Just bought a bike...
 

... and already the crap is hitting the fan.

Took a plane and two trains to reach the dealer, and 400 miles into the ride (about 300 miles from home) it broke down and stranded me. In the middle of the night. Miles away from the nearest motel and truck rental place. With no phone service. Awesome.

Come to find out the bike has three outstanding recalls, one of which directly affected the breakdown. It was a Triumph bike sold through a non-Triumph dealer.

Also: anyone know how to cross-reference an engine serial number to a bike's VIN, to make sure they match?

A dealer should be able to do the cross reference. That sucks dude.

can't help out with this one, but just wanted to say I hope things get resolved in your favor. Keep us posted.

PM Curb.

He works for a Triumph dealer.

Where are you local to right now? Maybe someone is close that can help

I just got your message. I logged into the Triumph site and ran your vin...this is what is outstanding...

SB300...which is a mod to the wiring harness from the alternator (probably what caused your bike to stop working)
SB312...this is just for a different spark plug spanner
SB350...this is to change connectors from plastic to metal from the fuel lines to the fuel tank.

hope this helps out...oh and the engine number is on the right side above the clutch cover...set back a little under the frame, you'll probably need a flash light to see it.

Recall SB350 is what caused my bike to stop working. One of the brittle plastic fuel connectors snapped, letting gas spill out freely. Removing the connector prevents more fuel from leaking out, but a broken connector cannot be reinstalled. From what I've gathered, exactly the reason the recall was issued in the first place.

Do I have to remove any bodywork to see the engine number? I just spent ten minutes looking and I couldn't see anything.

Yeah...you'll have to pull off the right side fairing.

Thats sucks Trip :(

I hope you get home safely!

The bike dying is the least of your worries. You're lucky that's all that happened :eek: