Bike broke 4 weeks Dealers don't have Tools

My R-3 has been in the shop for 4 weeks due to a broke trans
It took 3 weeks for them just to get the engine out.I've been told that there is no engine stand available to the dealers like the ones that Triumph uses to school mechanics.
To remove the engine to work on the trans the mechanic had to remove the rear end swing arm and all.
The engine had to be supported and craddled in a manner as to allow them to lift the bike off of the engine trans assembly.This according to my mechanic was also no easy task.
How they are going to work on my eingine/trans without a stand and not damage anything remains to be seen.I have been told the bike may need more disassembling to attatch the frame back to the engin/trans
Iam not sure if thes tools are unavailable or simply my dealer does not have them. Any way Triumph should have made sure all of their dealers had required tools to work on all Triumph bikes sold by said dealers

I was at the parts counter of the nearest dealer in my area, I looked through a large window in the back of the parts counter, much to my dismay. There was an R3 hanging in the air with a large number of straps connected to it. I asked the counter person what was going on with that bike, he said they're removing the transmission. I was greatly alarmed because the whole operation looked very chaotic and disorganized.
I have no confidence in this dealer at all, I came there to buy an R3 and they didn't seem to want to sell me one so I went else were.
I go there for parts and accessories but they never have anything.
Triumph better get it together.

[cyclerider]

'Dealers don't have tools',

you can't be serious??? the rocket has been out for a couple of years now and the 'dealer' don't have the tool. it's not a small independent shop, it's the 'dealer'. i feel your pain, the 'don't have tools' is a very sad reason for a 'stealer'.

[Toystoretom]

Triumph dealers... like all other dealers, sign a binding contract to get their dealership license from Triumph. Part of this contract has to do with special shop tools. The dealers have no choice... all shop tools are force fed to them and they are billed. If they refuse shipment on the tools or they refuse to pay a process is started to either correct this situation or the dealer gets his license revoked. New dealers get these tools in one initial shot and existing dealers are sent new tools as they become available.

If you go to the Wiki you will see there is no engine stand required by Triumph. If they had these at training school it would take a simple phone call to see how to get or build one. Also, if you go to the factory shop manual and read pages 10-1 thru 10-7, Engine removal and refit, it states that you must remove the front wheel and rear suspension (with drive shaft) so obviously you must have to support the bike in a sling. This wouldn't be the only bike that would require that.

It sounds like your dealer doesn't have his focus on Triumphs (if he is a multi line dealer) or maybe his mechanic isn't really qualified to tackle these things. If they have had your bike for 4 weeks and nothing is getting done I would think a phone call to TMA would be in order. I could have that engine out in less than a day... the mechanic I go to can do it in a morning.

And if it takes a little extra work to get it done.... that's his problem. Good mechanics study these situations and devise ways to get around these problems so that the next engine removal job goes much quicker. And don't be worried about a cluttered mess... that's just the nature of the beast. You should see me put a new engine in a car with a subframe... and yet year after year I get Platinum CSI scores from the company I work for... :-D

[Diego]

What Tom said is exactly right...there's no special stand for removing the powerplant from the Rocket because none is needed. It's a fair amount of work, but one mechanic can do it surprisingly quickly if he knows his stuff.

One of my dealers had taken in a Rocket with a gearbox problem of some sort. I heard one morning that it was still apart in the shop, but before I could get to the city that afternoon and take a look, he had it all back together and they were checking it out.

Sorry to hear your dealer's mechanics aren't that resourceful. There's a wide variation in training and commitment among dealers, especially in multi-marque shops.

oystoretom
Forum Moderator
SuperSport



Missouri, USA

Rides:
2005 Rocket III

Joined: Nov 07, 2004
Posted: 2005-11-30 06:06
Triumph dealers... like all other dealers, sign a binding contract to get their dealership license from Triumph. Part of this contract has to do with special shop tools. The dealers have no choice... all shop tools are force fed to them and they are billed. If they refuse shipment on the tools or they refuse to pay a process is started to either correct this situation or the dealer gets his license revoked. New dealers get these tools in one initial shot and existing dealers are sent new tools as they become available.

If you go to the Wiki you will see there is no engine stand required by Triumph. If they had these at training school it would take a simple phone call to see how to get or build one. Also, if you go to the factory shop manual and read pages 10-1 thru 10-7, Engine removal and refit, it states that you must remove the front wheel and rear suspension (with drive shaft) so obviously you must have to support the bike in a sling. This wouldn't be the only bike that would require that.

