New Twiddle

controllers.application.js

import Ember from 'ember';

export default Ember.Controller.extend({
  router: Ember.inject.service(),
  
  queryParams: ['test'],
  
  test: `I'm changed o_O`,
  
  actions: {
    transitionWithRouterService() {
      // do not touch "test" in the transition 
      // but it got changed on the "application" route
      this.get('router').transitionTo('in')
    }
  }
});

router.js

import Ember from 'ember';
import config from './config/environment';

const Router = Ember.Router.extend({
  location: 'none',
  rootURL: config.rootURL
});

Router.map(function() {
  this.route('in');
});

export default Router;

routes.application.js

import Ember from 'ember';

export default Ember.Route.extend({
  queryParams: {
    test: {
      refreshModel: true
    }
  },
  
  model(params, {queryParams}) {
    alert(`I should only appear on page load!

Query Param Value: ${queryParams.test}
`)
  }
});

templates.application.hbs

<h1>RouterService + default QueryParams</h1>

<p>
<code>RouterService.transitionTo()</code> doesn't take into account default <code> queryParams </code> values which triggers a model refresh on the parent route.
</p>


<a href="javascript:;" 
  onclick={{action "transitionWithRouterService"}}
>
  RouterService.transitionTo('in')
</a>


{{outlet}}

twiddle.json

{
  "version": "0.13.0",
  "EmberENV": {
    "FEATURES": {}
  },
  "options": {
    "use_pods": false,
    "enable-testing": false
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "jquery": "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.3/jquery.js",
    "ember": "2.16.2",
    "ember-template-compiler": "2.16.2",
    "ember-testing": "2.16.2"
  }
}