I just completed my first oil change on my 2020 Speed Triple RS. Everything went fine except I am having trouble getting it to come up into the range on the dipstick. I replaced the filter and the manual says it should hold 3.2 liters or 3.38 quarts. I have used at least 3.4 quarts and it is barely touching the bottom of the stick. I don't want to over fill the bike. I have always heard it is actually better to be low than to over fill. Anyway, I have the bike standing upright as best as possible. I started the bike, a few seconds later the oil pressure light went off, let it run for 4-5 mins, then shut it off, let sit for 3 mins then remove the dipstick, clean it off and screw all the way back in then check. That is what the manual says and that is what I did. Thanks for any input..
I figured out what the problem is. I simply did not have the bike straight up. I guess it was leaned over enough to the left that I could not get a good reading. I had someone sit on the bike and then I checked it. I did check it cold (not hot) and it read a little above the high mark. So now I am wondering if it may have put just a little too much oil in. I guess I need to check the oil as per the manual where you let it run for 5 mins, shut off, let it sit for 3 mins then check with the dipstick screwed all the way in. I will post again after I do that.
Yes that is a good idea. I should have checked where it was on the dip stick cold before I started the motor to warm it up. Then I would have a better idea of where I am.
I just checked it as per the owners manual instructions. Started engine and ran for 5 mins. Stopped engine and let it sit for 3 mins. With the bike completely upright and level remove dipstick and wipe. Screw in the dipstick, remove and check the level. Mine is right up against the top mark. One thing I did read about AFTER I changed my oil is something about a service bulletin about changing the oil on the 2018-2020 Speed Triple. It says to pour in the oil BEFORE installing the oil filter. I did NOT do it that way. I did it exactly by the directions in the owners manual. My oil pressure light went off a few secs after starting the bike just like the manual says it should. Do I need to contact my dealer and ask them about this? They did not mention a service bulletin and I bought the oil and filter when I picked up the bike. Should I be concerned about this at all? thanks
Sounds to me like you ok. After fiddling, getting the bike level, running the oil through the engine to find (once switched off and rested) that ur just below max capacity, then you should be good to go. I always ‘prime’ my filters before fitting - its astonishing how much oil they soak up. In my simple mind I think it reduces the chances of airlocks.
Should be ok now. There were a few cases of dealers screwing up engines as there was an airlock caused by putting on the filter first. However, it wasn’t all of the time so the came up with the different procedure. As @Cyborgbot says, should be ok!
Thanks for the responses. I hope you all are correct. I plan to contact my dealer tomorrow (they are closed on Monday) just to see what they have to say about it. I just wonder why the owners manual still shows the procedure that I followed when the dealers got a service bulletin showing a different procedure?? This is the last year of production for my model of Speed Triple. It seems if it were really important they would have updated the manual bu now!!
You are lucky - you got away with it. I have a copy of the service bulletin. I too heard this story and researched it before I carried out my first oil change as I didn’t believe it. Also, it is counter-intuitive to fill the thing up prior to installing the filter as I had every expectation the oil would pish out of the filter housing . . . . It doesn’t!!!!! The bottom line is that Triumph redesigned the sump on the 18-20 Speedy and the oil pickup is now positioned in such a way that filling with oil with the filter installed can create an airlock so that when the engine is started, the oil pump fails to prime. If this happens, you won’t immediately get oil pressure and you can toast your engine in short order. THIS PROBLEM IS MADE WORSE if you prime your filter before installing it - DO NOT DO IT. The correct procedure is to drain old oil and remove filter. Replace oil with correct quantity and then reinstall an empty, non-primed filter. Now start engine and immediately stop it if the oil light doesn’t go out within 2-3 seconds. With the passage of time, dealer techs will jump ship, new workshop/service guys will be trained and this weird idiosyncrasy of the 2018+ 1050 Speedy will be lost in time - dealers and Indies alike will start to use the incorrect procedure and wreck these engines by the bucket load. For my part, I will only ever now change my own oil but to avoid confusion, will adopt the same procedure on each of my bikes. If your light went out after 5-6 seconds, I suspect that is longer than usual but if you didn’t race the engine and left it to idle, I’m sure you will be OK but . . . . perhaps do it correctly next time!!!!!
