Triumph

[dainesefreak]

Feeling a little left out on the Triumph threads so I thought I'd start this. What do you think of Triumph in general? I'm not trying to start any flaming or slagging matches here. As the British bike buying public, I wondered about the general consensus of this most British of marques?

Do you see them as a viable alternative to the Japs/Italians, will they always be playing catch up or are they already there?

I've got to say that there's nothing there for me, personally, at the moment. But each year I feel they are closing the gap and would be interested in a 1000cc version of the 675 if it was to happen and was competitive on price.

[iCraig]

To me Triumph will always be in a niche.

They don't make any bikes under 600cc, so they aren't a viable alternative in my opinion.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Very viable. For me, wanting a bike for use on the road most of the time and with a need for carrying some luggage the 675 is possibly the least viable bike they have made.

In many ways I would be very tempted with a Sprint (nice balance between sport and tourer). Only down side is that they are quite new so I would be throwing away far too much money using one every day.

Not sure the lack of a range under 600cc is that relavant. Not like the other makers ranges are bulging with sub 600 bikes that are not aimed at learners these days.

All the best

Keith
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[MarJay]

I think they are awesome.

I don't particularly care that the Daytona 955i is considered a flabby old bus by gixxer owners, I could ride mine as fast as I could a gixxer on the road anyway. Probably faster on bumpier stretches.
It had character and was reliable, well built and easy to work on (even the FI!).

My main issue with it was its size. It was just physically too big. Not power or weight or engine size, but the seat was too tall and the stretch to the bars too far.

Then I bought the TT6. What I thought I'd be getting was a middleweight bike with the character of the 955i. I wasn't far off, but it was a little bland. In an effort to 'copy' the japanese, Triumph had somehow taken some of the 'character' factor from their bikes. Don't get me wrong the TT is a good bike, a good handler and very quick, it just felt too similar to the japanese 600s that I have ridden. Bendy rode it with me on the pillion seat and said "Its good for pillions, but it just feels the same as my CBR6. Apart from the jerky throttle..."

Which brings us to today. Not being able to afford a 675 triple, and not wanting to drop/crash one for fear of breaking my own heart, I have put down a deposit on a Buell XB12R Firebolt. This bike is the right size for me, has the same grunt that the Daytona had, and the same character factor. Sure, the mirrors vibrate to fook, and reliability is yet to be proven, but I'm really looking forward to having a bike which catapults itself forward with a bit of throttle in any gear. This isn't to say I've turned my back on Triumphs, far from it. I have ridden the Daytona 955i, the Sprint RS, the TT600 (x2) and they were all fantastic bikes. They were built like something you might find in the Great Exhibition of 1837, they were fast, they went round corners, they were stable.

And they are British.

If Triumph make a 1050 Daytona that is a bit smaller, I'll be back, and in a couple of years I can see myself on a 675.

Meanwhile you can't argue with the engineering that has gone into the XB12R. (apart from the engine).

If Triumph made a 1000cc triple with the same innovations as the Buell, then it would outsell the Buell 10 to 1 purely because of the engine.

Considering that they were started in 1991 by a bloke who bought the Triumph name and only knew about building houses, they have done damn well. Especially considering how long the Japanese manufacturers have been around, not to mention Ducati and BMW. Aprilia come close although Triumph actually made a profit last year whilst Aprilia went into receivership. Oh and Triumph make their own engines!

Lets face it, we'd all like a Speed Triple in our dream garage. Triumph Rock.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[MarJay]

[cc123]

Being a sport bike fan and thinking right now I will only ever ride sports bike I think yey!

The Daytona is a great machine, my mate has one and its a nice toy. Unless your Rossi you'll never see any difference between that and Jap bikes of the same year. The new 675 is awesome looking and I'm sure it will do very well.

Triumph are very much back with those 2 bikes. The 955, not very stylish but the SprintST is a great looking bike. Have that in a second.
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[BenBray]

I like Triumph because they're Brittish, and if I had the money I'd go out and buy a 675 when they become available, and of course when I pass my test *ahem*

I think they produce good machines - machines I'd like to ride. The new 675 looks absolutely awesome.
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Current Bike: nc30

[.....]

If I'm perfectly honest I don't think I can't see myself buying a Triumph anytime in the near to mid future.

For some reason I don't believe in their capabilities as a company, and therefore tend not to like their bikes.

I don't know what it is, maybe that it appears that they are lagging behind the competition always. They may make usuable in the real world bikes, but this seems to me as an excuse for not being able to make the most track capable and race winning bike.

Agreed, they are filling a niche but to be a true match for the japanese firms they need to take them on at their own game and beat them, which clearly they don't have the money or might to do.

This leaves them trying to fill a niche but in my eyes makes them look like a company falling between two stools, if you see what I mean. They don't seem to have the focus of the big japanese firms, and their big race departments.

