Topic 25 of 48: Brits
Sun, Nov 23, 1997 (02:02) |
Jon Lind (triumph)
O.K., I had to do it--I'm partial to the islands myself.
Anyway, today I saw my first T-Bird Sport in the metal. Gorgeous! It doesn't look quite as nice in person, in my humble opinion, because it looks larger. It's definitely a big bike. This one was Red and Black. Beautiful machine, but they need to make them in British Racing Green! I think the only new Triumph I've seen in BRG was a Trident--a waste, I'd say.
Anyway (Jon's favorite word today), I'm going to own one someday. End of story. I wonder if I should forgo the Bonnie and scrimp and save and eat critters I find around the house so I have enough money to buy one for cash in March? Nah. It can wait. And what could be a more perfect match for my garage? A '72 Bonneville and a '98 ('99, whenever) T-Bird? Awesome!
Aaaaah. Patience, Jon, patience.
117 responses total.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 1 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Nov 23, 1997 (02:30) * 5 lines
Tell me this is your bike, Steve. Stunning! But I guess everyone's long since sick of Jon drooling over old Triumphs.
I absolutely love the colors. I noticed it's under a directory called "smidgley". Is it yours, are you just posting it?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 2 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (08:04) * 1 lines
PERFECTO...
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 3 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:42) * 3 lines
Here you go Jon--a picture of the 1972 Bonneville 650!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 4 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:45) * 3 lines
Hee, hee, let's try that again! It looks so tall!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 5 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:46) * 1 lines
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 6 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:48) * 3 lines
Hee, hee, let's try that again! It looks so tall!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 7 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:48) * 3 lines
Here you go Jon--a picture of the 1972 Bonneville 650!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 8 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:51) * 3 lines
One last time! Gee, operator error big time!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 9 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:53) * 1 lines
This is torture Brad..I see big empty spaces..
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 10 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (10:57) * 3 lines
OK, This is it--I hope!!!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 11 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Mon, Nov 24, 1997 (21:05) * 4 lines
Gee Jon, you and I can have fun and share the cost's of many tubes of "blue locktight", ha ha. I had to do this quite a bit on the old XS650 Yamaha twin but you will be doing more on a old british twin. Yea the new T-Bird sport is a decent looking bike but at $9,300 it is totally out of the picture for me. It looks better in the screaming yellow color!!
Yes, my friend you are buying a excellent bike, the old twins are beautiful and hold a real place in history. So you will own a Merdian and a Hinckly series Triumph, you will be one of the elite and I with my poor old evo Sporty will just be one of the minons of millions, ha ha!
Tailwinds, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 12 of 117: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Tue, Nov 25, 1997 (14:31) * 3 lines
Here are a couple more Triumph photos -
These were taken at the Clubman show in San Jose a couple of years ago when Triumph was featured. There were over 100 fully restored Trumps, from Cubs to hillclimbers to flat trackers, and of course, Bonnies.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 13 of 117: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Tue, Nov 25, 1997 (14:51) * 2 lines
And here is a Triumph ready for winter in the Rockies
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 14 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Tue, Nov 25, 1997 (15:14) * 1 lines
Aww! Why go and cobble-up a perfectly good bike? That cabin fever must be pretty intense!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 15 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (00:38) * 3 lines
Hey, my brother tried to do a little "ice hill climbing" when he was here 3 weeks ago. I don't know if I mentioned the story, but he was trying to get the bike to a friend's garage up 70 or feet of icy hill. Made it about a third the way up and didn't damage ye old Ninja much at all. It was hilarious, but if we'd had that rig it woulda been no problem.
And to think we thought we'd invented "Ice Hill Climbing". We were going to tell the AMA about it and everything....
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 16 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (01:03) * 11 lines
O.K., here's the '72 Triumph Bonneville 650 I'm considering:
It may go away because the company (mine) who's server it resides on doesn't know it's there, but for now it's there for the world to see.
I don't know what you meant about the pic being grainy. Maybe your monitor is set to 256 colors, Brad? Anyway, it looks great here.
Now how can't you love a bike like this. It's stunning. Now if only it was the deep "maroon" or BRG, but the bike is all original and therefore I won't mess with it. Aaaah.
Yes, I want it, if Buck accepts my offer.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 17 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (01:06) * 1 lines
Does anyone know the curb weight of one of these babies?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 18 of 117: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (01:28) * 1 lines
I would guess about 375 (about the same as my Monster now that it's been on a diet). I did a quick search and found about everything about them except the weight. I did find a web site that you might find of interest, Jon. http://www.erack.com/mcw/classics/trmfbonnie/index.htm is the Bonneville Buyers Guide.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 19 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (01:51) * 5 lines
Thanks, Steve. Maybe I'll get out West on the thing this summer and I'll look you up. Or maybe I'll go East....
