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Why not...Please sir, I want more Triumph

I see that it has the same ABS front brake hub as my Triumph. ABS Ain't 'Bout to Stop.

That ABS is Ain't Bout Stopping. After 46 years I try to keep it on Go. In the movie Bronson was nearly forced over a cliff in the first 20 min. Moral: drop the bike, keep it off your leg and go with the flow. May not end well. But you're not up there on 2 wheels if you want to live forever...

Nice looking bike. I believe there are still a few land speed records held by Jack Wilson built Tridents.
I've heard some horror stories on Triumphs in the past.

What's the reliability and customer support like in 2019 with Triumphs?
 
Jarrett said:
"I've heard some horror stories on Triumphs in the past.
What's the reliability and customer support like in 2019 with Triumphs?"

No idea about Modern Times. With my '72, I can find customer support in the time it takes to hold up a mirror.
 
I've heard some horror stories on Triumphs in the past.

What's the reliability and customer support like in 2019 with Triumphs?

Like MidLifeCrisis pointed out, there are a lot of differences between the Meriden Triumps and the Hinkley Triumphs. It's likely that the horror stories are related to the Meriden Triumps built before 1980. It's important to put them into perspective, though. My first car was a 63 Chevy Biscayne that was worn out at 60K miles. Since then I've put 350K miles on a Saturn with a only handful of unplanned repairs. TPS, or Toyota Production Systems methods first practiced in Japan beginning in the 60s (Actually it starts a lot earlier) corrected much of the quality problems in manufacturing generally. Manufactured goods are much better today.

Anyway, in the mid 80s the "Old Triumphs *!@&" mantra took root, mostly with the "me turn key, twist throttle" riders of the day. Compared to the Japanese superbikes, the late 30s designed SpeedTwin just wasn't competitive, no matter how many times it had been revised. Norton Villiers Triumph tried to fix that with the Trident and Rocket III, but it was too late. John Bloor bought Triumph so he could build houses on the old factory grounds. He reinvented the company using TPS methods and modular manufacturing techniques. The rest is plastic.

Can't speak to customer support, but I put some miles on a buddy's 800 tiger and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new Triumph if it stuck my fancy.
 
I've heard some horror stories on Triumphs in the past.

What's the reliability and customer support like in 2019 with Triumphs?
My 2019 is only a few months old and doesn't have many miles. However, it's been great so far. Customer service has responded quickly to the couple of questions I've asked. No problems at all. Fit and finish is superb. I've added a couple of factory farkles(crash bars, skid plate). They went on easily.
 
Meriden covered the pre-Hinckley Triumphs, so I'll just add my $0.02 on the ownership experiences of the 4 triples I've owned.

I started with an '09 Sprint ST, my very first sport tourer, which got me hooked on the genre. I fell helmet over boots in love with the 1050cc, though the rest of the package showed that they were trying hard but hadn't quite gotten it all figured out yet. The panniers looked like an afterthought. The underseat exhaust made the seat shape awkward and roasted my nuts. Best triple burble ever though. The '11 Sprint GT I later acquired fixed just about all the common complains about the ST. Brakes and suspension were still spec'ed on price point, but otherwise it was the quintessential sport touring motorcycle.

I also had a '14 Speed Triple R, which was dripping with Brembo and Ohlins goodeness... plus PVM forged wheels. SuperDuke and TuonoV4 might have taken the King of Hooligan title away by then, but the Speedie was arguable the most refined bike of the bunch. "Refined" and "hooligan" together might sound oxymoronic, but that, to me, goes at the heart of Hinckley's strength - the ability to imbue a motorcycle with the intangible qualities of character, personality, historical reverence, and that certain je ne sais quoi that make a bike exude cachet coolness and user-friendliness all at once. Not to mention reliability that would make Kiichiro Toyota proud. In the end, the S3R was like the prettiest girlfriend that I loved being with but knew deep down just won't make a good wife. Had to let her go.

Then came the Trophy SE. Wow... what a nice Grand Tourer it was, and ultimately... what a crushing disappointment it was. With the TTSE, Triumph went after the RT and succeeded in a big way... except BMW - in typically BMW fashion - came out with a new RT refined to the nth degree just a year after Trophy SE's introduction. Triumph decided that they are too small a company to keep up with the arms race with the Bavarian R&D Spending Machine, and that they were better off concentrating on making 31 flavors of Bonnie ice cream. Can't say I fault them for that logic, but it resulted in not a single sport touring motorcycle in their current lineup... and me without any prospect of buying another Triumph Triple in the immediate future.

Still, I think a few small stumbles cannot take away the monumental achievement John Bloor and his team has accomplished in a few short decades since the rebirth of the Triumph marque. It amazes me just how much influence this little British motorcycle company has had on the pulse of the industry. All of the retro and heritage motorcycles today - including a whole gaggle under BMW's tent - owe their presence to this genre the Hinckley crew popularized. By the same token, it was Triumph that made the nakeds and streetfighters into what they are today... spawning both Japanese and Italian imitators of their famed triples.

Triumph today is a savvy and innovative company, and, yes, they know how to make a motorcycle as good as any.
 
To me the best Triumph I ever owned of the three was the 2010 1050 triple Tiger. It would growl with the Two Brothers three into one. Very comfortable seating. IF they still made them I would consider a new one. That bike would bogie.
 
Thanks for all the info.

I rode a Speed Triple S, Speed Twin and Street Triple RS today.

Cool bikes. I've become a Triumph fan. I can see one in my future.
 
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I'll definitely post it up in here if I get one.

Hasnā€™t it been about a month since your last motorcycle purchase....partner that is too long for THE JARRETT! Your name has become a noun. or a verb.

Definition of Jarrett: (noun) one who purchases motorcycles frequently. [emoji23][emoji23]

It it could be a verb. Jarrett: to purchase motorcycles frequently. [emoji23][emoji23]

Verb: I did a Jarrett today
Noun: I am such a Jarrett

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
 
My Speed Twin has grown a tail. I like this little bag. It somewhat matches the lines and I have gone from zero storage to very little...which is very welcome and just what I need for running around.


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Thanks for all the info.

I rode a Speed Triple S, Speed Twin and Street Triple RS today.

Cool bikes. I've become a Triumph fan. I can see one in my future.
DO IT DO IT

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
Well, I bought a 2019 Speed Triple RS today. Fun bike, maybe the most fun bike I've ridden.

Didn't get a good pic though. Will try tomorrow. It looks just like this:
orcycle-200596468-4301d0857429ca09e1f8043c6d1b02fe.jpg
 
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Love those PVM forged wheels. Glad to see T putting them back on the S3 top trim. Be careful with them, as they reportedly stain easily. I wipe mine down after every couple three rides, as I do typically with my road bikes. Brake dust is not good to leave on wheel powder coating anyway.

Speedies are intensely fun bikes to ride. Get your static sag set ASAP, though. Suspension on the last gen S3R was finicky to dial in right. Dunno if Triumph recalibrated the NIX30 and TTX36 on the new RS.
 
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