Saw the new Triumphs today. Meh.

[Kev m]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd just add to this one.

But if I DID start a thread, it would be called:

Saw the new Triumphs today. NOT MEH

But when I strolled into my local dealer I expected to be knocked off my feet.  The photos are stunning.  Online the attention to details and such seems outlandishly awesome.  And I generally love Triumphs.  But there they were right in front of me, a Thruxton R, a Street Twin, and a new T120 and I'll be darned if I didn't feel a little let down by the whole package of each one.   <snip> Something about the tank shape on the R in person that bothered me and didn't come off nearly as well to my eyes in person as in pics

I have to say I felt completely opposite of you.

There they were in front of me a Thruxton R, A T120, and a Street Twin.

I stood up the Thruxton and the Twin.

WOW, I gotta say WOW. They both fit, all looked gorgeous and the attention to detail was FANTASTIC. Very clean well made parts, not a busy design. VERY VERY high quality look and feel.

The water-cooling is hidden very well and the radiator all but disappeared to my eye. It certainly didn't disrupt the lines on the machines.

Hell, I'm surprised how much I liked the Street Twin.

Funny though, it never occurred to me that the Thruxton might use a cable clutch, I found that kinda funny sitting there with those huge Brembos and that expensive suspension. I don't mind, but I laughed.

[canuguzzi]

"I believe "sound" has a lot to do with it. The 270 exhaust note is far more "exotic" than the 360's plodding blahhhh."

Have you ever heard a Norton Commando with Roadster pipes?

 :1: No doubt Triumph isn't trying to sell to those that remember yesteryear Triumphs, rather new buyers that compare current models to each other. They could probably care less about 360 cranks, they hear the 270, like it, like the looks and buy it.

[leafman60]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd just add to this one.

But if I DID start a thread, it would be called:

Saw the new Triumphs today. NOT MEH

I have to say I felt completely opposite of you.

There they were in front of me a Thruxton R, A T120, and a Street Twin.

I stood up the Thruxton and the Twin.

WOW, I gotta say WOW. They both fit, all looked gorgeous and the attention to detail was FANTASTIC. Very clean well made parts, not a busy design. VERY VERY high quality look and feel.

The water-cooling is hidden very well and the radiator all but disappeared to my eye. It certainly didn't disrupt the lines on the machines.

Hell, I'm surprised how much I liked the Street Twin.

Funny though, it never occurred to me that the Thruxton might use a cable clutch, I found that kinda funny sitting there with those huge Brembos and that expensive suspension. I don't mind, but I laughed.

DITTO 100%

[grebmrof]

Comments regarding a 270 vs 360 crank in this thread and why, oh why?   Here are the comments from Stuart Wood, Triumph's Chief Engineer on the Bonnevilles (BTW, PH2 is PistonHeads.com, whoever they are...):

PH2: Why change the engine's firing order from a 360-degree crank to a 270-degree one?
SW: "Smoothness and refinement. Do you want a vibrating British single character in a modern machine? I don't. I want it to sound great, which the 270 does, but the main reason is down to the capacity increase. You can get away with a 360 crank on a smaller engine, but the bigger the capacity gets, the less balance you get within the engine. The 270 crank is better balanced and has natural second order vibration cancelling, making it a really smooth motor. When you add bigger pistons you need this smoothness."

Here is the complete interview of Stuart Wood by PH2:  http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-ph2/stuart-wood-ph2-meets/33164

BTW, loving the T120 and the "older" variations of the "new Bonnevilles".  But different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[ponti_33609]

If it wasn't for the ~100 pound weight savings on my V7 I would have purchased a Triumph.   

[bpreynolds]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd just add to this one.

But if I DID start a thread, it would be called:

Saw the new Triumphs today. NOT MEH

I have to say I felt completely opposite of you.

Well good on ya, then 
I saw them the other day again when I was in the dealer for a different reason. 
Still meh.

[Kev m]

I liked everything I saw.

For ME, I'd probably chose the T120 (though I didn't care for this color), but the size, shape, power, weight, included accessories (heated grips and centerstand) all add up to something I'd dig. I'd take the T120 Black for less chrome, but still it's a good looking bike.



The ThruxtonR is a thing of beauty with lots of attention to details in parts from the kickstand to the swingarm, from the steering neck to the engine cases. I was very happy with how it fit ergonomically too:



But the big surprise for me was how much I liked the Street Twin. The cast wheels are much nicer in person than in pics, and the overall bike shared the build quality I noticed in the T120 and Thruxton. It even fit very nicely, despite it's diminutive seat height. I texted Jenn and photo and it has caught her eye. Maybe a "bagged Scrambler" has a competitor for when it comes time to buy her a dedicated "tour" bike. Time will tell, but I'd happily add one to the fleet.