Can you please post a copy of the bulletin so I can see it, print it, and talk with my dealer about it?? The main thing I have to say about all of this is.....if this is a big deal (and it sounds like it is) why in the world is the incorrect procedure in my 2020 owners manual??? They started making this model 4 years ago in 2018!! It appears a rich person (not me) with a good lawyer could sue Triumph if they blew their motor over something like this and win.
I have just checked my owners manual and you are quite correct. One can only assume that either Triumph overlooked the need to update the manual or felt the service bulletin was sufficient but of course, it’s one thing to tell the dealers but owners should be told too. That said, I doubt your bike will have sustained any damage. I suspect the damaged engines will have resulted from running them for a minute or more whilst failing to realise the oil light was still on.. I will go and have a look through my various service bulletins etc and see if I can find the document in question - hopefully I kept it but it’s been over a year since I read it - I will post again either way!!
Here you go. There's no mention of not filling the oil filter but it's common sense. The filter is downstream of the pump and if the former is struggling to prime, there needs to be as little resistance downstream until the thing is fully primed. I had forgotten most of this TSB but it clearly states that dealers are obligated to supply the TSB to new owners and so there is an implied liability if they failed to do so and an owner damaged their engine as a consequence. As I suggested before, I suspect that if your light went out after 5 seconds or so and you didn't rev the engine, it will be fine but . . . . useful to have this information at your finger tips!!!
It is interesting to note the TSB states that "a revised handbook will be printed as soon as possible" and yet Triumph were still supplying the old handbook right up until the end of model run in 2020 and their dealers were failing to inform owners about a potentially catastrophic procedure which required amending in the owners manual . . . not good Triumph . . not good at all!!!! I bought my bike in April 2020 and there was never any mention of this from Lings!!
Just got back home and reading your posts. I will reply back shortly. Give me a few mins to read through everything.
Ok, read over your posts a couple times. I agree with everything you said. I hope my bike is fine but I will be calling my dealer tomorrow to see what they say about this. The oil pressure light went off within a few secs and also the engine has not been revved at all. I also looked over all the paperwork given to me by the dealer and it does NOT include a service bulletin nor was I told about this bulletin, I am a very anal retired military guy. If I was told about this I would have remembered it. Thanks for your good information and I will post again tomorrow after I speak with the dealer.
I’m retired. . . anal too but . . . didn’t last in the military. I bombed out at Cranwell back in the early eighties!! If you need any further reassurance, watch this YouTube video!!
Ok, so here it goes. I emailed my sales person at the Triumph dealership then I called. My salesperson previously worked in the service area as a mechanic so he knows the maintenance part of things as well. As he read the email and we began to discuss this it was pretty obvious that they (the dealership) do NOT use this new procedure to change the oil. From what I can tell their main thing is watching the oil pressure light to make sure it goes off within a few seconds of starting the motor. He said it should go off within 5 seconds after the engine is started. If it does not go out you have some type of problem and you need to shut off the motor immediately and troubleshoot. He also said to be sure not to rev the engine. He did a VIN lookup on my bike and said "your bike has NO service bulletins attached to the VIN". All of this is kind of strange to me. If this information is critical I feel like the dealership would have informed me and the owners manual would be updated by the 2020 model. From now on I will pour in the new oil before I install the oil filter. However, I bet if I take the bike to the dealership for service they will change the oil the old traditional way. Hopefully this helps some poor soul.
Difference between them is that if they screw the engine doing it incorrectly, they pay. If it's caused by you, ouch!! Cheers for the update!
That is worrying - clearly he had never heard of this Technical Service Bulletin but it exists - you have it in black and white!!!! He didn’t need your VIN to check for service bulletins - I suspect he was looking up recalls or notifications agains your specific bike. My 2019 had a recall against it for faulty brakes which required a pad change. This whole thing is a joke if half the dealers don’t even know about this issue - it doesn’t inspire confidence does it!! Best Advice I can give is not to let a dealer change your oil or at least, without first checking they know the correct procedure or more to the point, the tech doing the work is familiar with it!!
I agree. I will most likely change it myself or if I take it to the dealer for the service I will take the bulletin with me and give it to them and tell them I want it done as per the bulletin.