Well, one thing is for certain--when I get comfortable about the idea of a long trip on the thing (again, IF I get it) I'm going on a trip somewhere this summer. After all the crap I've been doing so far for Intergram, I'll have earned it.
375, eh? It's funny how my 600 cc Ninja is about 25 pounds heavier, though it's almost 20 years newer, and much higher tech. No excuse for that, I'd say.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 20 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (02:26) * 1 lines
Man, that page has frustrated me. I'd love to make some of those performance and reliability enhancing mods (CDI and Mikuni carbs in particular) but I'm not going to touch this thing--it's too original. Unless.... Can you install a CDI without messing up the originality, in case you want to go back? Hmm....
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 21 of 117: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (03:03) * 8 lines
There's no reason why you couldn't tour on the Bonnie. A friend of mine rode his '72 Bonneville 1100 miles last spring....in 24 hours! It was one of those Iron Butt deals. We have people from Colorado show up for our club rally at Capitol Reef every year.
There are two electronic ignition setups that are popular for the Brit bikes - one is Boyer-Bransden and the other is...Lucas. Actually, the Lucas Rita is supposed to be the better of the two but is more than twice as expensive. The Boyer is less than $100, takes about an hour to install and about that long to change back, if you wanted to. I put the Boyer on my Norton about two days after I bought it. You can tell if someone has the Rita because it uses a different "point" cover but you would have to be
ooking for it.
I've seen plenty of Nortons (not as many Triumphs) set up with Mikuni's (a single carb usually) and the only real advantage over the Amal's is that they idle better. The big problem with the Amal carb is that the slide and the body are made of the same material and over time, material is transferred from the slide to the body and vice versa, making for a poor fit and in extreme cases, the slides stick. A very common fix is to have the slides sleeved with brass.
Did you know that the original Mikuni was an Amal design? True story. Amal needed the cash and licensed them out and couldn't use the design until the license ran out in the late seventies but if you ever run into a real late model Triumph, it will have MK II Amal's, which are identical to Mikuni's. That is, unless it's a Triumph TSS (8 valve head from the factory) - they had Bing carbs!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 22 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (03:42) * 8 lines
Oh, I know you can tour on a Triumph, but I figure that I'm going to want to have some idea of the machine's reliability before I take off. That URL you posted said that a '71 or '72 was best if you "only want to ride to the pub occasionally". Really? They didn't say why. I sent them an e-mail asking for a further explanation. I'm assuming there's some kind of speed/performance drawback (they also said that the '72 had a rock solid chassis, the only problem being that it's hard on the frame to start
t on the center stand--big deal). Hmm. Beats me.
A very common fix is to have the slides sleeved with brass.
Yikes!! What does that cost?
No, I didn't know that. Mikunis have got to be better performance and more reliable--they have a big reputation for high performance (as well as good looking women....).
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 23 of 117: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (04:09) * 5 lines
I'll ask my friend who owns a shop that specializes in Triumphs what the deal is with the '72 Triumphs and let you know.
It cost me about $120 to have both carbs sleeved. New Amal's aren't a lot more than that but even the new ones will wear eventually and the sleeve fix is permanent.
Now, if you really want some Mikuni's, I've got a pair of 38mm constant velocity carbs, a lot like you would find on a Ducati 900, that I'm not using. Problem is that they are downdraft.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 24 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (10:36) * 6 lines
Jon its a beaut!
I don't see why you couldn't get the Boyer and switch back when & if you wanted to sell/show it. People went all over the place on those bikes in their day.
The Amals are finicky to set at idle, but, so..? And that front brake will take getting used to.
Bing carbs, which were on my R90S, suck, in a word.
I have the "original" pipes and seat on my Duc. for show value, and I guess resale, but I don't see why a few practical mods in good taste would be wrong..
Beautiful piece.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 25 of 117: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (13:10) * 3 lines
Here is a British bike that you don't see everyday -
This is my friend's 1989 Norton F1, the only one on the road in the USA. They only made 116 of them. It has a 588cc twin rotor motor and is virtually vibrationless since it has no reciprocating parts. A lot of fun to ride but pretty intimidating since most of the parts are unobtainium.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 26 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (13:31) * 23 lines
Here's what Brian Crichton of Classic Bike has to say about the '72:
Hi Jon
Basically there is nothing wrong as such. They are not particularly
loved by Bonneville fans because of:
Uninspired styling
High seat
Poor front brake
Cheap looking wire supports for front guard and headlight
If you can get a good example for the right money and you like the look
of it, go ahead and buy. We were certainly not trying to put people off
them - merely trying to position the way they are regarded by Bonneville
people. Make sure you ride it before you buy.