It sounds like your dealer doesn't have his focus on Triumphs (if he is a multi line dealer) or maybe his mechanic isn't really qualified to tackle these things. If they have had your bike for 4 weeks and nothing is getting done I would think a phone call to TMA would be in order. I could have that engine out in less than a day... the mechanic I go to can do it in a morning.

And if it takes a little extra work to get it done.... that's his problem. Good mechanics study these situations and devise ways to get around these problems so that the next engine removal job goes much quicker. And don't be worried about a cluttered mess... that's just the nature of the beast. You should see me put a new engine in a car with a subframe... and yet year after year I get Platinum CSI scores from the company I work for... :-D

-----------------


My dealer said they made the call and no one at Triumph knew where to get the engine stand that they use to train techs
How you can work on a Rocket engine weighing hundreds of pounds and disassemble it by onesself without a stand and not damage it while turning it over and around etc is something I wish you would explain to us and my dealer

[ This message was edited by: FatsRocket on 2005-11-30 12:05 ]

[RidinSunshine]

I really wouldn't totally blame Triumph for the service problem. Sounds like a dealer level problem. What you should do is start you a paper trail with letters to the dealer and cc Triumph and the local Better Business Bureau. And then pick you a lawyer's name and list it as a cc also. Don't have to actually send letter to lawyer. I find that that works evertime in getting someone's attention. Then before you need further work done on your bike find you another service location.

Good Luck.

[Diego]

Fats, I fear you've reached the point of not really listening to what people are saying. You're being very selective in what you focus on, then reading too much into it. But the fact is, there's no specific stand required for working on the Rocket engine. It's a labor-intensive job, but any decent mechanic can do it.

If your account is accurate, you've got a lame dealer. I'm very sorry for that, but don't expect much more here than a sympathetic ear. The advice you've already been given for dealing with the shop is about the best anyone can do.

[Toystoretom]

FatsRocket said:

How you can work on a Rocket engine weighing hundreds of pounds and disassemble it by onesself without a stand and not damage it while turning it over and around etc is something I wish you would explain to us and my dealer

Easy.. there are lugs on it so that you can lift it with a chain or engine support beam. Simply use a ceiling hoist. This is more than enough to work on it. If you really need to.... use a universal engine stand made for car motors.. you can buy them cheap at Harbor Freight. The have universal arms. I've seen my mechanic use one on a Rocket motor. This is mechanics 101. If your mechanic can't figure this out I would pull my bike out of there pronto.

This is a very light motor compared to just about everything else on the planet. Try lifting a Buick Nailhead motor or even a Small Block Chevy. Its easily done... there's nothing to it.

Something YOU should check into is the lemon law in your state. Having the bike torn down for four weeks is unreasonable and you may gain some satisfaction there. YOU should contact a lawyer and check into this.

This forum is not a court of law nor is it a mediation board. We are not connected with Triumph in any way. No one on this forum has any power to rectify your situation or to intervene. If you have a problem with your dealer YOU should handle it at your level confidentially.

I will give you some advice. I would be more willing to help but you have been a member of this forum for almost a year and this is your first post. You have contributed nothing. Don't expect to use this forum as public blackmail against your dealer without giving him the opportunity to tell his side of the story publicly. I am extending an invitation for him to reply... please make sure he gets it.

Tomo

[yad]

My shifter stopped working at about 8,500 miles which I reported on this forum about 3 months ago. I just got my bike back 2 weeks ago. The problem was caused by an internal bolt unthreading itself from the internal shift mechanism. To make the repair basically the frame needed to be lifted off the engine(not easy) and then the engine case was split , crank removed and then the bolt was reinstalled with locktite. The Triumph dealer in Atlanta is well equiped but they still needed to buy several tools to get the engine apart including an air impact wrench that is normally used in the trucking industry to get a crank bolt loose. They did not use an engine mount but basically with several guys wrestled it around as needed. You may want to have your shop talk to Michael at Atlantaducati triumph. Their number is 678-904-1414. Good luck. Let us know how your repair goes. By the way Triumph NA was basically no help whatsoever.

[ This message was edited by: yad on 2005-11-30 19:41 ]