Common S3 issues

[Adonus]

On 2005-05-24 02:57, kuhlka wrote:
On the way home from my 1000 mile trip to St. Louis and back I had some serious electrical issues. It turned out my negative battery cable had come just a hair loose and it was seriously screwing up the electrical system by losing connection to the point of having to take it off, scrape clean the connections and snug it down nice and tight. For the rest of the trip the bike ran beautifully. This may very well be THE reason for my speedo and other electrical gremlins.

You 05 guys should check to make sure your battery connections are nice and clean and snugged down. I was having all manner of weird electrical and ignition weirdness until I fixed that. It got so bad at one point, the bike wouldn't even turn on. If you're lucky, it'll be the battery connections and a very easy fix, indeed.

I had this happen to me as well, just loose connections... as soon as I tightened them down she runs like a dream.
I think people think I might be a bit touched... I always have a big***** eatin grin on my face when I am rolling down the road, ... they just dont understand. :razz:

[jtroyh]

I just read al twnty f'n pages. Am I the only one who notices the rear brake light covers falling off? Is there another solution besides gettin a whole new one from the dealer?

[ruscook]

Originally Posted by jtroyh

I just read al twnty f'n pages. Am I the only one who notices the rear brake light covers falling off? Is there another solution besides gettin a whole new one from the dealer?

Troy I ride some rough roads and have done 17500km in 6 months and have had no (zero) trouble with the rear light. I'd suggest you check it out with your dealer.

Russ

[Druid]

Nobody mentioned the starter sprag clutch?

I know it was supposed to be a problem with the older bikes, but my 04 Speed Triple knackered its sprag clutch recently.

It's easy enough to replace but my local Triumph dealer wanted £271+VAT for a replacement (that's US$650 to our colonial cousins). They had none in stock either, 2-3 days to order. Fortunately Triumph-ant had the parts I needed for £100+VAT (US$240) , delivered the next day. The guy I spoke to on the phone said that they had supplied 8 sprag clutches for the later model 955i in the past 3 months, so it would seem to be a significant problem.

[Frogeye 1050]

Originally Posted by Martin_R

I guess this nice little feature has been included in the '05 S3 also. I ran into it once before and on my sunday ride my display died twice while riding. It just resets as it normally would when you turn the bike on (all the lights flash once etc.) and after that it shows no speed or engine info.

Turning the bike off and on again seems to fix it.

RODST3's explanation about low battery seems a little strange as this has only happened to me after hours of riding. Is the battery not charging properly or what gives?

I had this on my old 2002 Daytona 955i, happened for a while and then died (luckily round the corner from my dealers). Turned out that the rectifier was fried.

Oh, and the only problems I have found with my '06 S3 are that it doesn't like going into neutral when pulling up and occasionally it doesn't turn over straight away. I think this is being caused by a loose sensor on the clutch.

[s3paul]

I got my Speed Triple in April of '05 and the speedo shows 25,000 miles.. I was riding a '99 Buell X1 prior to that. Here are my issues with the 1050.

The fuel mappiing SUCKS! I am on the third remap, the 2007 version was installed last fall. The muffler exits turn brown within a couple days of riding and if I do not clean it, the area around the opening turns black within a couple weeks. After riding long enough to get the engine up to temperature, park it for say 15 minutes (long enough to drink a beer) it can take up to a full minute of cranking without touching the throttle to get it going. That is very hard on the starter and the battery. I have tried many phases of throttle position while cranking. Opening and closing the throttle at least six times prior to starting seems to help. I live approximately 230' above sea level. At sea level, it is worse. The original spark plugs fouled in the second week of ownership and the bike had to be trucked to the dealer for repairs - plugs and remap. This past spring, the NGK Iridium plugs I had installed fouled. They lasted six months. I am running Denso Iridium plugs now and still the mapping causes problems. This is my fourth set of plugs and my bike is stock except for the optional dealer installed Triumph S/S mufflers and K&N air filter. When the weather turns cool, it runs great. If anyone reading this has purchased a Tune Boy, I would appreciate an email from you. I am seriously considering purchasing one, the Power Commander turns me off due to the little box that has to be attached. Better yet, post your results for everyone to see. I am kinda new to this site.

