The Haynes manual says you can't change the brake fluid yourself... or more precisely, you can, but it then has to be transported (not ridden) to a Triumph dealer to have the ABS modulator bled - they have a special tool for opening and closing the ABS solenoids to enable the modulator to be bled. A special tool for bleeding cash out of owners, more like. Anyway, I digress... So my question is - has anyone found a way to complete a fluid renewal at home? Also... has Triumph really designed and sold a bike which is dangerous to ride if the fluid is replaced with the correct replacement fluid by an experienced mechanic following the proper normal procedure for renewing brake fluid?? Or to put that question the other way round - what's gonna happen if I renew the fluid and then ride the bike 2 miles down to the dealer to get the modulator seen to? And why does Haynes recommend renewing the fluid yourself... and then transporting the bike to the dealer to have the modulator bled!? If you renew the fluid correctly you won't have introduced any air in the system so the modulator won't need bleeding. If the worst that would happen as a result of changing the fluid myself is that the ABS light might come on then I'm good to go. Or, if the worst that might happen is that the ABS actually won't work then I'm also still good to go... so long as the brakes still work! Cheers, Dave PS No, I won't be risking my life based on replies posted here, but I'm interested to hear what people know on the subject. My current plan is get the dealer to bleed the brakes but if there's a safe way to do that at home I'd much rather do it myself as I always have.
I used TuneECU, which amongst other things lets you run the ABS pump for bleeding. I believe there is other software which can do the same (Dealertool is something you see mentioned a lot). TuneECU expects to use an OBD interface with a specific chipset in, and the one recommended (OBDLink LX) cost me £71 from Amazon. The TuneECU software for my Android phone was about £20. I also used TuneECU to show the manifold air pressures so I could balance the throttle bodies on my 1200 engine. And reset the service interval. If you go the TuneECU route, you should make sure your specific bike model is supported first, before spending money. (There are three Truxton models listed as supported)
I use Dealertool on my Speed Triple. It needs Windows 10 or 11 to operate it from my laptop. You basically bleed the brakes the normal way then use Dealertool to purge the ABS Modulator. If you do not purge the Modulator there will be a small amount of brake fluid contained in the Modulator which has not been renewed or bled but will otherwise not significantly affect the performance of the brakes.
Dealertool will run on W7 SP2. I also have a Kawasaki that requires no special procedure for bleeding the ABS braking system. Is this another Triumph quirk?
Thanks TRIPLE X, Do you know if Dealertool can be used to balance the throttle bodies and reset the service interval on the Thruxton 1200 R too? It seems Dealertool and TuneECU are alternatives but if I can buy one to do all jobs that would great.
I assume Dealertool works just the same on the Thruxton as it does on my Speed Triple but I would check with Dealertool before you buy. You can balance throttle bodies, check fault codes etc. but it does not reset the service indicator. But I can reset the service indicator anyway in the bike's menu by messing with dates and service intervals.
