Poll - Have You Had Bonnie Engine Gearbox Issues?

Discussion in 'Bonneville' started by CJExpat, Jan 10, 2021.

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?
  1. Yes

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. No

    14 vote(s)
    100.0%
  1. CJExpat

    CJExpat New Member

    Jan 2, 2021
    14
    3
    Reading, UK
    I read today the thread that has been running since 2017 on this forum about Bonneville engine gearbox issues.

    It makes for pretty worrying reading with seemingly lots of riders suffering worrying gearbox lock-ups. However there is no indication as to what % of riders this seems to be affecting (and Triumph won't be commenting!)

    However we have thousands of owners on this forum in the "at risk" category, which Triumph themselves define in a Sep 2019 technical note (see attached file) as:

    Street Cup, Street Twin, Bonneville T100 models from VIN 759204, Street Scrambler, Thruxton 1200, Thrux- ton 1200R, Bonneville T120 models, Bonnevile Bobber, Bonneville Speedmaster from VIN 739143 and Bon- neville Bobber Black

    There seems to be no correlation between mileage and the issue occuring - so I thought I'd throw a quick poll out there to get a sense of what % of owners may be affected.

    If you are in the affected group ONLY (as defined above) please respond. If the response is good I'll extend this to a few other forums where relevant riders may be found.

    Thanks!
     

    Attached Files:

  2. SPC1

    SPC1 Well-Known Member

    Mar 16, 2019
    39
    68
    UK
     
  3. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
    2,936
    800
    Yorkshire
    So what range of VIN No.s are affected? Are you saying all bikes with VIN No.s later than those listed could be affected? If the problem has been addressed with up dated parts, from what VIN No. have these been factory fitted or are they only changing them out if they give problems?
     
  4. CJExpat

    CJExpat New Member

    Jan 2, 2021
    14
    3
    Reading, UK
    :laughing: no not Stuart Fillingham - maybe just a rather naive newbie !!! I've been reading around and could not find any commentary or indication of what % of Bonneville engines may have revealed this problem - so I thought I'd throw a little "unscientific poll" out there on this forum. Sorry if it read like I was taking the side of the doom-mongers ... it was just an honest effort to get some perspective on the question.

    Your comment: "Less than 50 bikes of the thousands sold in the last 5 years have suffered this problem" sounds like exactly the answer I was looking for. Is this a verified figure? can you share your source? You're not Chris Cheetham in disguise are you? ;)
     
  5. CJExpat

    CJExpat New Member

    Jan 2, 2021
    14
    3
    Reading, UK
    As far as I've been able to tell, Triumph have not released the "last VIN" thought to be associated with the problem. I'm going to guess (from a position of total ignorance of these things) that the issue will have been fixed at production at the same time as the technical note ie Sept 19. So yes, the position would be that all the named bikes with VIN number higher than those given would be at risk, unless you know that your bike was produced post Sep 19.

    However see the comment from SPC1 above which, if correct, suggests that I am making a big mountain out of a molehill here ... which I'd be delighted at !
     
  6. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
    2,936
    800
    Yorkshire
    #6 Pegscraper, Jan 11, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
    I think you're reading it wrong. If the problem was addressed at the same time it was identified and the service bulletin issued, surely all bikes with VIN No.s lower than those listed would be the problem and those with higher VIN's (later production) would have the new parts?

    Edit.......The bulletin states the "old" defective parts are no longer supported so it is reasonable to expect all later bikes to have the new bits. Listing a range of bikes affected has to be commended but giving a VIN No. range start and no end No. is next to feckin' useless IMO.
     
  7. SPC1

    SPC1 Well-Known Member

    Mar 16, 2019
    39
    68
    UK
    It's from a friend who is the lead technician at a Triumph dealership. They have had one bike affected out of @ 500 sold (bonnevilles,bobbers,scramblers etc) so he questioned triumph technical about the issues and he was told (unofficially) less than 50 from the total production had given problems.
    Ps I'm not into disguises so definitely not Chris Cheetham (whoever he is !!)
     
  8. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
    2,936
    800
    Yorkshire
    #8 Pegscraper, Jan 11, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2021
    So, following on from this, does anyone no how to get a production date for a bike, either from the VIN or some other method?
    PS....Despite appearances, I'm not that concerned TBH. No problem with the bike so far but if it breaks I'll fix it. It's not that big a fix anyway AFAICT, just a couple of side covers off. Not exactly and engine out and strip job.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  9. CJExpat

    CJExpat New Member

    Jan 2, 2021
    14
    3
    Reading, UK
    Yeah - agree. I'm guessing that when the bulletin was issued there would have been some pressure to get it out fast and the precise "end of range" VIN would not have been identified? Who knows.
     
  10. CJExpat

    CJExpat New Member

    Jan 2, 2021
    14
    3
    Reading, UK
    Thanks - that sounds credible. Really appreciated, and reassuring.

    Chris Cheetham runs Marketing globally for Triumph!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Vectis John

    Vectis John Well-Known Member

    Apr 17, 2019
    88
    68
    Isle of Wight
    I think you have just illustrated the problem. There are many owners out there who own bikes of this type who have read the reports of owners who’s gearboxes have locked up. We are also aware of the technical bulletin and of owners who have had several repairs on one bike where the gearbox has continued to fail. Some would say Triumph would not redesign a part for less than 50 bikes failing when you consider the number manufactured.
    This has lead to many owners feeling uneasy about the bikes reliability, extent of the warranty after it has expired and future value of the bike.
    In my opinion Triumph needs to make some sort of statement to owners putting clarity around the issue.
    I think Stuart Fillingham has summarised the issue very well.
    I haven’t had the problem but have sought clarity from Triumph who ignored my emails but did eventually reply with a corporate cut and paste text. In my view this is not good enough. I hope it’s social media myth but I think Triumph need to be proactive if nothing more than to preserve their reputation.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  12. CJExpat

    CJExpat New Member

    Jan 2, 2021
    14
    3
    Reading, UK
    Agreed. You read 4 or 5 stories like this (as I did) and you start getting the impression it's a massive problem (as I did). Triumph should be monitoring forums like these and spotting stories which deserve a formal nip in the bud.

