Triumph Quit Ignoring Your Ignition Problems

i seen one guy made a little video. a video is worth a thousand words.
 
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

Guys if I install an Aftermarket Relay Kit, am I then in pretty good shape to NOT have this ignition Die and leave me Stranded?
Mike
 
Guys if I install an Aftermarket Relay Kit, am I then in pretty good shape to NOT have this ignition Die and leave me Stranded?
Mike
Yes, if your switch is in good shape. Adding the relays will take the draw from the twin headlights away from the switch and all will be cool :)
 
I made a video of my ignition failure at the plug. I rant about other **** because I have had alot of other issues with the bike. For a little insight and ****s and giggles give it a watch. It left me stranded at a gas station late at night for a exhilarating 3 mile walk home in the dark.

 
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I too ordered the Eastern Beaver kit with the low beam cut off. While the installation of the bypass is straightforward with options for plug & play or other options based on owner preference, there is no mention of the cut-off option.

Just wondering what you did about the low beam cut off ? The kit comes two leads, and the default option is for 0.250" spade terminals, that are to be connected to an owner-supplied SPST switch.

What switch would you recommend, and where would one install it on the R3T ?
 
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=360461543240&alt=web
Have been looking at the above item and wondering if it does the same job as the eastern beaver kit ? Thanks paul

Can't see any mention of this including a relay? Does it just allow you to put a switch in line with the headlamps?

I'd go with Eastern Beaver, in fact I did go with Eastern Beaver. Known product, well rated on these pages and, if you are wondering about delivery I got mine in the UK within 6 days from memory.

Not a massive difference in price either and the Eastern Beaver kit is Triumph Rocket specific.

K
 
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