Triumph Motorcycles is one of the great revival and success stories of the past century. I've owned two of their motorcycles over the years and each one has been a remarkable work of engineering. My current Triumph is the Bonneville, a retro-styled air-cooled vertical twin, which harkens back to the days of Mods & Rockers, cafe racers, Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen. It's a very cool machine which despite it's very reasonable sticker price, immediately draws attention and compliments wherever I go.
As the products go, Triumph builds a very high-quality motorcycle using high-pressure casting techniques, very long hard nitriding times on engine parts, very high-quality chrome and paint work and lots of stainless steel fasteners and spokes. This adds to the product's durability and great appearance year after year.
The engines and transmissions are extremely bulletproof. My Bonneville now has over 132,000 miles with no internal work being done on it whatsoever. Just oil changes and basic maintenance. That's a real testament to their over-engineering and build quality.
Communication with Triumph has been hit or miss. As corporations go, their customer service rates about middle of the road, and their dealership network, often sharing floorspace with other marques is spotty. Their saving grace truly is the fantastic bikes they manufacture.
I highly recommend Triumph if you're considering buying a new motorcycle. read more
