2013 R3T ABS - ABS Fail?

[beast.in.black]

I have a 2013 R3T (USA Model, advertised as having ABS) with 7K miles on it, and on two occasions when I've needed to emergency brake, the rear wheel locked up.

Also, I haven't ever felt the ABS pulsing when I engage the brakes (front and/or rear).

I haven't gone to the dealer yet since I'm waiting for my 10K miles to be up before the scheduled service, but I wanted to know if anyone else has noticed the same thing on their USA 2013 R3T ABS models.

 

[1olbull]

first be sure your motor HAS ABS. Can you see the rotors and sensors? Can you see the ABS light come on at ignition?

Assuming all the above is good -
find a road with a cover of dirt and try the rear first. Lock it up from 20 or so and you should feel the pulsing through the brake pedal. If you are comfy ewith it then do the front brake.

HTH,
1olbull

 

[beast.in.black]

Thanks for your reply, 1olbull.

There was no ABS light on the instrument panel when I bought the bike, but I didn't think anything of it since I knew that previous year R3Ts did not come with ABS, so I assumed that this was an add-on to a non-ABS bike done by the dealer, because it had the ABS tag on it when I saw it in the showroom.

I see no sensors on either the front or rear rotors.

The lack of ABS is no big deal, because I've never had ABS on any of the bikes I've ever owned - I'm used to being my own ABS

However, it looks like I might have been gypped by the dealer. Need to go there and do some what-the-hell-ing...

 

[idk]

If it had the ABS tag on it then it should have ABS. It was, no doubt, one of the important things and safety factors in your consideration of the bike.

 

[beast.in.black]

If it had the ABS tag on it then it should have ABS. It was, no doubt, one of the important things and safety factors in your consideration of the bike.

You're absolutely right! It's the reason that I'm miffed with the dealer ("California Triumph & BMW" in Mountain View, CA, in case anyone wants to know).

I've had nothing but good experiences with them as far as servicing goes - they used to service my R3 Classic. The service dept knows its stuff, as does the parts dept. The service dept also gives out loaner bikes (Bonneville T-100s) when you drop your bike off with them, which seriously endeared them to me (I have never owned a car in my life, my bikes have always served me well as my sole mode of transportation).

They even correctly diagnosed and fixed the Idle Stepper Control voltage which was maladjusted right from the factory (British bikes - sigh. Temperamental little cusses, but that's why we love them - they have character).

This was, however, the first bike I bought from them. The guys in the dealership part were helpful and friendly, but that doesn't excuse the lack of an advertised feature.

They're closed today, but I'll go yell at them tomorrow - I'll take along my original invoice and papers which show it as an ABS model, and get them to bloody well put in an ABS unit on there.

 

[beast.in.black]

This confusion seems to be standard

I've found a couple of threads on this site which have the same confusion about whether or not the 2013 R3T has ABS. Here's one:

http://www.r3owners.net/general-tech-talk/15322-2013-r3t-abs-not.html

EDIT: Here's another:
http://www.r3owners.net/rocket-iii-touring-forum/11717-abs-not-2.html

I wonder if they can put it on for free - it doesn't seem to be a listed accessory on the Triumph USA site.

At this point, I'm inclined to just say "screw it" and ride what I have - with Wayne's new tune from the "de-restricting" thread...

 

[warp9.9]

Most likely you will be riding without as you would need to change the ecu to one that is programmed for ABS. I believe the exhaust will be different since there is a ABS unit mounted to the back of the engine. On the Roadster the front axle screws in from the opposite side as your classice did. not sure what side your R3T mounts from. Then there the dash light system if it is different. I think you definetly need to talk to your dealer as it sounds like the salesman thought since the Roadster's had ABS the touring must have.
Good luck.

 

[beast.in.black]

Most likely you will be riding without as you would need to change the ecu to one that is programmed for ABS. I believe the exhaust will be different since there is a ABS unit mounted to the back of the engine. On the Roadster the front axle screws in from the opposite side as your classice did. not sure what side your R3T mounts from. Then there the dash light system if it is different. I think you definetly need to talk to your dealer as it sounds like the salesman thought since the Roadster's had ABS the touring must have.
Good luck.

I did do a cursory check to see if an ABS controller unit was mounted somewhere when I first got the bike, didn't see anything, assumed that Triumph did a good job of hiding it, and promptly forgot about it - until I recently needed to emergency brake on the highway because of an idiotic car driver and locked the rear wheel. Of course, I immediately eased off on the brake, but it did cause my butt to pucker a bit, especially when the rear tyre started to go out from underneath. But 23 years of riding paid off, thank goodness! The bike and I stayed upright and kept going.

As I mentioned in post #3, there is no ABS light on the instrument panel, which in hindsight should have rung louder bells.

Oh well, fsck it. I'll go to the dealer and make a noise, but I expect I'll be shown the finger and then the door.

However, as a consolation the ECU cable is in the mail and should reach me in the next couple of days, so I'll get back some of the HP and torque that Triumph took away from the R3T. What a pity that they neutered the Tourer engine so badly as compared to the Roadster/Classic. And what's up with the lack of a tach on the R3T?? I wrote to Triumph about these two things but of course never heard back....

 

[Tripps]

This was discussed when the 2012s came out, too. For whatever reason, US models did not get ABS, Canada and Europe did. A couple people got ABS models by having their dealer get one from a Canadian dealer.

 

[idk]

You're absolutely right! It's the reason that I'm miffed with the dealer ("California Triumph & BMW" in Mountain View, CA, in case anyone wants to know). . . .

They're closed today, but I'll go yell at them tomorrow - I'll take along my original invoice and papers which show it as an ABS model, and get them to bloody well put in an ABS unit on there.

If your papers show it as an ABS model then it should be an ABS model. I would demand that they either install the missing ABS or replace it with a bike that has ABS. If not, then get the lawyers out. This is a SERIOUS breach of contract which could result in injury or loss of life.