Hi Everyone! This summer I took my 2023 triumph t120 (less than 2k miles on it) on a multiday trip through vermont and the adirondacks. On the way up to lake placid my bike caught fire while riding. I was able to get off the bike and am totally safe. After 2 months in the shop triumph covered all the parts to replace everything (very thankful) but they would not give me a reason as to why it happened and cannot confirm if it'll happen again. For those who have suffered melted wires. When you got it replaced did it happen again?

Just looking for peace of mind.

Here was the aftermath of the fire:

Thank you all!

That sure looks like the alternator plug, fried.
See triumphrat “New recall” thread
https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/new-recall.1013129/page-8
My alternator plug removed , wires soldered, connected directly together.

 

Wow, I just read that whole thread thank you for sharing it with me! It just makes me queezy with mine setting fire and seeing the one guy having to go back twice for this crispy issue after 3k miles.. How has your bike been riding since you did your cuts and soldering? How many miles have you done?

The dirt and rain comments raise my eye brow to what the one guy said too. When I was on my trip it rained the whole first day, the fire happened on the 3rd day. Heres how it looks now after the repair. Curious your thoughts.

Much thanks and appreciation,

 

Thanks for adding your "after the repair" photo, Iwas going to ask you for that.
Yup, that "New recall" thread sure is lengthy. It shows many fried plugs and Triumphs (hopeful problem preventer) wire separator clip approach.
A number of folks like you have had their bikes tied up for 2-3 months for the plug repair/replacement at their Triumph dealers.
I've ridden about 500 miles since I eliminated the plug, I have just over 6,000 miles on my "Blue/White" 2023 Bonnie.
All is well, best to you

 

You asked me in the other thread, but I'll post my answer here. The second repair, which involved replacing the entire wiring harness, was completed about 1000 miles ago. I've not had any further issues and the connector seems to be ok so far.

The dealer said he'd continue looking at my old wiring harness to see if there are issues, but I haven't heard from him.

There were certain models of Aprillia bikes that were equipped with this exact connector--and surprise! They had issues melting too.

 

See: brown connector problems?

That being said, this is a somewhat common problem for many brands of bikes and connectors. There's a lot of current going through that connector on any modern bike, so if something is just a bit dodgy, it likely has a ticket to Fyre Fest.

 

Thanks for the info! Even though Triumph did their due diligence in replacing everything in the fire I'm definitely going to be looking to into alternatives to stay safe.

 

Hopefully, the mechanic put plenty of silicone grease on the contacts to keep them from corroding again. I would check to make sure.

 

Does anyone know WHY these wires are melting?

 

The wires are fine. The connector is melting, likely from arcing due to an insufficient connection, corrosion or moisture, or all of that.

 

¿y la street cup tambien presenta este problema? porque los cables del conector siempre estan muy calentes

 

Hi! I am not sure, but it does seem to be a problem with a couple of triumphs and other brands like aprilia. Does the street cup have the brown clip under the right side panel?

 

When I reviewed all the melted connector photos that t-rat members have posted, I think that the heat from the high current first softens the connector, then it looks like a couple wires contact each other causing a short or in worse case a fire.
That’s probably why Triumphs first corrective step is to install a plastic wire separator.
With your T120 running you can feel the warmth in the alternator wires on either side of the alternator plug.

 

Hey Ken!

It is very interesting to see. I do think the comment made about dirt, water and potential vibration play a part as well. Looking at the placement of this connector so close to the chain - road gunk whether it be small could definitely hold potential to kick up. When the issue happened to me it was an 6 - 8 hour day on the bike on a hot summer day. There was definite heat to be had with your observation. From the research of the thread what gets me is that why did triumph choose this clip when they were already taking waterproof sealed up connector steps on wires in the front of the bike and not consistently using them in this area as well.
I showed the Furukawa clip to a local dealer to see if I can get it installed. I wish I had the guts to do what you did but I'm not a mechanic and dont hold the confidence to be one 😆. Keep you posted on what they say about it. I will be getting info on it soon.

 

10 amp connection for 20 amp current !!!!!

 

I am frankly amazed that this issue with stator/rectifier wires/connectors is still happening! This was a very common problem a quarter century ago with the Triumph triples (955i) charging electrics. After having 'burnt' fingers then, I would have thought their environmental testing should have shown that issue up in pre-production?

 

Hi Everyone! This summer I took my 2023 triumph t120 (less than 2k miles on it) on a multiday trip through vermont and the adirondacks. On the way up to lake placid my bike caught fire while riding. I was able to get off the bike and am totally safe. After 2 months in the shop triumph covered all the parts to replace everything (very thankful) but they would not give me a reason as to why it happened and cannot confirm if it'll happen again. For those who have suffered melted wires. When you got it replaced did it happen again?

Just looking for peace of mind.

Here was the aftermath of the fire:

Thank you all!

A ridiculous quantity of wiring on current motorcycles. No wonder they’re so heavy.

 

I do agree it is a lug and a half to move it around the garage 🤣. But have to say after owning a 2002 bon for 10 years the 2023 is the smoothest engine I have ever felt.

 

Pero ¿hasta qué temperatura en los cables o conector se considera normal?

 

[/QUOTE]
So it’s a total cross road: 1. Keep it so I dont have to pay for repairs when it happens again or 2. do the switch and hopefully it doesn't happen again but pay repairs if it does. I think I am going to do the switch when the warranty is up.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t think there is a warranty limit on Safety Recalls.
I did think it through though, and I figured that Triumph would deny me a free warranty repair if I removed the alternator plug and hard soldered the wires.
I decided to do it after seeing the melted plugs and burned wires you all posted.
After my many years of auto and motorcycle maintenance I feel confident in my choice.
The alternative was to wait for a potential plug meltdown, the Triumph recall notice supports that rationale, possibly 2-3 months in the shop for repair. That would be very troubling for me if it happened during the summer riding season.

 

Pero ¿hasta qué temperatura en los cables o conectores se considera normal?