I have often praised Triumph for acknowledging when something is wrong and fixing it asap. Many manufacturers are quick to do recalls and at times you might think, piss poor quality but as some annoying Wellingtonian retailer once said- its the putting right that counts.
I have had many bikes requiring a recall. Pop into shop, replace- leave happy and confident the bike will not fail you.
Which brings me to Husqvarna. I love this Svartpilen 701 and don't want to part with it. BUT, BUT, BUT, disappointed is putting it mildly in how I would describe their attitude to 'putting it right' So they grabbed the KTM 695cc single motor and made a dirt bike supermoto thingy and then the road Vitpilen and Svartpilen. But the Swedish dickheads took the century long proven, lasts for decades, no maintenance, two simple parts 'cable' operated clutch and over complicated it and added weight and multiple delicate and more expensive parts and high pressure fluids to do what the bloody simple cable did perfectly at 5% the cost of hydraulic. So from about 2017 onwards the rubber seal inside the clutch slave cylinder collapses in a screaming heap and all the fluid goes instantly into the engine bay. Rider stranded.
This happened to me in January. Lucky me the Svartpilen has an up/down QS so I was able to get home with difficulty getting through red lights and controlled intersections when stopping would mean a push/crash start to get mobile again. The shop were great, got me covered by warranty even though it had expired. I was warned that rumours were Husqvarna just keep sending out the same failing part, year after year. No, no, no way says me, I trust honourable bike manufacturers to do the right thing. Turns out my faith was misplaced. Yesterday I get called to get my Covid jab, ride 40 km into town for a small annoying prick. Walk out side, fire up bike and experience an annoying big prick. Pulled on the clutch lever and instantly knew that feeling of the fluid vanishing into the sump. Five bloody attempts to get the bike rolling enough to slam it into 1st and get home. Had 6 sets of traffic lights to creep through.
My anger when I got home was 'sell the fucking pile of Swedish shit', maybe just trade it in 'as fucking is' on the Indian Scout I have on order. A beer, another beer. Calmed down. I love this bike it's crazy fun. So I goggle owners forums. Fuck me!. Year after year of Riders complaining of failed clutch slave cylinder seal. Some Riders that have had THREE fail in short succession. Many new owners only got a few kms from the dealership showroom and...stranded
Let me be clear this is no moan at the Dealerships or the bike itself. The Distributors/importers worldwide SHOULD have been screaming at Husqvarna to sort a 5c rubber seal for fucks sake after more than 4 years of being aware of the problem. Rumours are thousands have failed worldwide across multiple model ranges with that same stupid OEM hydraulic clutch ..and been replaced with the same bloody failing OEM part. That's what pisses me off.
Good news is the Owners forum is full of advice to replace it with an aftermarket Oberon brand slave which does not fail. I ordered one today from the Australian based distributor $218 to my door.
Dear Mr Husqvarna. You should be ashamed of yourself, you are a wanker.
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