T120 Gearbox Woes

Discussion in 'Bonneville' started by Ratherlarge Al, Oct 8, 2017.

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  1. Ratherlarge Al

    Ratherlarge Al New Member

    Sep 25, 2017
    20
    3
    West Yorkshire
    My 6 month old T120 with only 1500 miles on the clock is back at the dealership with gearbox problems. Went out for a run on Friday and found difficulty changing down. It would change if you gave it a double tap or if you were at crawling pace. Called the dealers and decided to go straight there.
    The situation got worse as time went by and I had to stop on hills half a dozen times as the bike was stuck in fifth. Going up the box was no problem but going down became almost impossible. Waiting to see what the verdict is from the dealers but it's certainly taken the shine off my beautiful Bonneville.
     
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  2. crispey

    crispey crispey creme de la creme

    Nov 6, 2014
    7,194
    1,000
    Uk
    Good luck, give us an update.
     
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  3. steve lovatt

    steve lovatt Something else

    May 12, 2014
    9,211
    1,000
    North Yorkshire
    Bad luck - hope they can sort it quickly
     
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  4. Tigcraft

    Tigcraft Unheard of Member

    Mar 29, 2014
    2,565
    800
    Holmfirth West Yorkshire
    Oh shite!! Who's the dealer btw?
     
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  5. Ratherlarge Al

    Ratherlarge Al New Member

    Sep 25, 2017
    20
    3
    West Yorkshire
    Spoke to the dealers today, Cobb & Jagger, Shipley and they've stripped the box down and have identified an excessively worn detent wheel. Not clear how this could happen on a nearly new bike. They think It's a manufacturing fault which doesn't fill me with confidence as these things are made in batches and I don't want a repeat failure sometime when the bike's out of warranty. To make things worse the part is on back order so it looks as if It'll be off the road for an indeterminate time. All you T120 owners out there should keep an eye out for the same fault developing. Fortunately my trusty CBF1000 is still going strong.
     
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  6. MickEng

    MickEng Noble Member

    Sep 29, 2016
    1,805
    450
    West Yorkshire
    Sorry to hear about this, it certainly does take the joy out of a new bike.
    You are quite right to be suspicious about batch manufacture, the root cause of this could be the raw material or the heat treatment process.
    Might be worth looking at getting a full refund within the warranty period or certainly extending the warranty period F.O.C. to cover the gearbox.
     
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  7. Wessa

    Wessa Cruising

    Apr 27, 2016
    11,318
    1,000
    North West England
    A very disturbing story. Hopeful it is a one off and you get your bike back quickly.
    Wessa
     
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  8. Ratherlarge Al

    Ratherlarge Al New Member

    Sep 25, 2017
    20
    3
    West Yorkshire
    I'm no legal expert but I understand that you can only insist on a refund if the fault appears within thirty days of purchase or within six months of purchase if the first attempt at repair is unsatisfactory. After that it becomes very difficult and I discovered my fault shortly after six months of ownership. I think getting an extended warranty on the gearbox is an excellent idea and I'll pursue that angle when I collect the bike after eventual repair. My main concern now is how long it will take Triumph to complete this back order as, with winter coming along, I won't get a lot of opportunity to check out the repair by doing another 1,500 miles in the next few months.
     
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  9. Ratherlarge Al

    Ratherlarge Al New Member

    Sep 25, 2017
    20
    3
    West Yorkshire
    The dealers delivered my T120 back yesterday. The official cause of problem was a deformed selector shaft. Triumph Warranty dept immediately diagnosed the fault from a description of the symptoms supplied by the dealer so one wonders if they've met the problem a number of times before.
     
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  10. guv

    guv New Member

    Mar 7, 2019
    2
    3
    Australia

    I also have the same trouble this is the SECOND TIME my t120 black has been back to the dealer, stuck in gear Triumph has told me there is a modify part on the way, it has just had its 16000k service also one of the rear shocks snapped
     
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  11. guv

    guv New Member

    Mar 7, 2019
    2
    3
    Australia
    After four weeks Triumph has supplied a modify gear selector and will replace the snapped rear shock under warranty. But I have replaced both rear shocks with IKON shocks which are fully adjustable and rebuildable, these shocks have made a remarkable difference in both comfort and handling here's hoping Triumph has fixed the stick in gear problem?
     
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  12. GeoGisel

    GeoGisel New Member

    Aug 3, 2019
    0
    1
    North County San Diego

    Sorry to say, but I feel your pain. I have a 2018 T120 Black that was in the shop for 5 weeks due to the same issue. Riding fine, then all of a sudden would not downshift. At the time, I only had 2080 miles on her. Got covered under warranty, but now with less than another 1000 miles on her (odometer now at @ 3050), the same issue. Won't downshift from 5th. Back on a flatbed and back to the dealer. This is really pissing me off. Clearly, based on other forum posts, this is a recurring problem. Supposedly Triumph upgraded one of the parts to try to address this, but based on my experience the new part is not any better than the old part (maybe worse). Hoping that they can get it resolved this time.
     
