1 Little Spill Off Road Disabled My Triumph Scrambler 400 X and Left me Stranded 

$1800 just to make it run again. I will never buy another motorcycle with an immobilizer system. there is no option to get it without that system. entire system, control unit, keys and all locks have to be replaced because that tiny piece of broken plastic. only the dealer can program a new system to the ecu. The ECU will not allow the engine to run unless the immobilizer control unit gives it the ok. there is no way Triumph or any dealer would allow you to delete the immobilizer system. Im not against electronics. Im against being locked out of them. If this happens again, im taking back control, installing a standalone ecu, im tossing the immobilizer, stock ecu, Abs unit, and instrument panel. Ill have custom brake lines made to go directly to calipers. Ill install a standalone ecu probably a microsquirt 3.0 and an aftermarket universal dash. abs and immobilizer will be deleted. Ill now have full control over what happens. No longer need the immobilizer to allow the ecu to work. I can tune the engine how I see fit, stall outs at idle because the mixture is too lean because Triumph was trying to meet an emissions standard? No longer need to beg triumph to fix it, i can fix that my self. I now have full control over the motorcycles electronics. It will be a learning curve for sure but I have the background to pull it off.

This is exactly why you want a TW200 or a Suzuki DR650 or a Honda XR650L or some other aircooled carbureted bike if you're going to be going to remote places, there are just too many points of failure on a fuel injected liquid-cooled motorcycle to be taking them way out in the middle of nowhere. As you said, your TW200 never left you stranded, and it never will.

I have a lot of respect for you for posting this video. A lot of people on RU-vid only post the good things and reluctant to show mistakes and mishaps. You owned it and were transparent and shared the whole experience with us.

Hey Man, One Of Your Old Subscribers Here! Sorry You Got Off But That's A-lot Of Bike! Too Heavy For An Old Man Going Off-Road! Much Respect For You Over The Years. Your Comment To tw200oldman Says It All. Thank You. (Like #56 - Comment #12)

Sorry to hear about the scrambler. You'd think such a beautiful, rugged machine wouldn't be so fragile.

I almost bought a Triumph a few times over the years... but every time I looked into one I saw way too many issues like this. Sorry to see you have this kind of break in on a brand new bike man, hope you can get it sorted out.

I'm glad your okay man. Respect to you for keeping as calm as you did despite the bad luck. Nothing makes things worse (for anyone) than losing your cool and not calming down and controlling the old emotions. Over the years I've learned to be wary when I start feeling too happy, (like everything is just perfect and I couldn't be happier) because that's when I get blind sided by something, someone, or most likely my own stupidity.

Glad you are safe. Sad to see that a slip causes that much damage.

Take the L and trade it in, any amount of bolt on improvements you do wouldn't have stopped this from happening. A drz400 or even a wr250r, if you want fuel injection + 6 gears, would be a much better and cheaper option, plus they both have a crazy amount of (cheap) aftermarket available.

My TW I bought brand new it has 10000 miles. I do a lot of desert riding and I have fallen many times but it has never left me out in the desert‼

I learned quick, those deep ruts will take you every time

Sell that POS! Trailway forever!!! -reddave

Sorry to see your new bike down. What a contrast of motorcycles, from a machine that you could roll off a mountain side and ride home, to a glitzy trinket that leaves you stranded in the outback on a common rain rut is huge. A buddy and I have crashed our Honda CRF 300's in rain ruts like that, or worse, many times on BDR routes and they have always got us through the route and back home. It is a pretty motorcycle, and I don't want to bash on it, but I hope it doesn't limit you for how you like to ride.

Sorry to hear about your issues, that would grind my gears. I hate being locked out by proprietary software / electronics. This makes me appreciate the TW and it's trusty carb that much more.

SORRY about your crash, TDK, but it coulda been a LOT worse, hey ? YOU walked away unscathed. This is a good example of why one should always have a riding buddy along (on their own bike) when you start exploring 'forest roads.' Morning hours are better than late afternoons when 'cutting new trails.' And the BIG takeaway here is: RIDE A BIKE YOU CAN LIFT BY YOURSELF WITHOUT RUPTURING YOUR BELLY OR HERNIATING A DISC. A dual sport in the 300cc to 400cc range just might be 'the sweet spot' for you.... Happy Trails, Son !

