Motoring Discussion > The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P. Replies: 21
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 Fri 25 May 12 07:40 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - R.P.
Just read a test on the new Triumph Explorer, better than the Honda equivalent and a gnat's whisker behind the GS - Triumph have now got a superb range of bikes - there is talk they are going to be making a range of 250s soon. Factories either already making them or planned in Thailand, Brazil and India. A very quiet but worthy British success story. They were looking to sell a 1000 of these Explorers in the first year. My local dealer sold 22 in the first couple of months since launch and a Manchester dealer has sold 60......These bikes are well made an reliable and have a soul...what more could you ask for...even the wife fancies a Speed Triple and my bike chum has spent his insurance money on a new Bonneville....
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 Fri 25 May 12 17:55 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - corax
A friend of mine has a Suzuki Intruder 1500 with aftermarket pipes (doesn't like the build quality of the Harleys), but should he decide to change, he has his eye on a Triumph Rocket 3. The engine sounds like a straight six :)

Triumph seem to be doing something right.
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 Fri 25 May 12 19:22 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - DP
Triumph make some beautiful bikes. A Speed Triple will be top of my list when I eventually get around to getting another one.

Based on people I know who've had them, they are still not QUITE up to Japanese standard in terms of reliability, and they don't seem quite as durable, but they are a lot closer than you might think.

That 1050cc triple engine with a decent exhaust sounds incredible on hard acceleration.
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 Fri 25 May 12 20:29 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Harleyman
Quite fancy one of the earlier Speed Triples, in black. Raw, basic and probably a licence loser.

Rocket 3, you may be surprised to know, doesn't float my boat at all; but corax's friend is right to suspect the build quality of modern Harleys. Paint and chrome is miserably poor.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Fri 25 May 12 at 20:29
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 Fri 25 May 12 21:04 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Robin O'Reliant
Now if Triumph bring out a 250 I will be very interested. I've had bikes in all sizes from 175 to 750 and while the lightweights lack the obvious grunt of the bigger machines something smaller and lighter would appeal to me for pootling round the country lanes, particularly as cycling is losing it's attraction now I'm of an age where the hills are just a chore.
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 Fri 25 May 12 21:40 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Harleyman
RR, you might laugh at this but have you considered a scooter? Not the mobility type I hasten to add but one of those "twist and go" jobs. ;-)

I've owned a Honda Lead sice October 2009; 100cc, 4-stroke, leccy start etc. Does about 100 mpg, bought it for my 2-mile daily commute but it'd happily do longer distances.

Easy to ride and mount/dismount, legshields keep the weather off. Mrs. HM sneers at it (not a proper motorbike) but it's cost me virtually nothing to maintain and it's actually quite good fun.

Last edited by: Harleyman on Fri 25 May 12 at 21:41
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 Fri 25 May 12 21:46 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - R.P.
Funny you should say that - the thought has been discussed between us (me and my friend) I looked at one of those MP3 things, ideal for my 15 mile commute....
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 Sat 26 May 12 10:24 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Robin O'Reliant
>> RR, you might laugh at this but have you considered a scooter? Not the mobility
>> type I hasten to add but one of those "twist and go" jobs. ;-)
>>
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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 Sat 26 May 12 10:27 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Harleyman
Riding a scooter or moped is like bedding a fat wench.......



.... great fun and a comfy ride but you don't want your mates catching you doing it! ;-)
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 Sat 26 May 12 23:38 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Dave_
>> A very quiet but worthy British success story

They've got a whopping great factory just outside Hinckley - one of the biggest in the town - when I first delivered there I was amazed at the size considering I didn't even know they still made Triumph bikes.
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 Sun 27 May 12 07:38 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Simon
Have you ever seen this Triumph related video on YouTube???

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKEuzxC4eGc
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 Sun 27 May 12 08:13 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - R.P.
Brilliant !
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 Sun 27 May 12 09:03 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Harleyman

>> I didn't even know they still made Triumph bikes.
>>

TBH there's only the name remaining from the Meriden days, which given the old factory's penchant for industrial unrest and atrocious build quality in its later years is perhaps just as well.