From Brian Crichton (Editor)
I think it's gorgeous, so I don't care what folks say in that regard. It's surprising that the performance of the brakes went downhill with the newer bike (o.k., with a Brit company not that surprising).
I bet that can be fixed with a nice and sticky set of modern brake pads.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 27 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (20:26) * 2 lines
Jon, sweet looking machine my friend, I sure hope it's a Gem and treat's you very well. Wow, I'am very impressed that a Young Guy like you would want a Triumph Twin, it shows you have class. Enjoy the ride, will hook up this summer and you can whip the lowly EVO, ha ha!
Tailwinds, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 28 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Nov 26, 1997 (23:18) * 7 lines
Yeah, either class or I'm really stupid. Yeah, I may end up the world's youngest Meriden Triumph owner (o.k., Shane, except for those flat trackers...). I hope it works out. I haven't heard from Brad, so we'll have to wait and see.
I talked to the proprietor of Isles Motorcycles in Denver today. Very nice fella, answered all my questions and he stocks a full line o' parts for a '72 model. Also, he said the only problem with the brakes is that, to save money, Triumph decided for '72 and '71 to use car brakes instead of motorcycle brakes. No biggie as all it needs is a new pad.
He suggested I not put on an electronic ignition, but he said it's easily doable (and he has the parts for it) if I want to do it.
And yes, sadly, I bet the old Triumph could whip up on an '883 EVO. We'll just have to find out...
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 29 of 117: Ed Hamblin (Ed) * Thu, Nov 27, 1997 (18:29) * 3 lines
As a matter of fact, those 650 Trumpets were monsters...mine could outrun any stock HD made, and it was a '68. Even after I turned it into a chopper, it would eat big displacement V-twins like I eat popcorn...handling wasn't too good, though. It was so sloppy in the shift that I had to take my time or miss gears, but it was still a V-twin gobbler. Much as I like my '81 shovel, there just isn't the juice that the Bonny had.
Ed
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 30 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Thu, Nov 27, 1997 (20:48) * 5 lines
You chopped it? Argh! I know you're hard core and the real thing, Ed, but I never have understood the attraction. Oh well, to each his own.
They say that the '68 and '69 models were the best of the Bonneville breed--best power, best brakes, best chassis, lowest seat height, best styling, etc.
Of course, I like the styling of the '72 just fine, even if it wasn't designed at Meriden (I think it was a BSA design) and has a high seat--I'm 6 foot tall, shouldn't be a problem.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 31 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Thu, Nov 27, 1997 (20:53) * 1 lines
Oh yeah, my Ninja has an 85 or so horse 600 4 cylinder and a top speed of about 125-130 (on a good day--my buddy's F2 would always leave me for dead, but with my better mid range I could launch harder). They say that the '68-'69 had a top speed very close to that. Amazing. I'd never want to do it myself, certainly not on a public road. How long does it take to stop the bike with those car drum brakes?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 32 of 117: Ed Hamblin (Ed) * Fri, Nov 28, 1997 (20:34) * 3 lines
Jon, I chopped it at the time because I had always wanted a chopper. I bought it as a total basket, so that part of it was easy. I was younger and more foolish then...also got in with a bad crowd as part of that. 'Nuff said on that. I would never put a hardtail on anything now...that is unless she wanted to climb up behind me on the Harley (I guess that is a feeble attempt at a joke!)
Ed
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Response 33 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Sat, Nov 29, 1997 (08:09) * 1 lines
It looks like it could be one of mine, Ed, so I guess it is feeble!
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Response 34 of 117: Shebee (Shebee) * Mon, Dec 1, 1997 (05:37) * 4 lines
Hardtails, riding pillion on, (rigid 500 Ariel,and a 650 thunderbird chop at 15) was the reason I started to ride myself. He had a nice springy sadle, I had 2"x4" of foam 1/2" thick!
I still run rigids (hardtails) but they dont cater for pillions! well not unless they want to sit on the mudguard on the way back from the pub!
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Response 35 of 117: Shane Adams (Shane) * Tue, Dec 2, 1997 (12:51) * 6 lines
Okay, get out your calendars... (Got something good to say Harley wise hehehe).... I know performance wise the Bonnies were decent, but Ed's comment about being a twin eater caught my eye... My '69 900, never saw the taillight on a Bonnie ever....... Or much anything else Non-Jap for that matter..... Hmmmmm....
Jon, just buy the damn thing and get it over with... You got my heart pounding and I'm losing sleep at night.... :o) hehehe
Shane
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 36 of 117: Ed Hamblin (Ed) * Tue, Dec 2, 1997 (20:00) * 7 lines
Shane...
