant to rev when letting out the clutch (found myself having to give it a little more gas than usual and let out the clutch a little more slowly). Eventually traffic cleared up and I got moving again, but even after riding on open roads for ten or fifteen minutes with plenty of airflow to cool the bike off a bit, the idle would still fluctuate when pulling up to stop signs, and once dipped down below 800rpm as though it was about to die, but I blipped the throttle in time to keep it running (lots of practice at this -- I own a Bonneville, which requires the same technique before it's thoroughly warmed up). After turning the bike off and letting it sit for ten or fifteen minutes, it restarted normally, and while the idle wasn't spot on, it only fluctuated by 100rpm or so. After letting it sit for 20 minutes or so, it ran normally. And Saturday I took it for a 300-mile ride (during which I turned over 10,000 miles) and it ran perfectly normally all day. What I take away from this is that the problem is caused by excessive heat, on my bike at least -- and it would not surprise me to learn that the stepper motor is the culprit. Perhaps it just can't take getting that hot. Under normal conditions, there's more than enough airflow to keep things at a reasonable temperature, but in stop and go traffic, the engine ends up throwing off so much heat that all the electronics cook. --mark
In our case the temps we have been riding in have been really cool borderline cold. Hardly any traffic when we the engine dies and the idle dips below 1200. Seems like there are many scenarios going on and Triumph I am sure will figure this out for every one.
Sorry to hear about how this is affecting your trip. Hope you have safe travels. Until this point I have held off posting on this issue, but my bike has been plagued with the EXACT same issue shown in the video since the day I picked it up from the dealer. Normal ambient temp, bike in neutral (or clutch in) and the bike just dies. The only remedy that I've seen is twisting the throttle a bit to give it more gas. Thankfully for me, it does not happen regularly but only somewhat sporadically - only about a dozen times over the 3 months / 3,500 miles on the bike, but it is still somewhat annoying to be at a red light and suddenly have the bike stall, light turns green and traffic is backing up behind you as you try to restart your bike. It really does seem to me like a pretty widespread issue - hopefully Triumph can resolve soon because these really are otherwise great bikes!
I only have about 260 miles on my 800xc, but I have not had any stalling issues as of yet *knock on wood*. The only issue I had was the helmet vibe at freeway speeds from the stock windscreen. I wouldn't call it buffeting because it felt more like if you took one of those electric back massagers that vibrate and put it at the base of your neck... I redrilled the windscreen and all is good now.
Has anybody from the US fitted a SW Motech skid plate ? If you have, did the skid plate hit the charcoal canister ? Just tried to fit mine and there is a little lip at the back on the side where the canister is and it hits it and thus won't fit. I guess I can just bend the lip but I wanted to check with the inmates before I do that. Cheers
I'm not sure about the SW Motech skid plate, But, When I installed the SW Motech Centerstand I had to remove the charcoal canister. Of course now the website where I purchased it from says "The current design fits Canadian and European bikes only." It seems SW Motech's design team did not take the canister into consideration, mostly because the bikes they used to fit their parts didn't have the canister. On a side note, I have not had any problems with my charcoal canister removed.
So basically I simply tilted the screen back a bit to clean up the flow hitting my head and allow some flow below the windscreen which in my experience reduces buffeting. I need to pick up a cluple black stoppers to clean up the look a little by plugging the old holes but it worked great for me (5'11")
I should state the obvious...take the screen off, drill a pilot hole with a small bit then tape over the hole with masking tape. Once taped use a 1/2inch bit. High speed or slow speed and very little pressure will prevent you from cracking the screen. Once you have the hole drilled clean up the burrs with a file and move the grommit and fasteners to the new hole. Be ready when you get to the end of the hole as the bit will catch and you want to let the drill spin rather than torque the screen. Reverse the direction and spin it thru that way. I can not overstate the need for very light pressure. If you keep it light it will not crack or chip the screen...if you get impatient and push down too hard you will be plunking down the cash for the OEM adjustable one as the one you have will be cracked when the bit catches.
Yep...not on the pricy truimph though, I cracked the screen on a superhawk street fighter project back in the day
Agreed, as does a heated section of copper tubing which is what I would normally use but the angle of the screen right there would make it difficult to make a clean punch
I assume you got it from Twisted Throttle ? I saw the bit about the center stand and that's what made me get the Triumph stand. I just double-checked and there is no mention on the site about the skid plate only fitting non-USA bikes so I'm a little confused at the moment. So, you just took the canister off - what about the tubes and stuff, what did you do with them ? What exactly does the canister DO ? I know on the XRL's about the first people do with new bikes is give it a canisterectomy so I have to think it's not a vital piece of equipment.... Anybody care to chime in on the danger of removing the canister
You are tampering with the emission system which might be illegal. The canister is required for bikes sold in California.
The sole purpose of the canister is to reduce the emission of unburned hydrocarbons from the bike. It does this by trapping gasoline vapors that evaporate from the gas tank. In the days before charcoal canisters, these fumes were simply vented to the atmosphere, contributing to smog. The job of the canister is to trap these vapors, store them within the canister, and then when the engine is run the fumes are sucked into the intake manifold to be burned in the cylinders. There is no performance penalty attached to the charcoal canister. Just a little bit of weight and a little bit of plumbing. If you do remove it, there is a probably a vacuum line you will have to plug at the throttle body.
Interesting... just got my SW Motech bash plate to replace my Triumph one (want more oil filter protection). Was planning to install tonight and will let you know if I have any issues. I was thinking that a bunch of guys had them installed already... maybe they were all non-U.S. bikes?