I actually delivered there regularly when they were first setting up in 1989, drove for Nightfreight at the time; went round to the back door just as they were loading one of the first prototypes into a van to go to MIRA down the road for testing. The staff were a bit jittery as it was supposed to be all "hush-hush" and I shouldn't really have been sent round there, but I mentioned that I'd got a Harley and the ice was broken. I got a quick look round the bike (having given my word not to say owt to the press) and even then was impressed by the build quality and set-up. Japanese bikes were at the time going through a bit of a bland phas and Triumph certainly woke them up.
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 Sun 27 May 12 18:45 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - PhilW
"a whopping great factory just outside Hinckley - one of the biggest in the town - when I first delivered there I was amazed at the size considering I didn't even know they still made Triumph bikes
Same here Dave - in fact to my embarrassment as I went down the road looking for a small Triumph workshop or motorcycle dealers, I rang my contact and said "Where exactly are you?" after explaining where I was. She said, "Turn round, see that huge factory behind you - that's us". I replied "Ah, now I see it - that huge building with the huge sign saying "Triumph Motorcycle Factory". "You've got it" she said.
Some fantastic looking bikes on display in Reception area - but where id the Tiger Cub I lusted after as a teenager??
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 Sun 27 May 12 18:46 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - R.P.
From what I've read that's what penned in as the name for the new 250cc
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 Sun 27 May 12 19:01 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Robin O'Reliant
>> From what I've read that's what penned in as the name for the new 250cc
>>
It would be great to see a revival of the smaller classes. 175s and 250s were killed off when learners became restricted to 125s and the 350-500s just went out of fashion or became condencendingly regarded as commuter or Direct Access bikes, though there are very few riders capable of taking a 500 anywhere near it's limits.

The seventies saw all the major manufacturers making some brilliant four cylinder machines in both four and 500cc guises.
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Sun 27 May 12 at 19:04
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 Sun 27 May 12 19:11 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - R.P.
An RD350LC is no commuter, saw one today on my 108 mile run - brilliant, brilliant weather. Stopped off at the local bike Mecca that is Betws y Coed for a Pepsi - dozens of bikes, loads of them were Triumphs - pre-dominant makes were BMW, Triumphs and Harleys - really good afternoon out. Saw three Speed Triples (was there ever more an evocative name) in close formation near the now drowned community of Pentre Celyn (Llyn Treweryn) magical sound from them. I can report that the residents of Liverpool can sleep easy, not seen the lake that full at this time of year in years.
Last edited by: R.P. on Sun 27 May 12 at 19:11
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 Sun 27 May 12 21:49 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - ....
Lovely looking bikes and always fancied one since passing my test.

I bought a new bike in April after looking at the Triumph Daytona 675 R, bought a GSX-R750 for a hundred pounds more than a standard 675 Daytona. Different performance level.
Triumph dealer didn't want to take my money and didn't want to talk discounts. Suzuki did and got the money.
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 Sun 27 May 12 22:29 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Fullchat
I've had the 1050 Sprint ST since 2007. Couple of years ago bought an FJR 1300 as more of a 2 up touring machine with the idea of selling the Sprint. Sprints still in the garage much to the disgust of Mrs FC. Its just such a different and enjoyable riding experience than the FJR whch is also good to ride but a heavy beast in comparison.
Only downside is two lots of maintenence, tax and MOTs . the insurance premium is up a bit to cover the two machines.
I had a couple of the Cubs in my youth which were a reliability nightmare and run on a shoestring.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sun 27 May 12 at 22:30
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 Sun 27 May 12 22:50 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - ....
What do you mean ?

>> Only downside is two lots of maintenence, tax and MOTs . the insurance premium is
>> up a bit to cover the two machines.
>>

Where's the downside ? Get Mrs Fullchat a licence then there's no problem...
I've got the same dilemma, do I take the CBR600 or the GSX-R750 ? Depends if it's raining or not, the Metzler's take a bit more warming up on the CBR 600 so not much fun in the wet.
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 Sun 27 May 12 23:20 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Harleyman

>> I had a couple of the Cubs in my youth which were a reliability nightmare
>> and run on a shoestring.
>>

I can't speak from personal experience but didn't they have a serious design flaw regarding the main bearings? I see quite a few about around VMCC events; they are undoubtedly a handsome little bike and sound far more potent than their small capacity would suggest.
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 Sun 27 May 12 23:45 
 The UK bike industry is dead - long live Triumph. - Fullchat
Yeap - main bearings. Rectifiers were a bit suspect too. Ended up scrapping them. Wish I'd stuck them in the back of the garage, they command reasonable money now.
Replaced with a Suzuki GT350 which had some reliability - after a crankshaft replacement :-(
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