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  13. bob999

    bob999 New Member

    Oct 28, 2019
    0
    1
    Czech rep
    Hi Gents,
    Sorry to hear the T120 Box was made by cadburys, I bought a used 2018 Bonneville T120 and the gearshift jammed in 5th after about 40min it would not change up or down, this is day one with 4,000km, I was going down a step hill and with no engine braking it nearly killed me.
    I will send an official complaint to triumph I suggest you do the same none of you should pay for a repair there is a serious fault with the Triumph gear selector which could result in injury or death so its a serious issue that they must address with a total recall and modification at there cost,
    1. There was no safety notice issued
    2. There was no recall for modified parts
    I have sent my information the https://www.themotorombudsman.org
     
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  14. Wessa

    Wessa Cruising

    Apr 27, 2016
    11,318
    1,000
    North West England
    Quality is a real concern...
     
  15. Baster

    Baster New Member

    Nov 10, 2019
    2
    3
    Western Australia
    #15 Baster, Nov 10, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2019
    Hello all, I’m new here and came over to this forum after seeing this thread. I purchased a T120 Black new in 2016 and love it . Had it serviced by the dealer routinely and rode it to the DGR a few weeks ago in Busselton, Western Australia. On the return the downshift from 6th got progressively worse and eventually I had to finesse the last 25km home in 6th and barely limped in.
    The bike has 27,000km / 17,000miles on it and I don’t really think a gearbox should fail at these low figures. It’s still in the shop after 3 weeks and Triumph Australia , much to their credit, have agreed to replace the faulty parts and I expect they’ll be waiting for these. It is well out of warranty, but my expectations when purchasing this machine were trouble-free riding .
    I’m waiting to see just how hefty the labour charges are for this repair are going to be before I pursue other avenues . As I’m getting other work done too it may be quite reasonable and I’ll just wear it.
    I have a good relationship with the dealers and have found them to be straight shooters. But one of the remarks from Triumph was to the effect that it was probably rough gear changes that have caused this. Not in my time of riding: It’s my baby and I do not thrash it!

    I’d like to hear from others that have had these issues and how they were resolved. It’s looking more like it’s a recognised problem that’s more towards the when it happens rather than if it happens.
    Your observations on this would be much appreciated

    Thanks, Dave.
     
  16. Gtrrider

    Gtrrider New Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    4
    3
    Virginia, USA
     
  17. Gtrrider

    Gtrrider New Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    4
    3
    Virginia, USA
    My 2018 T120 purchased new in September 2019 made it to 1300 miles and the gearbox would not downshift out of 3rd. It wouldn’t downshift twice previously but I was able to get it back down to 1st both times by pulling to the side of the road. The first 2 times it got stuck in 4th and then 5th. It upshifts fine. On my next ride it stayed in 3rd and wouldn’t move.

    I had it towed to the dealership. They have had it for 5 weeks. That is after I waited over 2 weeks to get an appointment. They took it completely apart and sending photos to Triumph the entire time. They cannot find the problem. Triumph told them to reassemble and take it for a ride.

    Imagine waiting almost 2 months and I’m going to get the bike back without anyone finding the problem. It’s warranty work and the dealer says they also want to find what’s wrong but can’t figure it out. I almost hope it fails when they test ride so I don’t have to wait for it to happen to me again. Maybe somebody has had luck with just reassembling the transmission. I’m totally frustrated!
     
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  18. dilligaf

    dilligaf Guest

    I wouldn’t be happy either :(
    It’s peace of mind and solution that you need :confused:
     
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  19. Shaun64

    Shaun64 Senior Member

    Feb 23, 2020
    651
    243
    England
    This is poor from triumph, bikes aren’t cheap and should be sound, is the t120 engine the same as the scrambler 1200? .
     
  20. Gtrrider

    Gtrrider New Member

    Jul 13, 2020
    4
    3
    Virginia, USA
    Update on my T120 downshift problem. Evidently the dealer took a better look after they told me they were putting it back together under Triumphs direction and they have identified a damaged gear shift selector. The part is expected next week.

    This gearbox downshift issue does not appear to be a “one off problem”. I’m glad they actually found a problem. Hopefully this will be the end of it but who knows. What a great motorcycle to have something of this magnitude hanging over it’s head. I really want Triumph to get a more reliable bike put together to keep their loyal followers confident in the product.

    I’m lookin forward to getting it back after 2 months of waiting.
     
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