Maybe I'll Buy a Triumph (I can't believe I just said that)

1480 Views 15 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Stablefull, Jun 19, 2018

Stablefull

Discussion Starter · Jun 18, 2018

I have been looking at getting another bike and I am fascinated with the old scrambler look. I had been thinking about getting an older Honda CL350 or something along those lines. A friend of a friend has an old CB450 for sale with a lot of potential. I had also considered a new Yamaha SR400. Then I made the mistake of taking a look at a new generation Triumph Scrambler. Uh ohhhhhhhhhh

I grew up hearing that Triumphs, and pretty much everything English, really, was garbage. This came from my dad, who is pretty strongly opinionated and stubborn to boot. If something does him right he will believe in it forever; if it lets him down, he will crucify it. I heard nothing good about English vehicles my whole life. His friend had a Cooper dirt bike that was a hunk of junk. Someone else rode a Triumph that leaked oil left and right. MG's require constant tinkering. A lady at work was starving to death trying to keep her Jaguar on the road, and then she was stupid enough to trade it in on a Range Rover. You get the picture.

Last week a couple of my coworkers were trying to talk me into looking at a Triumph, and I wasn't having it. I guess I am a chip off the old block, huh? Well, yesterday I clicked on an article entitled "Top 10 Modern Scramblers" or something along those lines, and there was a photo of the Triumph Scrambler, with red and white two tone paint and the prettiest chrome exhaust pipes I have ever seen. Eff bomb.

I have done a bit of reading and found that there has been a huge turn around since Triumph came back into business, and most owners of the new generation say they are every bit as dependable as the Big 4 Japanese bikes. Dependability is my #1 criteria. Always has been. My least favorite football player is the guy they say is a "great player when healthy."

So tell me folks...what is your experience with newer Triumphs, and what should I look out for? Any model to stay away from? I love the Scrambler, but I also saw a Bonneville locally with a really neat paint scheme, it was white with orange. Really sharp.

Discuss

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vistavette

· #2 · Jun 18, 2018

They are awesome. I had a 2006 T100 Bonniville that I regretfully sold when I bought a 2014 Tiger 800 (whatever you do, do not ride one of the Triumph triples. You will absolutely wind up buying it). Unfortunately the tiger just wasn't my bike, it was too tall for my 30 inch inseam so I should have either gone with the standard Road version as opposd to the XC or just kept my Triumph Bonneville. I absolutely have a T120 in my future and would highly recommend a Triumph. The new Scrambler looks amazing and that motor has great reviews. Go for it.

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Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 18, 2018

vistavette said:
They are awesome. I had a 2006 T100 Bonniville that I regretfully sold when I bought a 2014 Tiger 800 (whatever you do, do not ride one of the Triumph triples. You will absolutely wind up buying it). Unfortunately the tiger just wasn't my bike, it was too tall for my 30 inch inseam so I should have either gone with the standard Road version as opposd to the XC or just kept my Triumph Bonneville. I absolutely have a T120 in my future and would highly recommend a Triumph. The new Scrambler looks amazing and that motor has great reviews. Go for it.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Good to know!!! Was the Bonneville a good bike around town? How were the brakes? Would it have been a good commuter bike? My drive is about 23 minutes, all on city streets

hogcowboy

· #4 · Jun 18, 2018

Probably one of the best things you could do is find a Triumph forum and read the complaints. That's what I did with my Indian and was absolutely amazed. Wasn't until 17 that real complaints began to surface. Just glad I didn't wait and got a 16.

But you can tell the nitpicks from true problems from those that biotch. From everything I've read, Triumph has indeed changed from my days where you really needed to like working on them to own them. Always love the old 60's 1200 Bonnies but not the wrenching. Times change and apparently so has Triumph. Several right here are sold on them. Heck, even Royal Enfield has changed though and there's a real commute bike. They are real work horses where they come from. Triumph seems like more than just a commute bike. I'm beginning to think the bug has bit you harder than you want to admit.

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vistavette

· #5 · Jun 18, 2018

Fiskenmorder said:
Good to know!!! Was the Bonneville a good bike around town? How were the brakes? Would it have been a good commuter bike? My drive is about 23 minutes, all on city streets

It was a great bike around town. Good power, handled great. Brakes were good too. I did some commutes on it but I also did regular weekend day rides of about 200 miles. I also did a 1000 mile weekend. I liked that trip better than the trips I take with my touring bike as I felt like I accomplished something. I really want a new T120.

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Porky

· #6 · Jun 18, 2018

I had a new 2010 Triumph Scrambler and it was fantastic in many ways:smile:

I had a 2012 Triumph Rocket 3 roadster and it was WOW:surprise:

The new model triumphs are extremely reliable but still retain an 'old school charm,' coveted by many.:grin:

Sam:nerd:

Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 19, 2018

vistavette said:
It was a great bike around town. Good power, handled great. Brakes were good too. I did some commutes on it but I also did regular weekend day rides of about 200 miles. I also did a 1000 mile weekend. I liked that trip better than the trips I take with my touring bike as I felt like I accomplished something. I really want a new T120.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Sounds like it would be great for what I want

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Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 19, 2018

Porky said:
I had a new 2010 Triumph Scrambler and it was fantastic in many ways:smile:

I had a 2012 Triumph Rocket 3 roadster and it was WOW:surprise:

The new model triumphs are extremely reliable but still retain an 'old school charm,' coveted by many.:grin:

Sam:nerd:

I remember the Rocket you had Sam...there was a time when I thought I wanted one of those

Another endorsement for the Scrambler...did you have any problems with it?