    Did the corporate cut and paste text provide any clarity or reassurance?
     
  13. Vectis John

    Vectis John Well-Known Member

    Apr 17, 2019
    88
    68
    Isle of Wight
    No it didn’t, I asked the question - what would they do if the problem, that they knew about, occurred after the warranty expired. My Bonnie is a second bike and doesn’t cover huge mileages.
    The reply was to the effect that I should speak to my dealer in that event and they would, if supported by the dealer, consider a contribution. Not much help really.
    Stuart Fillinghams video suggests they have a responsibility under consumer law in the uk extending beyond the warranty, from memory it was six years.
     
  14. Ratherlarge Al

    Ratherlarge Al New Member

    Sep 25, 2017
    20
    3
    West Yorkshire
    I think that I posted the origin thread on this issue back in October 2019.
    My Bonneville T120 was only 6 months old when the downshifting problem occurred and the dealership fixed it under warranty. I have copies of the emails between the dealers and the warranty department at Triumph which show Triumph's immediate diagnosis of the problem. They also provided a parts list needed totalling £80 and a labour allowance of 1.35 hrs. They clearly knew about the issue way back then.
    Anyway, the purpose of this posting is to let everyone know that the fault has happened again at just over 5,000 miles (low mileage due to this being a second bike coupled with Covid restrictions).

    I'll phone the dealership tomorrow but im not expecting great things from them as they'll probably tell me that they're stacked out with work and that parts are in short supply due to grounding and seizure of the Ever Level in the Suez Canal earlier this year. Then there will be the inevitable battle with Triumph about who pays for the repair.
    As they say, Watch this space!

     
  15. Ducatitotriumph

    Ducatitotriumph Crème de la Crème

    Apr 25, 2019
    2,181
    1,000
    Rothwell
    good luck! Keep us posted please!
     
  16. Ratherlarge Al

    Ratherlarge Al New Member

    Sep 25, 2017
    20
    3
    West Yorkshire
    Took the bike to the dealership and they confirmed that it was the same problem and they admitted that, when carrying out the first repair under warranty parts were in short supply so they took parts from one in the showroom. They took it up with Triumph who said it was too far out of warranty to consider. Bike was bought in March 2017?and first failure came in Oct 2017 at about 1350 miles. It’s now only done 5,500 miles before current failure. I asked them to go back to Triumph on the basis that I have evidence that they new about this fault even before my bike went in for the first repair, non modified parts were used for that repair, they now produce a retro fit service which addresses the issue and, due to Covid etc the bike has had very little use in the intervening years. The upshot was that Triumph would supply the parts FOC , the dealership would stand one hour of labour and I would stand one hour of labour. This meant I paid £88 out of a total bill of £300. I was happy with at so accepted. When I picked up the bike following repair they’d also given it a full health check and carried out the finest piece of detail cleaning I’ve ever seen. I was well pleased with that result
     
    • Like Like x 3
  17. Pegscraper

    Pegscraper Elite Member

    Jun 12, 2020
    2,936
    800
    Yorkshire
    It's always a relief and welcome when you get good service from a dealer wether you've had to pay for it or not so hat's off to the dealer that fixed your bike. If my SS develops this fault and Triumph don't play ball I'll probably source the parts and fix it myself. I bought it in June 2020 but it had been sat in the showroom since January due to the Covid lockdown so I doubt it will have a post Sept 2019 manufacture date.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. Ducatitotriumph

    Ducatitotriumph Crème de la Crème

    Apr 25, 2019
    2,181
    1,000
    Rothwell
    As @Pegscraper says, always nice that a dealer at least helps in some way AND triumph did the decent thing too.
    Good on yer for sticking with it and thanks for the update!
     
  19. Baster

    Baster New Member

    Nov 10, 2019
    2
    3
    Western Australia
    I had the same issue in late 2019. The bike wouldn’t shift down from sixth. 2016 T-120 Black at about 27,000 km. The dealer took it to Triumph and they provided new shifter parts while I paid some labour on an existing job that was to happen concurrently. I believe my dealer intervening saved me dough for out of warranty repairs. Both them and Triumph Australia came to the party, so pretty happy.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  20. KENNY MCLEOD

    KENNY MCLEOD New Member

    Apr 14, 2018
    5
    3
    Glasgow
    I'm in this problem group now! I've got a T120 2017 model with only 4k on the clock and on Saturday 8th of October 22 I took the bonnie out only to get as far as the garage and was stuck in 3rd gear had to ride it home all the way in 3rd got it back and switched it off then back on again so I could see the gear number on the clock kept clicking on the gear pedal and finally got it back down into Neutral so I now have this gearbox problem what is the fix?? By the way bike hasn't been dropped and just had an oil and filter change so no issue with the lube, I'm concerned the amount of people are having issues with this yet no call backs, shame on Triumph if they were aware of this gearbox issue, so anyone out there know the cause and the actual fix cheers Kenny
     
    • Like Like x 1
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