What not to do to Dora...

[Bixxer Bob]

The trophy goes to Metalguru for this first entry in the "What not to do's" for Explorer:

Ok I can tell you are all on the edge of your saddles.

The headlamp has a height adjuster on the rear to drop the beams down when carrying passengers.
I was taking eldest son to the airfield, (passed solo at 14 and one day) and decided just to flick the beams down as I have raised them from the std setting from the factory.
For once I was thinking of other road users and every time I have done this adjustment it has worked fine.
I didn't it would be important but when adjusting the lamps, they have been warm, ie on.
This particular day I dropped the adjuster down and TWANG. The reflectors are now loose inside the lamp unit???????
Being short on time I removed one of the access hatches and jammed a sponge inside to steady the reflectors.

When I returned and had more time to investigate I found the beam dropper is connected to a ball joint on the rear of the reflector.
This joint had separated. I removed the headlamp unit and tried to reinstate the joint.
This is when the heat thing happens.
The headlamps were at about 2C and the plastics more brittle.......Well, trying to pull the ball joint back together needed that ...just, a, bit, more, localised, force, then SNAP!!!
The reflector had broken and some parts had shattered although the localised force was not very high.
Being cold the plastic does not flex as much.
Being plastic, that's the stuff they said would make things cheaper and plentiful are 'kin expensive from the big T. About £200.
'Luckily' the 800 is the same unit so looking for replacement.
Having said that I seem to have lots of conventional headlamps around here so may even 'make' something different.

[metalguru]

This episode has eventually reached a very satisfying conclusion.

I was in my local big T shop looking for something like a headlamp assy I could fit to the bike....was thinking of 'adapting' the twin lamp set up from the Steamer and modifying the nose fairing to kinda 'blend' into the Tex!!
I happen to be doing some measuring when I noticed my headlamp lens was slightly distorted.
Further investigation reveals it has actually melted!!
The cause being the aforementioned episode with the adjusters, the reflectors being displaced and probably closer to the lens and the 100w lamps fitted!

On revealing the melted lense to the service manager he said he would look into it.

The bike is now 25 months old and Triumph have come up to the mark and carried out a goodwill replacement of the headlamp assy.
While I was there they replace the sidestand bolt too.
Certainly wasn't expecting that!!

[Sin_Tiger]

  they must have looked at your database profile and thought it was worth keeping a customer like you 

Good result.

[threepot]

they must have looked at your database profile and thought it was worth keeping a customer like you 

Good result.

or they are taking note after the 'bashing' they take on Adventure Bike Rider?

[Bixxer Bob]

I met the Warranty Manager from the factory at the XCX launch at Lings in Watton.  Nice enough chap, talked a bit about how they review claims, seemed fair and reasonable.  Spookily, he seemed to be able to pull up claims from memory at will.....