I went over the same kind of thing with my DRZ, there was no way i was stopping or going around it so i hung on and that bike just floated over it, in that case speed helped me, thank goodness shes got loads of travel. Glad you didnt get hurt.

What a crap day. Oh well walking at night through the forest would have been worse. Thank God help showed up.

So lucky those guys happened to be driving through there.

AHHHHH man... glad you're safe dude, you hate to see it, but i'm sure it'll ride again before yoy know it

it's no TDub. This is why I hate Electronic brain bikes.

I remember when the immobilizer on my T-dub left me stranded. I wait…… I definitely want the most simple bike if I’m going to be off in the woods 50+ miles away from anything.

Beautiful bike. You'll have it like new in no time. It'll be even more special.

I hope your Scrambler is back on the road soon. This video makes me glad that I put Givi engine protection bars on my G310GS. It's not a complicated bike so it doesn't have an immobilizer to be damaged and the design seems fairly crash resistant. I'm an old guy so I ride slowly, less from concern about damaging my bike and more from fear of damaging me. This past weekend I was moto camping with a friend. I was riding up a rocky rutted hill that was becoming steeper. I stopped just before having a crash as shown in this video. Dusk was approaching and I was having trouble seeing far enough to pick a good line. I opted not to ride up the hill to where we camped. I left my bike parked halfway up the hill. In the morning, I left the engine off as I duck walked it backwards down the hill an inch or two at a time, using the clutch to engine brake the rear wheel while I kept both feet on the ground. I turned it around on a flat spot and duck walked it down the hill with the engine off. One of the bits of wisdom that old guys accumulate from a lifetime of bad decision making: Better safe than sodomized. No relying on the kindness of strangers. No all night shuttling vehicles. No trips to the stealership. No ibuprofen.

Bummer dude. That is a really cool bike.

The way it whimpered after it fell. Heartbreaking.

Glad you are safe, I hate our CO FS road ruts even more than the wash boards or new gravel, all suck but we have to ride with those to see some of our most beautiful scenery, so I shouldn't complain.

Hate it man, happens quick to the best of us! Yep, I agree, Immobilizers belong on Mercedes etc, not a scrambler. Hope you get her fixed up quick!!

I dropped my Honda crf250L maybe about 100 times in 7 years. Bent the gear lever a few times but a strong stick fixed that so never been stranded.

That really sucks, sorry to hear that. New bikes have way too much electronics.

Good to know! These rigs were looking fun! I'll stick to my CRF300L!

The first scratch is always the hardest. I'm heading to the Isle of Triumph event at Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum this coming weekend. Gonna take a few test rides and hopefully they'll have some scramblers. Looks like a fun bike!!

Pretty country, shame the triumph didn’t hold up to every day off-road riding. 😅

I should have known that you liked Adventure Time

Man I'm sorry that happened! Glad you got out. Looked like a struggle loading it

"need to get the crash bars before I dump it..." - Foreshadowing? Glad you're okay and were able to recover the bike. Sucks about the damage :(

As someone who's done WAY TOO MUCH off road adventuring on the wrong motorcyle (honda grom and monkey), I can say that airing down your tires on your tubeless scrambler will really make adventuring off road far better. This allows our grom (with knobbies) and our monkey (tires more like what's on your scrambler) to track and ride so well on the rocky, gravely, and even the fine sandy stuff. Worth a shot experimenting with that! Also, I'm sure you've already gotten it resolved but any car with an immobilizer coil/antenna can be DIY repaired/replaced as none of the programmed integrated circuits actually reside inside of the transponder antenna assembly itself. The code is likely showing as result of open circuit or simply because of the key not being detected. Technology is awesome but also such a bummer sometimes. Sorry you had a rough day! You'll pull through, when it rains it pours!