That was a V-Twin eater....I used to run with some guys who had their Harleys chopped and modified...they still couldn't touch me on that Bonneville. I was running 650CC to their larger displacement power plants. I still maintain, it was a monster. The guys running the Japanese bikes sort of shied away from us, and I didn't often get a chance to run against any of them. Gear for gear, I used to do okay with the Japanese bikes of the same displacement, but when I would be next to some guy with a clo
e ratio 6 speed, and I was running a stock Bonneville transmission with a lot of space between the gears, I
didn't stand a chance. Now, it doesn't seem to matter much to me.
Ed
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 37 of 117: Shebee (Shebee) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (06:59) * 5 lines
Ed
yours must have been special, like Shane my '65 900 sporty was faster by far than any bonnie I ever owned or came across, although the late 650's were faster than the 750's in stock form. It also beat the stock Evo 883's into submission.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 38 of 117: Shane Adams (Shane) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (11:04) * 7 lines
The 900 that I owned was so high strung that it barley even sounded like a Harley except at idle..... That sucker would scream!! The motor was stock with after market electronics (Manual advance Mag, etc). I used to love when the guys riding the 1200's used to call my sporty a "Mini-Bike".... The expression on their faces as you blew by them was priceless... hehehe.... I kick myself to this day for ever selling that bike, even after the 15 or so years that have passed....
SheBee, Was yours a "Rightster"?? That took some getting used to... First time I rode it I almost wrecked it when I tapped down on the brake lever thinking it was the shift lever.... (Meeeemmmmoriessss).... :o)
Around the same time I knew a guy that took a Harley 900 lower end and fit it with a 750 Flat Tracker Top end... The bike was untouchable!!! He used to just lay in wait for the unsuspecting Kawi Rider.... He didn't beat my Z1R by much, but he beat it.......
Remember when racing in the street was acceptable by most everyone??? hehehe
Shane
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 39 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (11:04) * 3 lines
Darn, my local dealership has a beautiful "leftover" 96 Triumph Trident in BRG and cream but I just don't know if I can ride it comfortably due to the "long strech" to the handlebars! These bars are quite a bit higher than the "stock" or even added risers of the 95-96 Speed triple but still could cause me problems with wrist's and elbows!
The only want $6,400 for this left over it's was damn near $8,000 when it first arrived. Gona take a real serious look at it again and compare it to a Honda Nighthawk in fit if the nighthawk isn't much better, the Trident may find itself and loving home! Tailwind, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 40 of 117: Shane Adams (Shane) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (11:19) * 3 lines
Handles bars are cosmetic as far as I have ever been concerned, and you can get them pretty cheap from the M/C boneyards, or even new. Make the bike fit you, not you fit the bike...... (did that make any sense at all??) Happy hunting BJ!!
Shane
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 41 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (12:12) * 3 lines
Agree Shane. Gee, new bars are like $40, and that's chromed! Replacing bars is one of the first things I do to my MCs. I guess I just don't have a stock body! hehe
Parts is parts!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 42 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (12:43) * 1 lines
Get it! That's one of my favorite Hinkley Triumphs, second only to the Speed T and T-Bird Sport.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 43 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (13:39) * 1 lines
BJ Heli-Bars, from Gen-Mar industries has the bits for the Trident. That's a totally bulletproof bike! Great price. The Duc/Triumph "boutique" here had one last year, BRG & all, and 2 guys actually fought over who was gonna buy!. I met the final owner who traded an FJ Yam for it he's happy as hell. Gooood Luck!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 44 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (21:15) * 3 lines
Jon: That's one of my favorite Hinkley Triumphs, second only to the Speed T and T-Bird Sport.
How can something be second to two things?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 45 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Thu, Dec 4, 1997 (22:31) * 1 lines
Hey, don't ask stupid questions! (Grin).
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 46 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (10:41) * 5 lines
Yea, Heli-Bars might do the trick but to be honest I still have second thoughts about purchaing a Triumph. Been lurking around in the background and on the Hinckley Triumph Mail list. When I bought the speed triple that list had ove 100 members and everybody was excited about Triumph being in the US. Now it seems like their awaiting the "death knell" from Triumph of UK. on weither it's selling enough unit's to "stay in America"!!
See I bought a 92 Yamaha TDM850 which only was sold for 2 years in the states and it was a real pain in the ass to find any accessiories for it even though they had some "slick stuff" in Europe. The bike value dropped so fast that I got "royaly screwed" (orginal MSRP: $7600 in late 93 a leftover could be got "new" at $4,000). Even my local dealer who sold Triumph's in the 60's and was excited about carrying them in the 90's has been left "high and dry" buy the "value drop" and slashed prices that Triumph
has had to do to survive in the states and he got no "coverage" from Triumph UK. The Triumph website hasn't been up dated since late 96 and the new National Association RATS (Riders Assoc. of Triumphs) is a pure disaster and run poorly here in the states. Makes Harley and HOG look like they got it together even with all the strange dealer mark up and things! Will see.