The tranny is not smooth shifting (since new). My Buell shifts better. I can find a false neutral going for fifth gear. It is very clunky. Maybe I am just an old fart and used to the belt, but doubtful. I have been riding since I was 16. I still own my first bike, a '68 Bonneville. I lube my chain every 200 to 400 miles and I am on the second chain - now running a Regina O-ring (not the x-ring) with gold side plates. 9,000# plus tensile strength.

The mirror stems are solid rust. I wonder why they are not powder coated?

The banjo bolts in the front calipers and the rear master cylinder are totally rusted. Any fastener not chromed or made of stainless steel is corroded (I HATE zinc plating). Chrome or s/s would be nice and would not raise the price of the bike to cause a loss of sales.

My right headlamp bulb shakes while riding, I replaced the bulb last year and it seems real tight in the reflector housing. Tomorrow, I will be working on replacement of both bulbs and hopefully find out why it shakes. I am going to try the Sylvania 9003 Silverstar which are made in Germany. I know, they are not H-4's. Could that be causing the shake? If so, why did the original shake.

Last year I hit a pothole in the street and the front rim bent from impact causing the tire bead to break free and a subsequent loss of air pressure. I was traveling about 60 mph at night. That cost me close to $800.00 for replacement wheel and tire. I did the work myself. Buell XB has weaker rims but, that does not make me feel better.

I have had no issues with the clutch cable. Maybe it is due to lubricating it twice since new. Yes, I have neglected it.

Within the last two months I have had an overheating problem. It occurred twice. The coolant level was low. I have no external leaks that are visible and definitely there is no steam in the exhaust. I am going to purchase a new radiator cap, I suspect this may be the cause.

My biggest concern is getting rid of the smile on my face the bike causes when riding. I love this machine. I realize nothing is perfect but, Triumph has been around for over 100 years. If anyone has any tried and true improvements, please post or contact me.

[bueller]

1050 05 speedtriple 22000ks

1.FUSSY STARTER from cold and half warm.
2.Mushy front brake problem.
3.radiator fan off and on constantly in city riding.But never actually overheats.
4.Unwanted wheelies whenever your in 1st or second and just want to get off the line quickly or trying to get to a gap between cars.
5.Explaining to a cop why a 50 year old changed lanes on one wheel with his son on the back.(It was an accident read 4)

[WillyBRollin]

I have a 07 s3 and the suspension is squishy as hell. I tried adjusting the compression and tension settings but not mutch came of it. Also the way it works is like no other bike iv seen there is tension on the left fork and compression on the right fork. are the older models setup like this? and How is it physicly possible to change the settings of both forks while only ajusting one side?

[ruscook]

Willy obviously you're only adjust the settings on the one fork. But as they're held together by the triple clamps they act as a unit. Left does compression damping, right does rebound from memory.

Are you <170lb, 220lb or over 220lb? Your weight will have significant bearing on what is the right setting for you. I'm about 270lb and I found the front fine with a little preload.

The rear was harsh as hell and since I didn't have a C spanner I left it until recently. Now with a lot more preload on, I can set the rebound and compression damping to dial OUT the harshness of the ride, even though the suspension is actually firmer.


Russ

[s3silver]

I have a 2003 S3 and last week I think the alternator went dead. I was riding home and the display shut off. When I got home the bike shut off and would not restart. I charged the battery and it started right back up. While running, I disconnected the battery and it just dies. With the battery fully charged I can barely ride 10 miles before the display shuts off again. Is this the symptom of an alternator problem? It has 11k miles. Was running perfect until this issue. Any ideas where to get cheap parts? Any help or suggestion needed. I'm missing the ride!!!