Triumph Motorcyles sets up Thai firm as sales rocket

[DILLIGAD]

Agree with all the points raised. Wish I still had my '81 T140E.

[MAZ3]

Agree with all the points raised. Wish I still had my '81 T140E.

+1

Wish I had my 1975 T140V,got a Hinckley model now in the UK,which is fine. But just not the same feeling

Just brought this as a rolling restoration,1970 T100c.

Looks better in the photo than real life,chrome and paintwork etc need work. Its had a lot of new parts recently(yes,the exhausts are wrong but stainless),nearly 2,000K drive to get it,but I'm happy(the Missus isn't! ;-) )

Edited November 16, 2015 by MAZ3

[AllanB]

DELETED..

Except... er, if it was a 79, it would have been a 750...

And in fact, if it was a 79, it would have been a T140E (79-83), rather than a T140V (73-78). To the unassuming, the same motorcycle. To the knowledgable, and enthusiasts, a vastly different motorcycle. Better fit and finish inc fantastic paintwork, better quality control, smoother - better balanced crank and rods assy, 3 phase alternator (180w from 120w), better rectifier, negative earth electrics (a first for Triumph), Lucas Rita electronic ignition (first Triumph without points), Amal mk II carbs. Like day and night. Vastly more reliable. Like chalk and cheese. As 650s are compared to 750s...

650's were last sold in 74, and manufacture stopped in 73. 71 - 77 there was some hideous reliabilty and quality control issues, not just with Triumph , but the whole industry, cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses etc.

Since the end of the sixties, unions, and very poor management succeeded in bringing to an end, what was, once, a fantastic industry with marvelous products, and craftmanship, all on worn out tooling with little factory investment. Read the book by Bert Hopwood, "Whatever Happened To The British Motorcycle Industry" - and weep. Bert, along with Doug Hele were icons of the industry in the 50's-70's.

Modern Hinkley Triumphs are just that - modern. Super reliable, as reliable as anything else made, generally over engineered compared to Japanese (and especially Ducati) products, and have excellent dealer networks worldwide. By all accounts, and what i have read, their dealers and service quality is in a different league to Japanese/BMW/Ducati over here in Thailand. However, compared to the old Meriden bikes - they aint got no soul, man.

DELETED As I said it wasn't my bike, may have been a 750, may have been earlier than a 79, who cares I rode it for a week and it was easy to ride for me, a guy who hadn't ridden a bike on the road before.

You claim to be the guru of absolutely everything bikes and declared recently that "no one uses open sided wheel bearings any more", wrong my friend.....anyway I am not going to rise to your DELETED you obviously have a full set of reference catalogs to hand to impress everyone, and/or a million part numbers in you head. Shame there is no room for anything else.

If you read my posting, I was merely reciting my own personal experiences and my current opinions on this particular thread.

[seedy]

Posts Edited. Please post in a civil, respectful manner.

[taninthai]

Was a good thread this ,shame some posters are so rudewhen faced with facts.

[canthai55]

Had a 68 BSA Thunderbolt. God I thought it was fast.

Didn't even need to drive thru water - drive close to water and it would quit.

Old joke at the time - Why do Brits drink warm beer ? 'Cause they have Lucas refridgerators.

[MAZ3]

Had a 68 BSA Thunderbolt. God I thought it was fast.

Didn't even need to drive thru water - drive close to water and it would quit.

Old joke at the time - Why do Brits drink warm beer ? 'Cause they have Lucas refridgerators.

Similar to,why is drinking Watneys like making Love in a Punt?. Because its F***ing near water! ;-).

Back to the topic,my Bonnie was fine in the wet(apart from the front disc didn't work!,lucky it had a rear drum),but my Honda 400/4 was useless. Forward facing coils and almost impossible to cure,also a Suzuki I had,not great etc.

So not all British bikes are bad or leak oil,and all Jap bikes are not the greatest. The T100c I just brought doesn't leak oil(yet ;-) ) and it's 45 years old!,nor did my Bonnie or my Trident

[MAZ3]

Something tells me it is just a 'bought' name..........[/quote

I was just brought up to speed on bought,ill blame predictive text thingy and not my bad English. ;-)

[canthai55]

Back to the topic,my Bonnie was fine in the wet(apart from the front disc didn't work!

My Norton Commando the same.

Sorry - did not mean to cast muck on Brit bikes. Owned a few.

[MAZ3]

Back to the topic,my Bonnie was fine in the wet(apart from the front disc didn't work!

My Norton Commando the same.

Sorry - did not mean to cast muck on Brit bikes. Owned a few.

I did my bit making them back in the 60's...

Nearest I got was working briefly for Dresda in the 70's and then Ford's. :-( Edited November 16, 2015 by MAZ3

[canthai55]

I did my bit making them back in the 60's...

