A customer of mine suggested I take a look at this bike; http://www.triumph.co.uk/site/bikes/page.cfm?BikeID=83 It is very cool looking with a monster motor in it. What do you guys think of it? Anyone ever ride one? Can anyone comment on Triumph's reliability?
The new Triumphs are a totally different breed of cat than the old ones. So just ignore all the Sir "Prince of Darkness" Lucas comments. That said, there are still a very low volume producer and, as such, the first models tend to have teething problems that get quickly worked out. Unfortunately, these suckers depreciate. (Don't ask me how I know.) Your best bet might be to wait a year and buy a used one for 2/3's of sticker. You can then get the TSBs to see what needs fixin. But what a motor, eh? I'd love to see that sucker in a spec racer... Dr "Gentlemen don't ride after dark" Tax
I can vouch for precipitous depreciation. Triumphs are built like tanks, but little things do go wrong. As a streetbike they are very capable. The R3 should be a lot of fun. With 150+ hp and 150+ ft-lbs or torque it should be pretty decent in a straight line too. If you're interested in Triumphs there is another good site, www.t595.net In a recent comparison on Motorcycle Online with the new Japanese literbikes and the twins from Aprilia, Ducati, and Honda, the '04 955 Daytona finished an unsurprising eighth out of eight. Reading through the comments of the test riders, however, 2 of the 3 said they would actually pay their own money to buy the Triumph over the rest as a streetbike, so go figure...