Tailwinds, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 47 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (10:43) * 1 lines
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 48 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (11:59) * 1 lines
Well BJ you probably read my note regarding the Sportster desires now but, for a sport-tourer The Triumph is bulletproof, brawny, and a lot of decent accessories are available. I think Triumph's commitment to the US is quite strong from the marketing/bean-counter end. Again it's opinion, I like the bikes I've seen. But there's no question as to the difference in type/style/"cachet" between the T's and the HD's.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 49 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (15:29) * 1 lines
I think that the new Triumphs have just about as much style, as long a history (if you consider it part of the original Triumph line), and gobs more performance than a Harley. But I guess everyone knows how I'd decide given the choice between HD or T....
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 50 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (15:33) * 5 lines
Oh, I read a short article in CW this month. It's interesting. I read the initial reviews of the T-595 Daytona and was frustrated. They kept saying the same things--"Great bike, crummy suspension, and the muffler's always grating and the fuel injection bites". I was frustrated that Triumph had gone to the trouble to create a top-rate sportbike and had come up just short.
But amazingly the Triumph designers must read magazines, because they've fixed all these problems in just the second year of production. I mean, if Honda designers read magazines they might have beefed up the power output of the Hawk GT and it might still be for sale.
Good job of paying attention to the customer, admitting you're wrong, and fixing the problem. I think Triumph, with this kind of thinking, has a long and successfull future ahead of them.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 51 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (21:30) * 2 lines
Jon, I sure hope so you'd look real good on a TBird Sport my friend!
Tailwinds, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 52 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Fri, Dec 5, 1997 (22:30) * 1 lines
Don't worry--just give me a year or two. I can't have everything I want right now.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 53 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (10:19) * 2 lines
I truely understand, if not for JO deciding to "change jobs", I would be still looking at another "beater" CB or GS model bike myself. Just finally got Luck to go from bad to good for a little while, will see how long it's gona last!!
Tailwinds, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 54 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (12:33) * 1 lines
Of course, you should probably do something "responsible" with the money, like in invest in an IRA. Nah, screw responsibility--get the bike!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 55 of 117: Shane (PTE1) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (13:20) * 1 lines
Responsible?? Let's see, Where did I put that dictionary........ hehehe
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 56 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (13:47) * 1 lines
I mailed back to the British website originator, I don't know what happened. Hopefully they'll get it together.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 57 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (23:39) * 2 lines
Yep, that's what we said, besides 7 years is a long time to be with bikes and it will be so nice to have the machines "paid off"! Can't wait wish summer was coming a lot faster!
Tailwinds, BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 58 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (03:39) * 1 lines
I agree, BJ. I'd give anything to be able to go for a ride, but the roads up here (except for the busy and crowded ones) still have ice in places, and it hasn't gotten above 40 in a week. Brr. Can't wait for summer.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 59 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (09:34) * 1 lines
What with the Triumph dreams turning into Triumph plans, I guess the KLR is totally out of the question now (moreso since you now have a much bigger D-P vehicle that won't fall on its side...)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 60 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (10:10) * 2 lines
Well Sam, you could always beat on Jon to buy a "Triumph Tiger" D-P bike instead of a TBird Sport, ha ha ha!!
BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 61 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (13:30) * 1 lines
KLRs are cool, but a friend from Texas is supposed to be coming up from Texas to go dirt riding next spring and I think I'm going to have him pick up a dirt bike in Texas. They're much, much cheaper down there. For $1000 I should be able to get a pretty nice one.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 62 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (16:14) * 3 lines
A Tiger is a big 3-cylinder BMW R100GS challenger, not quite a KLR. A fully off-road bike has never made much sense to me. A D-P makes more sense in that it allows one to keep going when the road ends (or to survive really bad roads!)
THen again, which is better off-road, the Kawasaki KLR650 or the Suzuki Vitara (aka Suzuki Sidekick, aka Geo Tracker)?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 63 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (16:49) * 3 lines
Correction, Sam, AKA "Chevy" Tracker (they dumped the Geo badge this year and made 'em all Chevys). A KLR would walk off and leave a Tracker in any situation off road (and probably would leave behind almost any off road vehicles, including Jeeps and Hum-Vs).
Around here a fully off road bike makes some sense. There are alot of great places to use them around here. A DP is handy because some of the trails require street legal bikes. But a bare bones off roader with headlights and a liscense plate would be better for me.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 64 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (20:16) * 2 lines
Sam, a KLR is not "that small", yes a better dirt machine but still not a bike for serious trail riding. Jon is right as a serious DP like a ATK, KTM or even the KLX kawasaki would be much better. I'd use a 250 XR by honda as I like 4-stroke grunt but real serious off road riders swear by the 2-stroke!
BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 65 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (21:50) * 1 lines
I hate the noise of the 2 strokes, though. Nothing worse than being up in the mountains and to have the things buzzing around like 200 pound, 150 db bees.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 66 of 117: Yves G. (yves) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (01:59) * 1 lines
Yes but what a MUSCLE bee. I like better 4 stroke bikes but till now (except the new yz400F 4 stroke) there's no one that get enought power (and reasonably light ) for real dirt riding.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 67 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (02:30) * 3 lines
Headlights and a licence plate...And of course, in the U.S., indicators & passable emmissions; what else does a dirtbike need to be street legal? I always thought that D-P's were street-legal dirtbikes! Now I know that the 650s can't match the agility of the 250s or 350s, but I thought that these smaller ones were D-Ps too!
Are XR400s considered D-Ps? I know the XT350s are! (Oh, WHY doesn't Yamaha make an XT500 anymore?)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 68 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (11:51) * 1 lines
True, Yves. Light is good (necessary) for real off road riding, and therefore 2 strokes are the way to go.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 69 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (11:53) * 3 lines
There are some small DPs, but in the US the largest 2 stroke that can pass emissions (until Bimota came along) was (correct me if I'm wrong here) 100cc. At a certain displacement it doesn't have to pass emmissions. Anyway, I think Kawi still sells their little 100cc two stroke (or did until about 2 years ago) and that was the only 2 stroke streetable bike available.
There's obviously some holes in my recollection. Someone help me out here.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 70 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (20:57) * 2 lines
Colorado has some "very leanient" law's, many Serious dirt machine's can be granted street legal status with only added headlight, old fashion bulb horn, mirrors and a approved Spark Arrester! Sam, it's just some d-p bikes are 60% street and 40% dirt, while other's are 80% dirt and 20% street, they really differ from brand to brand and model to model!! It's so confusing!
BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 71 of 117: Yves G. (yves) * Tue, Dec 9, 1997 (01:26) * 1 lines
I agree wih B.J. on cofusion, and from a contry to another the law's to be street legals are differents (sound output, spark arrestor...).
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 72 of 117: Kevin (kgeorge) * Mon, Dec 15, 1997 (17:29) * 1 lines
California is doing away with practically all 2-strokes. Before long you won't be able to get even offroad motocross bikes, watercraft and snowmobiles. I love this state, but man are they making it hard on motosport enthusiasts.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 73 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Dec 15, 1997 (17:52) * 3 lines
BTW Kevin, I just saw a story on the Sport Utility Vehicles market in CA, and the lower emission standards for them because of their "light truck" designation. I say keep the 2-stroke bikes, and bust the yuppie soccer moms! hehe
Suburban Unnecessary Vehicles! ;-)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 74 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Mon, Dec 15, 1997 (20:17) * 1 lines
For "California Dreaming" read "Purple Haze"! heeheehee
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 75 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Mon, Dec 15, 1997 (22:52) * 5 lines
Yeah! Get them before they get you!
Hee. That's a problem--there are more soccer moms than bikers. Damn.
As for "unnecessary", you obviously haven't lived in Colorado. I used to think that they were worthless, but they are very useful (and even necessary) here where we get like 300 inches of snow a year. 4 wheel drive or you stay in the drive.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 76 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Tue, Dec 16, 1997 (10:03) * 1 lines
Please don't get me going on "soccer moms" or school moms or any "mom" drivers; I just fought my way out of the school parking lot this AM in the battle-Integra!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 77 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Tue, Dec 16, 1997 (13:34) * 1 lines
Frank, are you trying to tell us you're a soccer mom? ;-)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 78 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Tue, Dec 16, 1997 (15:31) * 1 lines
He is! He's always saying "well, gotta go pick up the daughter at school" or "gotta go get the dress hemmed", etc. when we're chatting. :-)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 79 of 117: Kevin (kgeorge) * Tue, Dec 16, 1997 (17:27) * 1 lines
LOL......hehe
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 80 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Tue, Dec 16, 1997 (17:31) * 3 lines
What's next Frank, baking Christmas cookies for the scout troop? It's a thankless job huh? hehe
Santa's little helper! ;-)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 81 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Wed, Dec 17, 1997 (18:36) * 1 lines
Veeeerrrry "funny"! I *am* a part-time "skating dad". And guess what? I *have* baked cookies for 'em! School lots ought to be on TNN's "Motor Madness" show, no problemo! And the Suburban ought to require a roadtest before purchase IMO. Integra or buggy, I'm no match for that stuff; I'd rather duke it out on the East side drive in NYC at rushour. See, ya got me goin...