Well at least you didn't get hurt, about the bike, it's a great bike but I wish key switch could be relocate were is more protected or may you can come up with something to gurd that area Cheers!

I saw a nice Honda Transalp 600 for sales on craigslist for you... its a 1990 and has none of that complicated crap. Low seat height and an adventure bike.

tdub in the garage has a dirty grin

Glad u didn't get hurt or majorly stranded in a survival situation.. although i also vote an xr/dr 650 platform. Still have highway leg room. And wont ever leave u stranded for any little reason ever! Plus once you scramble an old platform like the xr/dr platforms its pretty damn sexy and wildly capable.

You are very inspiring I should go further on my Yamaha xt250

LOOKED, like a nice bike. I guess beauty really is, only skin deep.

Washing Out Sucks,.....Always happens when least expected,....Sorry about the Future expense,...Stick with Simplicity,....Long Live the TW200. ✌

Clean it up sell it and consider it a lesson learned It will happen again My tw usually gets mpg in the eighties Fuel injection is not a plus on a motorcycle in my opinion I have four bikes two are injected and the added complexity adds little in my opinion Wish all four were carbed

Thanks for the vids. Neat scenery as always. But regarding this vid, thanks for the reinforcement of similar thinking. Too much technology can ruin your day. Keep up the good work and try to keep the wheels down. 😂 Glad you weren’t hurt either. 👍🏼

Wow that sucks Wes, you got to love and hate technology.

I doubt a little fall like that would total out a bike that was supposed to be fire road capable ! But if it does get totaled thats not a good advert for Triumph !

Downside to all the technology today, I like bikes simpler for reasons like that.

They make terrible bikes these days .. I would never buy a new one ... Even my Honda crf250l was trash. One small drop and I had to drive home in 6th gear .. the shift shaft was bent ...had to be replaced .. sell it .. get a tw200

New tires and bars, bummer all around.

He rutted out. Happens to best

Looks like murphy's Law hit you pretty hard that night.

Sorry about your bike man. Stuff happens so fast.

The TW gods are upset at you!!!! Im kidding...sorry for your misadventure bud! What I don't like about scramblers is the tires aren't aggressive enough imho

Cool bike otherwise but man that sucks. It's not as good looking but I think the DR650 might be a better choice.. lighter weight, similar power, more torque, better suspension, old fashion Japanese reliability, etc.. low seat height too. Kinda like a bigger TDub. DRZ400 is cool too but seat height might be a deal breaker for you. I'd be tempted to trade that in if that happened to me!

I've got a 400X also, in red. This is a shock to hear about this problem, but you won't be the last one to dump their Scrambler and be "immobilized". This will hopefully get the attention of Triumph and a fix or workaround will be developed. They have sold thousands of these worldwide and I suspect the Speed 400 has the same problem. It is not excessively heavy (395 lbs) for a bike of this type. The new Himalayan 450 is about 25 pounds heavier. If Triumph or the dealer can't figure out a cheaper way to fix this then there will probably be an aftermarket fix. Kinda stupid set up since it already has an RFID equipped key needed to start it. When you park it and remove the key I believe the Immobilizer is active for about 24 hours and you need the RFID key to start it. This was probably designed with Britain in mind where bike thefts are very common. Keep us posted. It' a great bike otherwise.

That's why you stick to old school tech on a motorcycle. I have my tw200 and a Dr650. New motorcycles are like plastic cars. Kind of lame sorry that happened.

Wonder if the area is known to be ex volcanic caldera in history ? Reminds me of Northern East NSW in Australia

Glad your not hurt. I've got the Speed 400 which shares the same torquay engine. Like you say its not a dirt bike, the block pattern tyres limit it somewhat, however they are both smashing bikes and I'd be happy with either. Hope you get it fixed up okay.

Stick to the Tdub bro

That immobilizer sounds nice for a city bike, but for a scrambler or anything you use off road, that sounds terrible. I bought a TW 200 and learned alot of maintenance from your videos. It's a great little bike and I love the look of it. To bad it's hard to find nearby off roading places in the west coast where i am at, but I still love it as my first bike.

