Triumphrat

Litfuse · 05-28-2007, 10:46 PM

The other night, I was riding my 2007 S3 (only 600 miles)home on the highway during rush hour traffic. There was a short break in traffic and I was able to get up to fifth gear. I tried shifting into sixth but it didn't want to go. I tried again, looked down and my linkage from my foot pedal to the transmission just fell apart. It was just drooping there attached to the footpeg. I was able to get the bike over to the shoulder at the largest, probably most busy interchange in St. Louis (highway 40 and 270 for those of you who know St. Louis). I am sitting there, trying to figure out what to do next while cars are zipping past me. I pull the linkage up to look at and I assume that there is a bolt that attaches the linkage to the transmission, which is now gone. I pull my seat off to see what tools Triumph gave to me, and I come across the alan wrinch they put in the tool kit. Looking around the whole bike for a spare bolt, I thought how about the bottome bolt on the bracket that holds the clutch lever and left side mirror on the handlebars. I pulled the bottom bolt out, tightened the top bolt and low and behold, the bolt was the right size to thread through where the linkage was once attached. The linkage arm end fit over the top of the bolt but did not want to stay on very good. I walked up and down the highway until I found some wire, and I tied the linkage arm onto the new bolt using the wire. I was able to ride the 35 miles to my local dealer where they put a new linkage arm onto the bike. They said in the many years of working on bikes, they have never seen this happen. I was curious, has this happened to any of you?
-scott

Speed3 · 05-28-2007, 10:53 PM

No, but good job on the Mcguivering!

aptech77 · 05-29-2007, 12:33 AM

Quote:

On 2007-05-28 20:53, Speed3 wrote:
No, but good job on the Mcguivering!

+2

BOX6 · 05-29-2007, 12:49 AM

Glad I also have a BMW if I actually want to go somewhere far from home. S3 is fun, but hardly inspires confidence in such situations.

bikesdp · 05-29-2007, 12:52 AM

Indeed, nice job. It reminded me of something that happened to me last month. I was about 15 miles from home on my Mille and when I shifted to third, suddenly my heel was dragging on the pavement. I looked down to see my left peg had broken off.
I didn't bother stopping to see what I could rig up on the side of the road. I couldn't rest it on my lower slider nor did I have any passenger peg to try and redeploy. I just kept riding, with my left leg hanging in the air. Of course, I was still able to shift. I was on a very straight road at the time, having just taken off from a stoplight. Had I been leaned over, it could have been a mess. The individual whose company made the rearsets has made things right.

haplo · 05-29-2007, 01:01 AM

Quote:

On 2007-05-28 22:49, BOX6 wrote:
Glad I also have a BMW if I actually want to go somewhere far from home. S3 is fun, but hardly inspires confidence in such situations.

Speaking of confidence away from home... I have an emergency tire repair kit for that reason.. The one I bought was a Moose Racing kit, includes 3 Co2 canisters, several plug strips, and the tools... It barely fits under the seat in the little spot we call a trunk on these bikes, so I zip tied it to a frame rail under the seat...

Its out of the way, isn't very noticable, doesn't cost much if it does get stolen, and it frees up my trunk.

Who could ask for more? Just an idea...

H.

Goffe · 05-29-2007, 02:08 AM

I suspect the linkage wasn't tightened up at the factory.

Quote:

On 2007-05-28 23:01, haplo wrote:
...so I zip tied it to a frame rail under the seat...

Nice tip. I'll have to try that.

skuuter · 05-29-2007, 02:18 AM

Quote:

On 2007-05-28 22:49, BOX6 wrote:
Glad I also have a BMW if I actually want to go somewhere far from home. S3 is fun, but hardly inspires confidence in such situations.

Exactly what doesn't inspire confidence on longer distance trips about your Speed Triple...just curious......

Bluetahoe · 05-29-2007, 02:23 AM

You got a tool kit!!??
My 06' did not.

Martin_R · 05-29-2007, 02:40 AM

Quote:

On 2007-05-28 20:46, Litfuse wrote:
They said in the many years of working on bikes, they have never seen this happen. I was curious, has this happened to any of you?

Yes. Many have had the front balljoint (do a search on this site) ballbolt come undone due to someone at the factory forgetting to put blue loctite on the threads.

Some have caught the problem before pieces fly down the road by shifting becoming very sloppy. Some have ended in the same situation as you.

I even showed mine to the shop mechanic at first service when the linkage was just about to fall off and he was all "they are all supposed to be like that".

[ This message was edited by: Martin_R on 2007-05-29 00:41 ]