Reactions: 1

Unkle Krusty

· #9 · Jun 19, 2018

The British knew how to build decent stuff. But they got complacent and squandered their advantage. Some companies survived quite well, like the makers of the Mercedes F1 engines.
The late sixties and early seventies British bikes were not improving, they were getting worse.
The new Triumphs are not like the old Triumphs in terms of quality. The 675 sport bike is great. The 3 cylinder cruisers are great. The Bonneville replicas are pretty good.

I rode old British stuff. 350 side valve Triumph, 440 BSA Victor ( bloody awful ) 71 Norton Commando ( piece of junk ) early seventies Triumphs, all models ( getting worse by the day )
and others I would like to forget. My BSA at left ran quite well, after major surgery and one major failure.

Although I have often said never again, the new Triumphs test my resolve. Especially the cruiser bikes.

UK

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Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 19, 2018

Unkle Krusty said:
The British knew how to build decent stuff. But they got complacent and squandered their advantage. Some companies survived quite well, like the makers of the Mercedes F1 engines.
The late sixties and early seventies British bikes were not improving, they were getting worse.
The new Triumphs are not like the old Triumphs in terms of quality. The 675 sport bike is great. The 3 cylinder cruisers are great. The Bonneville replicas are pretty good.

I rode old British stuff. 350 side valve Triumph, 440 BSA Victor ( bloody awful ) 71 Norton Commando ( piece of junk ) early seventies Triumphs, all models ( getting worse by the day )
and others I would like to forget. My BSA at left ran quite well, after major surgery and one major failure.

Although I have often said never again, the new Triumphs test my resolve. Especially the cruiser bikes.

UK

I'll take that as a vote of confidence UK

GatorJoe

· #11 · Jun 19, 2018

Know several that like the Triumph as it is today .. Having a 1964 Bonneville 650 .. I loved it except when Lucas Electrics screwed it up which was often so often didn't keep it long ..

Porky

· #12 · Jun 19, 2018

"Another endorsement for the Scrambler...did you have any problems with it?"

None whatsoever:grin:

I'm LARGE @ 6ft-5in and more LBS than I'd care to admit:wink2: but the Scrambler fit me perfect.:smile_big:

The scoot did everything well from the commute to work and some 150 mile weekend breakfast rides through the beautiful and curvy rural roads of the Ozarks and some higher speed Interstate travel:smile_big:

Starting, fueling, braking, handling, ergonomics, and suspension compliance was superb. In retrospect, all I have is praise for the bike:smile: The trans shifted like butter and the clutch engaged nicely.
:smile:

Being a person that has had a lot of very powerful and fast bikes though, I felt the Triumph could have used some more Horsepower and top speed ability. You see, my living in a rural area of SW Missouri affords me the ability to haul ass everywhere I go, so back in 2010, the pedal was sorta to the metal most of the time. Since then, I have slowed down and adopted the 'smell the roses' type of riding and truthfully, it is much more enjoyable:wink2: Now the scrambler would be perfect for me:smile_big:

I understand that the newest model Scrambler is much more advanced and better than the older ones like I had. There are lots of tests and opinions on YouTube.:smile:

Ride one first and have fun!:smile_big:

Sam:nerd:

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Unkle Krusty

· #13 · Jun 19, 2018

Guy down the road has a Triumph cruiser. He used to have a BMW 800, even tho the decal says 650. He says the Triumph is a better bike.

UK

Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jun 19, 2018

GatorJoe said:
Know several that like the Triumph as it is today .. Having a 1964 Bonneville 650 .. I loved it except when Lucas Electrics screwed it up which was often so often didn't keep it long ..

Those are the kinds of storied that built my distaste for them in the first place Joe. My dad would always say, "Those old Triumphs were beautiful motorcycles, BUUUUUUUUUUT...……"

Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 19, 2018

Porky said:
"Another endorsement for the Scrambler...did you have any problems with it?"

None whatsoever:grin:

I'm LARGE @ 6ft-5in and more LBS than I'd care to admit:wink2: but the Scrambler fit me perfect.:smile_big:

The scoot did everything well from the commute to work and some 150 mile weekend breakfast rides through the beautiful and curvy rural roads of the Ozarks and some higher speed Interstate travel:smile_big:

Starting, fueling, braking, handling, ergonomics, and suspension compliance was superb. In retrospect, all I have is praise for the bike:smile: The trans shifted like butter and the clutch engaged nicely.
:smile:

Being a person that has had a lot of very powerful and fast bikes though, I felt the Triumph could have used some more Horsepower and top speed ability. You see, my living in a rural area of SW Missouri affords me the ability to haul ass everywhere I go, so back in 2010, the pedal was sorta to the metal most of the time. Since then, I have slowed down and adopted the 'smell the roses' type of riding and truthfully, it is much more enjoyable:wink2: Now the scrambler would be perfect for me:smile_big:

I understand that the newest model Scrambler is much more advanced and better than the older ones like I had. There are lots of tests and opinions on YouTube.:smile:

Ride one first and have fun!:smile_big:

Sam:nerd:

Sounds like a great bike for me! I have adopted the rule that it is funner to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

Stablefull

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jun 19, 2018

Unkle Krusty said:
Guy down the road has a Triumph cruiser. He used to have a BMW 800, even tho the decal says 650. He says the Triumph is a better bike.

UK

That says a lot. BMWs are pretty good bikes.

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