I admire that they are trying to do something different with their bikes, and can see that this will appeal to a lot of people. But it's not for me.

I guess I'm just a sheep

[dainesefreak]

I think I'm of a fairly similar view, but they are starting to get there for me.

[BenBray]

Joe...

I think thats the point - they dont want to take on the Japanese bikes. I would imagine there are many more people who enjoy going fairly fast on the roads and dont want to do a track day [because they dont know enough bikers that want to, or because they believe a smaller bike has enough to keep them happy] than those who love racing bikes.

If they want to compete with the Jap bikes, they're going to need some serious time and money. It's pretty difficult to beat the GSXR as it stands right now, and kwak and honda have the sports tourers covered fairly nicely for people more focused on the sports side of touring.

It seems perfectly logical for them to fill the niche in the market with their bikes. I dont think they're trying to be anything they're not - I think they like having a capable road bike, it's just the people on this forum happen to enjoy the thrill/speed/racing of bikes more than others. Hence why a lot of people here aspire to have a sportsbike, rather than a heavyweight cruiser.

Just some food for thought, I guess.
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Current Bike: nc30

[Rob]

Personally I have absolutely no complaints with Triumph at all.

When I was bored of my R6 I wanted something a little more interesting and fun to ride on the road so I first looked at the Speed Four. Was a nice bike but after the R6 was a little lacking in oomph so I tried the Speed Triple (955i). It was love on first ride, the build quality was excellent, it handled like a dream and the engine was just gorgeous!

I had the 955 up until the beginning of last year when the 1050i was released so I ordered one of those. It takes all the best bits of the 955 and somehow managed to improve them! I didn't think that was possible!!

I'm still really impressed with the 1050 after having it for 10 months or so.

I must admit, I probably wouldn't go for any of the other bikes in the range as they don't fit my requirements for a bike, but only in the same way as I wouldn't go for any other bike available.

The Speed Triple is my ideal bike and there is no alternative out there at the moment that comes anywhere close.

In the 2 or 3 years I've owned Triumph's Ive never had any problems with the company or anything else, in fact they do put a lot of effort into customer service and the dealers are more like friends. The trips up to Hinckley to see where your bike was made is also a really fun day out and makes you feel part of the Triumph family.

Anyway, I think you get the idea I am a fan of Triumph and personally I only think it's peoples ignorance or 'I want a Fireblade/Ducatti/**add well known bike here**' attitude that means Triumph don't get the credit they deserve because in general they are every bit as good as any other bike on the road.
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Love is 1050cc

[G]

I would like them to make a good sports bike.
Will have to see what the 675 is like, but haven't seen any so far.

In the non-sports category they seem to make some reasonable bikes - the speed triple seems to make much more sense of the daytona frame and triple engine to me.

Haven't tried any of their more touring orientated bikes, but I suspect they are relativley better in comparison to other similar bikes.

[Rob]

[dainesefreak]

[G]

[.....]

BenBray...

I do realise what you're saying, and I realise they are trying to fill a niche as mentioned in my post.

I was just answering the question - What do you think of Triumph?

They were the reasons I gave for me not being a big fan, not the reasons other people might like or dislike them.

[Keen]

I agree with MarJay here, I love Triumph.

In a time when all the japanese companies are just pushing for lighter faster smaller its cool to see a company actually do something different and sell some bikes with character. The Speed Triple is probably the nicest looking bike for sale at the moment IMO. The Thruxton is gorgeous, so's the new scrambler and the rocket III is just plain cool, 2.3 litre engine in a bike!

You look at any one of the bikes in the triumph range and you can see it has character and soul.... and all manufactured right here in the UK.
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[BenBray]

[Rob]

[MarJay]

I do think that a lot of people dismiss Triumph because they think they are playing a huge game of top trumps.

Biking isn't about two grams here or half a bhp at the top of the rev range. For me its about feel and experience.

For me, Triumphs have a different feel to japanese bikes, and that feel is something that made me keep the Daytona for two years instead of trading it in after five minutes.

The Buell has a similar thing. It just feels involving rather than like it is ignoring the rider in the mad race for two tenths off of a laptime.

Biking isn't about going fast, its about feeling like you are involved. The speed isn't the be all and end all, even so - I would say none of the Triumph bikes are exactly slow.

The Daytona and the Buell felt/feel like more than the sum of their parts, whereas my SV and my VFR felt like very fast bikes made of seperate very good bits. Its really difficult to explain but it is a heart thing rather than a head thing.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[G]

Personally I get the most 'involved' when a bike is very precise and sharp; in both handling and power delivery. Something I haven't experienced in triumphs, but have in those jap sports bikes competing to have 1/2kg less weight than the other.

[mistergixer]

Do they still do the factory tours?
I promised myself one ages ago, and like most things, never got round to actually doing it!
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[McJamweasel]

[MarJay]

[Keen]