It's a 2015 865cc Newchurch, less than 1000 miles done. Nice going up through the box and running fine,however coming back down through the gears I'm really struggling. I'm having difficulty synchronising the engine revs to try to smooth things out, sometimes it seems as though the engine is way behind the throttle action which results in a clunky, notchy down change. In slow moving traffic it's also difficult to maintain a smooth ride without lots of clutch work. We went out today and covered 150 miles at the end of which the wife asked if the bike was due a service as it seemed a bit jerky! I've had various bikes over the last 40 years and never had this problem ' bonding ' with a bike, my first 4 stroke twin but I feel that I ought to be able to maintain a smooth ride, it's not rocket science after all. Any helpful suggestions welcomed. Thanks in anticipation Curly
I've just removed the ais and 02 sensors on my 865 america it's better but I think that the chain might be a bit loose and that's not helping. Andy
Yes, I think the chain is ok but I'll re-check that in the morning. Blipping the throttle isn't the solution I've always found it to be, the engine doesn't respond, there is a delay in response and then when it does I'm one step ahead and letting out the clutch with the next lower gear engaged which results in a clunky change and a surge forwards rather than a smooth, synchronised deceleration. I did pick up on some popping from the exhaust on the over run when shutting the throttle today from about 60mph, not all the time, just every now and then. This feels like a fuelling issue but I'm far from certain. Curly
Andy S, I've just found and read your snatched throttle response thread, it sounds just like my issue. I wouldn't have a clue about all that electronic gubbins and even if I did I would be reluctant to start junking stuff in case of possible warranty issues. The question is, should this be happening on a bike less than 12 months old? I bought my bike from a non Triumph dealer, I'm thinking of ringing Staffordshire Triumph who get good reviews on this site to see what they say about things. Tigcraft has made a good suggestion that I ride another Bonneville to compare, perhaps the Staffordshire Triumph dealer might indulge me? My chain tension seems ok, did you see the scott oiler pictures I managed to put up, by the way? Curly
Curly, how long have you had the bike and also how did it ride when you first got it and tested it? Mine has nothing removed and apart from Motad exhausts it rides real smooth and chrisp with no lag what so ever.
Thanks for the oiler pics, yes it helped me to find the elusive vac point. As far as the throttle issue goes, I did a TPS reset which consisted of starting the bike without touching the throttle and letting it idle for 20min. Everything I've done seemed to help but sometimes I wonder if I seems better because I think it should if that makes sense. Good luck. Andy
Had the same issues, removed all the emissions gubbins on my newchurch, sorted it. Have a look at the mods posts on this section!
Thanks Carleton, I hear what you say, I'm concerned about warranty implications by going down that road though. I have to confess to being fairly well cheesed off about this on a bike less than 1 year old and not having covered even 1000 miles yet. Curly
I've had it 2 months, it rode well on the test ride I had, Thursday we were out best part of the day on it and it seemed to get progressively worse. The wife thought I'd forgotten how to ride a bike! Curly
Check chain tension my was about 40mm and adjusted it to 20mm which helped, also resetting the tps may help. Andy
ANDY S, thanks for your input. I always start the bike from cold or hot / warm with no throttle and let it warm for a few minutes before riding if the engine is cold. I don't run it for 20 minutes though, I'll try that in the morning. The chain tension is good and I'm happy that is not contributing to this problem. I've been reading Carletons posts with interest since he has the identical bike to mine, or rather did do, prior to his modifications, and it had the same trouble. A solution is out there but it seems outrageous to have to start dismantling an almost new bike to get it to run right!!!! Curly
I'm no spanner man and yes it's still under Triumph warranty. I've got it booked in at Staffordshire Triumph on Thursday for them to look at under warranty. I'm hoping that they'll have a similar machine as a demonstrator so I can ride out on it while they have a look see at mine, in fact I'll ring them back on Monday to discuss this, thanks for the suggestion by the way Tigcraft.
Hi Curly - interesting post! I have a new 865cc 2015/16 Scrambler, and posted a while back about rough running. My issue was that the bike was far from smooth at steady speeds, especially noticeable at low revs, such as around town. I've felt that my downshifts were a bit rough too, and the engine has felt like it wanted to stop beneath me... and has actually done so a few times mid down shift. I took it to Staffordshire Triumph - they could find nothing wrong. They did adjust the throttle to remove almost all the play, and that helped on the gear change. They also advised that as it is under warranty, just go and thrash it... It does like to be ridden enthusiastically Approaching 3000 miles now (5 months) and down shifting is still an art (keep revs up a bit and use the clutch more than I'd expected) and the motor will die on occasion, but I am either getting used to it, or it is getting better, or the engine is just easing in a bit. Whenever I've discussed it with people they've advised it is the EFI set up, and even to remove the AI - like you though, I feel this should not be necessary. If the bike does not continue to improve with a few more miles, I may well get it onto a rolling road dyno test to plot the power fluctuations, and to see if it is me or the bike. And next time I go to the dealer I will jump on the demonstrator for a comparison. I'd be very interested to know how you get on.
Good morning Scrambler Si, there seems no doubt at all that a lot of owners are frustrated by this failing, and that's precisely what it is, a failing. I am thinking about it a lot of the time, wondering how to progress with a solution. I must also admit to being disappointed to read about the response you had from Staffordshire Triumph, whilst I like the occasional fast ride, my days of tearing around all over the place are well and truly over, I did all that over 30 years ago when I was hooked on RD400's. I bought this Bonneville to bimble around on on sunny days, sadly, it's beginning to seem like I got my choice of bike wrong. I'm hoping the dealer will find something that isn't right with my bike and can be rectified there and then, hope springs eternal, and all that! I don't want to have to work hard every time I take my bike out, nor dread city centre riding, I don't think it's too much to ask of a new bike these days to be able to deliver a smooth ride. I'll be glad to update you with the results of my trip to Stoke on Trent on Thursday, fingers crossed for a resolution! I'm starting it up with no throttle and running it for 20 minutes a bit later this morning to see if this TPS re-set procedure has any effect. Curly
Hear what your saying, I always intended to do a few mods but had not counted on it being all performance related. There is still a lot of rider input needed it's definitely not twist and go riding!!
I encountered the same problem with throttle lag and decided it was the amount of free play 2-3mm in the throttle cable. Adjusted cable to minimum free play, which greatly improved the throttle pick up with less movement to open the throttle.