Motorcycle.com

Good bike with a few glitches.

I was really excited when I discovered that Triumph had come out with a cruiser line aimed at guys like me. My father in law had an old Triumph back in the day so I was familiar with the oil leaks and electrical glitches of yesteryear. I was even happier to find out that for the 2007 model the eng...ine had been bumped up from a 790cc to an 865cc. I bought mine new in February of 08 and while I loved the handling and styling had mechanical problems right from the get go. This is the first brand new straight from the showroom floor bike I'd ever bought. Right off the bat I had issues. The bike would seize up and act like it had run out of gas for no apparent reason. I thought there was a problem with the petcock and tried taking it apart to no avail. I had to bring the bike back to the dealer (which was no small feat since the dealer was way out of town and I had to ride all the way there on a bike that kept seizing and dying on the freeway. The dealer replaced the breather valve which I was told is a two way valve that was getting stuck open which was causing my problems. They even tried to charge me for the work and I had to tell them that it was a warranty item. Problem solved? No way. I decided to put some more miles on the bike but with a similar problem: what seemed to be vapor lock. The bike would randomly stop responding on the freeway at high speeds. Once again, not fun. I'd have to pull off to the side of the freeway, let her cool down then start back up with the bike bucking all the way home. I took it in to the dealer again and this time they told me that the throttle housing was loose. They tightened it up for me to the tune of $50 which I never got refunded. Disgusted I hobbled the bike home and decided to consult a friend. He helped me diagnose some different possible problems and we pinned it down to the EVAP system. This is a bullsh** charcoal filter that Triumph slapped on the bike to make it California legal. Well I'm not in California so I disconnected that unit from the carbs and capped the holes off with rubber covers. Now she runs like a dream and has increased horsepower. I love the bike now and it is my daily ride. Only took 9 months of cursing and breaking down on the side of the road! BTW, I did call my dealer and bitch them out and they told me that they sell an EVAP removal kit! They were also impressed that I solved the problem on my own. How about my $50 back! Thanks for nothing! Read Full Review

Battery Problem?

Bought my America new in April of 2007,Just finished a 2500 mile trip. Now have 41,000 miles on the Bike! Mine was the last year they used Carbs and I have experienced carb icing twice now, it takes wet & cool temp. to produce the icing. I am a mechanic and reconized the symptoms right away. Sin...ce I live in Colorado the problem is hardly and issue. The only other problem I have I believe was there when I bought the bike. The battery died after the first year, so put another battery in it, that one also failed after the second year and the third battery was installed in june this year. Went on the 2500 mile trip and aprox. 1600 miles in to the trip that battery failed - Bought a voltmeter to check the charging system and theres the problem. The alternator out put was only .5 volt above battery voltage, not enough to keep up with the demand on the system. Will take the bike in to the dealer this week. It would be great if they acknowlege the problem has been there all along. The reason it didn't show up around town is because after thinking the battery was the problem, I was keeping the battery hooked up to a battery minder (charger) Sure would like to know if there is a charging system problem with this bike before I take it in to the dealer! Read Full Review

happy camper

I got in april of 2007 as a newbie. As of oct. 2008 have 8000 miles. The bike been great to ride.Used mostly on the interstate. The power is good. The reliability of the bike has also been excellent, no problems. Added the following:Triumph offroad exhaust so the bike can be heard, Dart flyscreen an...d a Corbin gunfighter seat. Read Full Review

Good bike with a few glitches.

I was really excited when I discovered that Triumph had come out with a cruiser line aimed at guys like me. My father in law had an old Triumph back in the day so I was familiar with the oil leaks and electrical glitches of yesteryear. I was even happier to find out that for the 2007 model the eng...ine had been bumped up from a 790cc to an 865cc. I bought mine new in February of 08 and while I loved the handling and styling had mechanical problems right from the get go. This is the first brand new straight from the showroom floor bike I'd ever bought. Right off the bat I had issues. The bike would seize up and act like it had run out of gas for no apparent reason. I thought there was a problem with the petcock and tried taking it apart to no avail. I had to bring the bike back to the dealer (which was no small feat since the dealer was way out of town and I had to ride all the way there on a bike that kept seizing and dying on the freeway. The dealer replaced the breather valve which I was told is a two way valve that was getting stuck open which was causing my problems. They even tried to charge me for the work and I had to tell them that it was a warranty item. Problem solved? No way. I decided to put some more miles on the bike but with a similar problem: what seemed to be vapor lock. The bike would randomly stop responding on the freeway at high speeds. Once again, not fun. I'd have to pull off to the side of the freeway, let her cool down then start back up with the bike bucking all the way home. I took it in to the dealer again and this time they told me that the throttle housing was loose. They tightened it up for me to the tune of $50 which I never got refunded. Disgusted I hobbled the bike home and decided to consult a friend. He helped me diagnose some different possible problems and we pinned it down to the EVAP system. This is a bullsh** charcoal filter that Triumph slapped on the bike to make it California legal. Well I'm not in California so I disconnected that unit from the carbs and capped the holes off with rubber covers. Now she runs like a dream and has increased horsepower. I love the bike now and it is my daily ride. Only took 9 months of cursing and breaking down on the side of the road! BTW, I did call my dealer and bitch them out and they told me that they sell an EVAP removal kit! They were also impressed that I solved the problem on my own. How about my $50 back! Thanks for nothing! Read Full Review

Good bike with a few glitches.

I was really excited when I discovered that Triumph had come out with a cruiser line aimed at guys like me. My father in law had an old Triumph back in the day so I was familiar with the oil leaks and electrical glitches of yesteryear. I was even happier to find out that for the 2007 model the eng...ine had been bumped up from a 790cc to an 865cc. I bought mine new in February of 08 and while I loved the handling and styling had mechanical problems right from the get go. This is the first brand new straight from the showroom floor bike I'd ever bought. Right off the bat I had issues. The bike would seize up and act like it had run out of gas for no apparent reason. I thought there was a problem with the petcock and tried taking it apart to no avail. I had to bring the bike back to the dealer (which was no small feat since the dealer was way out of town and I had to ride all the way there on a bike that kept seizing and dying on the freeway. The dealer replaced the breather valve which I was told is a two way valve that was getting stuck open which was causing my problems. They even tried to charge me for the work and I had to tell them that it was a warranty item. Problem solved? No way. I decided to put some more miles on the bike but with a similar problem: what seemed to be vapor lock. The bike would randomly stop responding on the freeway at high speeds. Once again, not fun. I'd have to pull off to the side of the freeway, let her cool down then start back up with the bike bucking all the way home. I took it in to the dealer again and this time they told me that the throttle housing was loose. They tightened it up for me to the tune of $50 which I never got refunded. Disgusted I hobbled the bike home and decided to consult a friend. He helped me diagnose some different possible problems and we pinned it down to the EVAP system. This is a bullsh** charcoal filter that Triumph slapped on the bike to make it California legal. Well I'm not in California so I disconnected that unit from the carbs and capped the holes off with rubber covers. Now she runs like a dream and has increased horsepower. I love the bike now and it is my daily ride. Only took 9 months of cursing and breaking down on the side of the road! BTW, I did call my dealer and bitch them out and they told me that they sell an EVAP removal kit! They were also impressed that I solved the problem on my own. How about my $50 back! Thanks for nothing! Read Full Review