I’ve got a 2017 Triumph Street Scrambler 900 with about 13,000 miles on it. I’ve ridden it from Portland to Phoenix and then Phoenix to Seattle - beautiful bike. The idle was always perfect. No matter the weather, it would start right up and just purr. Steady, smooth, no fluctuation. It was honestly one of my favorite things about the bike.
I recently shipped it to Alaska and had the 10K service done at the Anchorage Triumph dealer (filters, oil, spark plug, etc.). After picking it up, I immediately noticed the idle was off. The techs did a “12-minute reset” (which meant they reset the computer and let it idle for 12 minutes) and said it sounded fine. It seemed better, so I rode it 400 miles home to Fairbanks - but as soon as I stopped for an hour, and the bike cooled, the idle again fluttered and flucuated.
The dealer says this is a normal sounding idle, but it doesn’t sound right to me. Before the service, it was rock solid . It never waivered of fluctuated - no matter the weather. Now it fluctuates between 1150-1450 RPMs, and continues to fluctuates between 950-1250 RPM as it warms up. Even after riding for five minutes, it still flutters between 950-1250RPMs. I KNOW it did not do this before the 10K service.
I recorded a video so you can hear it for yourself. It’s time-stamped so you can skip around and hear the idle right after start-up, a few minutes and and then again after riding for 5 minutes.
I would really appreciate if anyone could take a listen and let me know: Is this how your Scrambler sounds? Or is something not right? I know this is not how my bike sounded before the service… but the dealer tells me this is how the idle is suppose to sound.
Hi Steve and welcome to the Fourm. I’m currently riding a tiger 900 triple, but have owned a few triumph twins both 900 and 1200’s in the past.
From my best memory your bike sounds ok to me. There was a problem a few years ago where the 900 did stall, which If my memory servers me triumph did apply an update for. You could check if your bike has had this update applied.
If the bike is riding ok and isn’t stalling at stops I wouldn’t be to worried and just enjoy the ride.
I’m not sure what the clicking sound is, but there are some very knowledgeable folk on here who may be able to help.
I can hear the fluctuations… was the electronics updated at all during the service?
Are there any emissions laws differences between Alaska and the state where you purchased it?
Hey, thanks for taking a look at the video. There are no emissions laws where I live. I was told the dealer did a “12 minute reset” after I pointed out the idle issue. I believe they reset a computer and then literally let the bike idle for 12 minutes. Then test rode it for 10 minutes. Then, of course the bike sounded normal, so they sent me away with it. But the next cold start (it only sat for an hour while I ate food), the idle sounded the same. I am starting to worry I am doing damage to the bike. And the dealer is being a right-jerk about it. I think/hope it is something simple like a loose vacuum hose or spark plug. It’s not like they did much work to the bike. But whatever they did really messed it up. It is getting worse. The idle won’t settle for 10 minutes after I start it.
Not sure what they would have done in their service… but the twin has throttle bodies that need to be vacuum synced/balanced together, so they might they have knocked them out of sync somehow?
I wonder if the 12min reset was the “throttle position sensor reset/adaptation reset”? Might show that they were thinking along the lines of throttle issues.
Do the 900 twins have two throttle bodies? Thought they only had one.
My 1200 does have twin throttles and on my services I’ve gone to the right faff it is to get access to adjust them for perfect balance, but being only slightly off balance (< 5%) doesn’t seam to make any difference anyway so don’t bother now.
Speaking of which, a number of years ago I’ve had the rough idle symptoms a few times, can’t remember for sure, but ‘resetting adaptations’ on the ECU may have been what I did to fix that. Thing is, that should be what they do on a service, it tells the ECU to forget what it’s learnt and needed when you change things that will affect engine running, like changing air filter of spark plugs at service time.
You got me doubting myself mate… I had a 900 triple engine (3 carbs btw), not a 900 twin… but I thought they were dual throttle bodies maybe this can be answered by a higher power
Looking at online parts diagrams for the Street Twin shows only one throttle body. I’m fairly certain that’s the same engine, Triumph just renamed the 900cc ‘Street’ bike range to ‘Speed’ to maximise confusion with the existing ‘Speed’ range of 1200cc bikes.
That is my understanding as well. I had a street twin and triumph changed the name of the bike to the speed twin 900, I think the rename came with a power upgrade and a few other mods.
Ha. I have to admit, I am not ever sure what a throttle body is… ha. But I looked it up. The 2017 Triumph Street Scrambler 900 uses one single throttle body
The thing attached to the throttle grip by the throttle cable Basically it holds the butterfly valve that adjusts the airflow into the engine (throttling it), same as traditional carburettors. With modern fuel injection the fuel is squirted into the airflow after that.
Your bike has one throttle for the air input which is split into two with a branching tube (the air manifold) then you have a fuel injector for each cylinder. The bigger 1200cc twins like mine have a throttle body for each cylinder (for more airflow I assume) and it’s important that they are ‘balanced’ so each cylinder gets the same amount of air. The bigger engines are also ‘ride-by-wire’ where the throttle cable is replaced by sensor that controls and electronic servo to move the throttle valves. That also lets you have cruise control where the computer takes over throttle operation.
Basically it holds the butterfly valve that adjusts the airflow into the engine (throttling it), same as traditional carburettors. With modern fuel injection the fuel is squirted into the airflow after that.