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 82 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Wed, Dec 17, 1997 (20:07) * 1 lines
What's the GVWR of a Suburban?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 83 of 117: Shane Adams (Shane) * Wed, Dec 17, 1997 (20:30) * 5 lines
That would be the "Gross Vehicle Weight Rating"... In other words the maximum amount the rig should weigh when fully loaded....
A suburban in Jamaica?? I wouldn't think it would fit on the road!!
Shane
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 84 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Wed, Dec 17, 1997 (23:02) * 3 lines
When I asked what the GWVR of the Suburban was, I was expecting a value as an answer, not a definition...
Actually there are one or two in Jamaica, and if eighteen wheeled trucks can be in Jamaica (going over Mt. Diablo, yet!) why not Suburbans?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 85 of 117: Shane Adams (Shane) * Wed, Dec 17, 1997 (23:30) * 1 lines
Call a dealer.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 86 of 117: Yves G. (yves) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (03:40) * 2 lines
In the 97 car book,the spec. for a Suberu are: 2178 kg. for a 2WD, and 2579 kg. for a 4WD. Loaded or not, I don't know.
Sam, is gaz expensive in Jamaica?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 87 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (07:06) * 5 lines
Thanks for the info, Yves, but I asked for a Chevrolet/GMC Suburban, not a Subaru.
The reason why I ask is that I have a weight limit on my licence, so if the GVWR ofthe Suburban is more than 8000 lb (I got my licence before the Traffic Division went metric), I can't legally drive one.
Unleaded petrol costs about J$12.50/litre. I'll work that out to $US/gallon at another time. Leaded is still available here at a lower price than unleaded, but it's being phased out (so they tell us...)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 88 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (10:29) * 1 lines
The key word there is "Gross"! I'll look, it's gotta be over 2 tons. Combined with high ride height, high doors, and a 5' "mom" at the wheel, it's a horror show.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 89 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (11:05) * 3 lines
Here in DC, most Suburbans are driven by the Secret Service. They are black with blacked out windows, and a 6' shaded agent in the driver's seat. Very intimidating! Must have a squad of jumpout boys in the back--or more likely their daughter's soccer team!
007, here's your new Suburban equipped machine guns, and plenty of cup holders for the kids! hehe
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 90 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (12:25) * 1 lines
Yeah I've seen 'em, black, white, and grey ones. All the guys in 'em look like Howie Long trained to kill.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 91 of 117: Yves G. (yves) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (14:53) * 1 lines
Sam It is SUBURBAN specs. Writing error. In pounds : 4,802 and 5695.(Heavy for a Subaru). :o) I do drive them sometimes for work. Not as big as it look,
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 92 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (15:02) * 1 lines
Under 8000 lbs, O.K. i would be allowed to drive 'em. As to whether or not I can...
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 93 of 117: Yves G. (yves) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (16:45) * 1 lines
When I was asking for gaz price, it was for my information, but also to let you know that they drink 17.6 L/100km.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 94 of 117: Kevin (kgeorge) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (20:50) * 1 lines
They may be behemoths, but the Suburban has the best rating of any vehicle on the market in crash tests, making it supposedly the safest vehicle to drive. I don't know how it'd compare to something like a Humvee (which costs too much and barely seats two people..for rich folks only).
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 95 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Thu, Dec 18, 1997 (22:16) * 1 lines
I think there are 7-seater versions of the Hummer (market-friendly civilian name for the Humvee)
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 96 of 117: Brad (Rodehogger) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (10:02) * 7 lines
They may be behemoths, but the Suburban has the best rating of any
vehicle on the market in crash tests, making it supposedly the safest
vehicle to drive.
Only if you're not the one on the receiving end! ;-)
Where's the other car?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 97 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (10:21) * 2 lines
Hey guys, this is a Brit topic, shouldn't we be talking about Land Rover's?? HA HA HA HA HA.
BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 98 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (10:33) * 3 lines
Yeah I wondered the same BJ!
Brad's right K, that rating stems from the fact that it's the biggest-selling biggest sumbitch on the road. Insurance companies are now taking notice and charging a premium to owners, they know there'll be little or no damage on impacts! Down-county here there's a group of Lexus/BMW type owners lobbying against the big trucks road-rights, believe it or not! One kind of mom doesn't like it when her bonehead move gets her 735i cut down by another in a Suburban, etc.!
And we have little very old lady in Scardale who drives a 4door Hummer everywhere, no problem. Nuts.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 99 of 117: Kevin (kgeorge) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (18:27) * 5 lines
Yeah I know..it's supposed to be the safest thing to ride in..not be on the receiving end. Might as well get a semi-truck *GRiNs*
Frank, charging a premium because they're safer..I don't understand. I also can't believe any law could be made to outlaw any vehicle based on size unless they're considered a Wide-Load, or those semi-tractor rigs could be in trouble.