I ❤ carburetors

Love the look of the Triumph but think I will pass on buying one now. I like the Dr400 but they are so high in the seat. Was looking forward to these Triumph videos, good luck.

This is in #1 of my longlist for my first bike, may go for a honda xr150L instead

Oh bro what a story😅

Time for a 300 rally…

What a rough day, hitting the deer on the way out really is the cherry on top of it too. That's such a beautiful bike but having fancy extras like an immobilizer is why I avoid European bikes, better to keep it simple imo.

I remember being so disappointed when I saw you bought a Triumph. Lol. I’d like to see what you do with a Honda Trail 125.

First rule offroading, pay attenion to where you're going. Worry about video quality later.

I don't want to be that guy but being disabled and unable to ride upright on regular bikes I've been looking at the Can-Am Ryker Rally or Canyon depending on how much I can save towards them over the next year or so. Based on super dependable hardware - Rotax engines, even! Like a goldwing but very hard to tip over; saddle bags and trailer hitch get me plenty of camping gear and maybe even a small pop up trailer...

I would say good buy to that bike for sure. Drz 400 with some mods would be heeps better

Glad you're ok. A little kick in the wallet, but bikes and shoes don't stay new forever if you are using them. More scratches and dings will occur, so try not to let it you down.

Wow a simple broke disable the bike!!! That breakage could happen at parking with wind knock over!!!

How does that bike carrier haul the heavier bike? Do you know if the carrier is rated for 600lbs?

Drops one time at slow speed "might be totaled" Wow. I feel bad for you that is ridiculous for a "Scrambler". I have a DRZ400S I dropped it countless times and road away with it everytime. Sorry, your new bike did you dirty like that...

The "not so thinly disguised" spite on here is pretty pathetic. Sorry about your bike bro

Been watching you for years, before the mask came off too ! I must admit that I was surprised to see you on that Triumph. What was your reason for choosing that bike ?

All your swerving and riding on the paint and riding in all the grooves on the pavement you need to look further ahead and learn some skills

Cur your loss and sell it then buy a Kawasaki versys x300. A nice step up from the TW200 (I own both) or go find a dr650

RPM in gear ratio brings about the better gas mileage for the horsepower

Your Triumph 400 is a road bike, not a dirt bike. TW200 is your off road bike. Nothing beats a TW200 for poking around the CO backcountry. That said check out Itchy Boots (youtube) new 1987 Yamaha Tenere. She had it completely rebuilt for 'moto around the world' adventure. Absolute bare minimum electronics.

I guess a fly screen would have saved the damage to that plastic part ? Also did your insurance not cover this?

This guy wouldn't make 20 minutes where we ride in Baja.

That's not cool at all. They need to retro fix that. I don't understand the need for an immobilizer. The wife dropped her Himalayan 450 twice today and the second time the check engine light came on. It does have an automatic fuel shut if the bike goes down running but it resets by shutting the key off and back on. However, the engine light comes on and that took me a few minutes to figure out after making sure it wasn't out of oil or coolant and actually still ran. You have to turn the switch off, hold the throttle full open, turn the key on and back off and it clears. Honestly, I could do well without all the tech.

$1800 for a key on a $6000 bike makes no sense. your insurance should have totaled it. might call a locksmith to reprogram it for cheaper

This is why I just stick with Honda motocycles.

I hate to see that bad luck. How wany different bikes have such a system? Id never heard of such a set up. What's anti theft if its so fragile to be torn up. Don't make sense.

I hate modern motorcycles!

Ah crap, that really sucks to hear that. I think that scrambler looks neat though. I’m glad your tank isn’t dented. That would have been expensive probably. Thank God those dudes in that truck helped out. Sheesh you had one hell of a night. On a positive note though. Your video quality is much much better. Maybe just aim it down a tad so me can see your instruments/handlebar etc. Awesome video like always 💪🏼 I hope you’re doing well Wes

Dam what a wimpy bike. You can dump a dub a 100 times and itll just say a little to the left please...

Bro....