So can I blame you ??? 555

[MAZ3]

As a kid I worked at AMC (Amalgamated Motor Cycles) , Norton, AJS, Matchless...Around that time it became Norton Villiers, I had a 250cc Honda that would trounce them, BUT, wish I had a Norton at the time...

I used to trash old Bantams with Villers engines over the pits,naughty little boy!

[MAZ3]

Thought the all had BSA engines...?

I remember working on Villers engines,maybe on other bikes. I had a nice D14?,175,the trails/trials model. Edited November 16, 2015 by MAZ3

[AllanB]

Why do you guy keep talking about problems in the wet, we don't get any rain in the UK?

[MAZ3]

Why do you guy keep talking about problems in the wet, we don't get any rain in the UK?

Its those Rose tinted Glasses your wearing :-),at least its warm rain here and not almost freezing. Edited November 17, 2015 by MAZ3

[thaiguzzi]

Posts Edited. Please post in a civil, respectful manner.

pm sent, re moderation and editing.

[AllanB]

Why do you guy keep talking about problems in the wet, we don't get any rain in the UK?

Its those Rose tinted Glasses your wearing :-),at least its warm rain here and not almost freezing.

"Joke" ..You are obviously not from Britain MAZ, us Brits are born with raincoats and wellies on. Maybe Norwegen, from Bergen, perhaps? In which case you may think the UK is relatively dry.

Freezing rain...oh I do miss it........

[Namplik]

Hehe, Bergen is truly one of the most rainful cities in my home country, thats a fact

I was not aware that Triumph had a factory in Thailand, but why did they sell so few bikes in Thailand before this year?

[DILLIGAD]

Hehe, Bergen is truly one of the most rainful cities in my home country, thats a fact

I was not aware that Triumph had a factory in Thailand, but why did they sell so few bikes in Thailand before this year?

They actually have a complex with 3 factories. A new(ish) trade agreement was set so they didn't have to charge the 200% import tax on bikes made in Thailand but had to be exported then re-imported back to Thailand. On that day last September the price of a Bonnie (for example) went from 700k to400k ish. Edited November 17, 2015 by DILLIGAD

[roo860]

Was my pride and joy!!!

[MAZ3]

Why do you guy keep talking about problems in the wet, we don't get any rain in the UK?

Its those Rose tinted Glasses your wearing :-),at least its warm rain here and not almost freezing.

"Joke" ..You are obviously not from Britain MAZ, us Brits are born with raincoats and wellies on. Maybe Norwegen, from Bergen, perhaps? In which case you may think the UK is relatively dry.

Freezing rain...oh I do miss it........

Nope,British born and bred. Originally from Hampshire and a lot of family in Yorkshire. All year round biker,but got too soft now.

Don't let the nickname fool you,and if you read some of my other posts about riding old bikes, working for Dresda in Isleworth in the 70,s and I support Brentford FC and you wonder why some people have a pop at you,I've been helpful to you about the Lifan and then you insult me.

Edited November 17, 2015 by MAZ3

[MAZ3]

Was my pride and joy!!!

Mine waiting at home(in England!),be there next month at its done 54,000 miles. Beside the Thames at Walton.

If I was there more,I may have brought a Rocket 3,last bit of madness.

Edited November 17, 2015 by MAZ3

[DILLIGAD]

Was my pride and joy!!!

This was mine.

[thaiguzzi]

Bonneville sidepanels, but with a Tiger single carb head. Proper.

The TR7 single carb bike was always a better road bike than the twin carb T140, performance difference of no consequence for everyday road riding. Plus no twin MK I Amals to keep in sync. Nowadays, those heads are extremely sought after. Emissions killed the MK I carbs off, and hence the single carb head. SU's were a single carb kit conversion, but they never worked better than a single MK I, and the air filter system was a bit naff.

Back in the day, the later MK II parallel port heads were worthless, everybody wanted either a Tiger head or the splayed port twin carb head, so we jigged up, and made T140E heads into TR7 heads. Could'nt get enough of them.

[Big Guns]

Lets stick to 2015. The new classic Triumphs look great. I'd love a Bonneville T120 but the 1200cc could well atttract prohibitive tax here. Never mind the new street twin looks fantastic,

http://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/motorcycles/Classics

[soihok]

Why the need of insulting people?

BTW, a brand new Street Triple is THB420,000...

http://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.th/bikes/Roadsters-and-Supersports/Street/2016/street-triple-abs

Got it?

Nice one.

Go for the R model at 460K

Adjustable Suspension, Radial Brakes.

I used to own a 2009 model for 3 years - awesome.

[soihok]

Was my pride and joy!!!

I had the same bike, same colour.

Terrific Bike!

[soihok]

Nice one.

Edited November 20, 2015 by soihok

[Briggsy]

I need luggage.

[iBike]

Have any of you heard the noise the Daytona makes? Amazing.

Cost here would be phenomenal though as their manufactured at Hinckley