If everyone rode bikes..the whole world would be safer.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 100 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (19:07) * 1 lines
Apparently they want to charge the Suburban-types for damage they *don't* sustain relative to the *normal* cars now. Typical, ain't it? In other words if you're in an accident in a Suburban, your car will remain straight while doing total damages to the weaker vehicle, therefore you should pay more. They're lobbying right now.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 101 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (20:12) * 2 lines
Let me get this straight: Insurance companies get money from owners of Suburbans. Suburbans get into crashes and don't sustain much damage, therefore insurance companies don't pay much. And the companies want to raise premiums? Logic here, please?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 102 of 117: Ed Hamblin (Ed) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (20:49) * 3 lines
What kind of motorcycle is a Suburban?
Ed
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 103 of 117: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Fri, Dec 19, 1997 (21:33) * 1 lines
One comparable to that pictured in the "Serious Stuff" topic!
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 104 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Sat, Dec 20, 1997 (16:43) * 2 lines
I guess we could zing this over to "Cars' now...
Point being if you insure a Suburban with certain companies they'll charge you more than an S10 Blazer-class just because of 'size'.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 105 of 117: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sun, Dec 21, 1997 (11:34) * 2 lines
So if a Honda Valk hits a Honda Rebel would the same logic apply, ha ha!
BJ
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 106 of 117: Kevin (kgeorge) * Sun, Dec 21, 1997 (15:01) * 1 lines
Alright
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 107 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Dec 21, 1997 (15:05) * 1 lines
I think it probably would. I'm no physicist (Glenn is, I wish he'd come back) but I would think that it would be much more difficult to get the Valk to fall over. "An object in motion tends to stay in motion" would seem to also mean "a really heavy object in motion REALLY wants to stay in motion." It's easier to move a basketball from its course than the moon.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 108 of 117: Kevin (kgeorge) * Mon, Dec 22, 1997 (14:29) * 1 lines
I think in the case of two motorcycles..no matter what the difference in size..neither one comes out a winner.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 109 of 117: Pat Hanson (Marlboro) * Thu, Dec 25, 1997 (20:51) * 2 lines
Jon,
Have you done the upgrade on your Triump yet,if not let me know have done them on numerious machines, can tell you how it all works together. MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 110 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Tue, Dec 30, 1997 (14:29) * 1 lines
Don't have a Triumph yet. "Yet" is the key word, as I will (hopefully relatively soon).
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 111 of 117: Stacey Vura (stacey) * Thu, Jan 8, 1998 (22:12) * 1 lines
waiting til spring so you can ride it back to CO?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 112 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Thu, Jan 22, 1998 (16:57) * 1 lines
Change o' plans. I'm going to go on a vacation and ride my Ninja (which is having some major surgery performed on it now to get it up to snuff) through the Deep South in late March and early April. That will put the purchase of the Triumph back a little, but it's still planned.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 113 of 117: Stacey Vura (stacey) * Thu, Jan 22, 1998 (17:54) * 2 lines
sounds like an excellent ride.
stops planned or just a 'fly by the seat o' your pants' ride?
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 114 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Fri, Jan 23, 1998 (16:59) * 7 lines
Only plans are that I'm going to leave here with a trailer and trailer the bike to San Angelo. That's one day's boring drive or two days boring ride, and I can't spare the extra two days it would take to ride (I know, I'm going to biker hell for trailering--sue me).
From San Angelo I'll ride to my granny's house in Huntsville Texas and then from there to New Orleans. After that no plans, just going to wander around. I want to get to Memphis and Beale Street--sort of a blues pilgrimage, but I'll see what happens and where I end up.
On the way back I'm stopping by Dallas for the Nascar race on April 5th. A buddy from Texarkana is going to meet me there for the race.
From there back to San Angelo and the drive back to Colorado, at which point I'll be totally exhausted, but (hopefully) spiritually renewed.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 115 of 117: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Sat, Jan 24, 1998 (11:17) * 1 lines
Sounds good to me, Jon. Great that you can get that amount of time and go where *you* feel like going.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 116 of 117: Jon Lind (triumph) * Mon, Jan 26, 1998 (16:09) * 1 lines
Well, it ain't that much time. Only 2 weeks total, and it'll be kinda crammed for time (it's 3 days each way just to get to the South) but it'll be fun.
Topic 25 of 48 [motorcycle]: Brits
Response 117 of 117: Stacey Vura (stacey) * Mon, Jan 26, 1998 (18:21) * 1 lines
Enjoy the renewal... sounds awesome!
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