Category: Triumph T150V

So Cal Triumph

By Joe Berk

I recently wrote about viewing the Triumphs and Enfields at So Cal Motorcycles in Brea, California.  I included a bunch of Enfield photos with a promise to show a few Triumphs in a future blog.   This is that future blog.

I’ve always considered myself to be a Triumph guy, even when I rode Harleys, Suzukis, CSCs, and my current Enfield.  It’s a brand loyalty that goes back to my motoformative years in the 1960s.  It was a lot easier then; Triumph’s models could be counted on one hand.  Today, it’s confusing.  I’d have to take off my shoes and socks to count them all.  It’s too much for my 3-kilobyte mind, and I’m not going to cover all the Triumph models here.  So Cal Triumph probably had them all in stock, though.  There were a lot of motorcycles there, including a vintage Triumph Bonneville.

A Triumph gas tank.
One of the most beautiful motorcycle fuel tanks in the world: A Triumph Bonneville gas tank.
A Triumph Bonneville.
An original Triumph Bonneville. These are very classy motorcycles. These bikes weighed a scant 363 pounds.

There were two models I wanted to see when Sue and I visited So Cal Triumph.  One was the new Triumph 400 single we wrote about a few months ago; the other was Triumph’s 2500cc triple uberbike at the opposite end of the spectrum.  We saw both.

Check out the comparison photos of the vintage Bonneville’s 650cc engine and the Rocket 3 engine.

The fuel tank and powerplant on an original Triumph Bonneville.
A Triumph Rocket 3.
A similar view of Triumph’s latest and greatest: A 2500cc Rocket 3. For their size and weight, I found them to be surprisingly nimble.

The Rocket 3 is a study in excess in all areas, including price and fuel consumption.  That said, I find this motorcycle irresistible.  I test rode one at Doug Douglas Motorcycles in San Bernardino when Triumph’s big triple first became available.  I had a beautiful blue Triumph Tiger in those days and Doug himself let me ride the new Rocket 3.  The Rocket 3 was huge then and it is huge now, but it felt surprisingly light and nimble.  I don’t know how Triumph did it, but they somehow made the Rocket 3 flickable.  I like it and I’d like to own one.  The styling on the latest iteration makes the bike look even better.

Triumph Rocket 3 motorcycles.
So Cal Triumph had three of these monstrous Triumphs on the showroom floor.
The Rocket 3 rear end.
The Rocket 3’s single-sided swingarm and industrial-sized rear tire.
The Rocket 3 fuel tank.
Another chrome surface, another selfie.

The price for this massive Triumph?  Here you go:

Triumph Rocket 3 price.
A new world fiction record: An $1800 setup and freight fee! Have they no shame?

I mentioned that there were a bunch of different Triumph models, and I suppose I should be embarrassed that I don’t know all of them like I used to.   I think the problem is that I know so many things there’s only a little bit of room available for new knowledge, and I don’t want to squander that on Triumph’s extensive offerings.  I know there’s the current crop of modern Bonnevilles; I don’t know all the variants thereof.  But I recognize a good chrome gas tank when I see one, and I know a selfie opportunity when it presents itself.

A Triumph Bonneville.
The modern Triumph Bonneville.
A chrome-plated Triumph fuel tank.
In the “have you no shame?” category: One more selfie.

Back to part of the objective for this blog: Seeing the new smaller Triumphs.  One of these is Triumph’s dirt bike.  I have no idea what the TF or the X represent (maybe the X is related to moto X, you know, as in motocross).  The 250, I’m pretty sure, is the displacement.  These bikes are made in the Triumph factory in Thailand (as are all models in the Bonneville line).   The 250cc Triumph is not a street bike (although they made a street 250 back in the ’60s).  I’d never seen the new 250 prior to my So Cal Triumph visit.

A Triumph motocross bike.
The Triumph motocross livery.
The Triumph TF250X.
Tall, gangly, and handsome: The Triumph TF250X.

The I found what I really wanted to see:  Triumph’s new 400cc singles.  There are two models here:  A Speed 400 (the street-oriented version), and the Scrambler 400X (another street-oriented version doing a dual sport motorcycle impersonation).   The styling works for me; they both looked like what I think a Triumph should look like.  We wrote about these when they were first announced; this was the first time I had seen them in person.

Triumph’s new 400cc single. The styling works. It looks like a Triumph. I like it.
Another Triumph 400cc single. The fit and finish are great.

I asked a salesman in the Triumph showroom where these were made.  He told me India (which I already knew, but I wanted to see if he would answer honestly).   He then quickly added, “but they are built to Triumph quality requirements.”  It was that “but…” qualifier in his comment that I found interesting.  It was obviously a canned line, but for me, it was unnecessary. I have an Indian-made motorcycle (my Enfield) and I would put its quality up against any motorcycle made anywhere in the world.  I suppose many folks assume that if a motorcycle is not made in Germany, Japan, Italy, or America, its quality and parts availability are going to be bad.  But that’s not the case at all.

The price on the Street 400 is a lot lower than the Scrambler; it is about $5K.

The price on the Triumph 400 Scrambler was substantially higher than the price on the Enfields I saw at So Cal Triumph.  The Speed 400 was within spitting distance of the Enfield’s price, though.  Are the Triumphs really better than the Enfields?  I don’t know.  So Cal Enfield/So Cal Triumph probably does; they see what’s going on with both bikes when they are brought in for service.  That info would be interesting.

I didn’t ride either bike, mostly because I’m not in the market and I didn’t have my helmet and gloves with me.  I sat on the Triumph Street 400 and it fit me well. I recognize that’s no substitute for a road test.  I also recognize that a short road test is no substitute for a 1500-mile run through Baja, which is the kind of duty my motorcycles see.  I like the Triumph 400cc singles and the Enfield 350cc singles.  They are both right sized, good-looking motorcycles.  If money didn’t matter to me and I had room in the garage, I’d buy both bikes.  They both look good and their Indian-origins don’t scare me at all.  If I had to pick one, it would be a tough choice.

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About that riding in Baja I mentioned above?  Check this out!

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Triumph’s New 400cc Motorcycles

By Joe Berk

Well, what do you know?  Triumph is the latest moto manufacturer to jump on the small bike band wagon with the announcement of their new 400cc  single-cylinder motorcycles.  Not to be too snarky, but better late than never, I suppose.  Harley did the same thing a year or so ago with their 350cc  and 500cc motorcycles, but the Harleys were supposed to be manufactured and only available in Asia.  More’s the pity, although I get it:  A small bike wouldn’t go well with the typical Harley crowd.

Back to today’s topic:  The new 400cc Triumphs:  I like them.

Triumph announced two models:  A Speed 400, and a Scrambler 400.  They look like Triumphs, which is to say they look fabulous.  I like the colors (each will available in three different color themes) and I like the looks.

The Triumph Speed 400.
The Triumph Scrambler 400.

With a published 40 horsepower, the bikes will probably be good for 100 mph, and that ought to be enough for any sane rider.   I’m guessing the bikes will get something around 70 miles per gallon, and that should be good, too.  Triumph turned to Bajaj (in India).  There’s nothing wrong with that.  Triumph’s Bonneville line is manufactured in Thailand.  My Enfield 650 (which I’ve been riding for three years) is manufactured in India, and its quality is magnificent.  Prices on the new Triumphs haven’t been announced yet.  If the Mothership can keep the dealers from pulling their normal freight and setup chicanery, these bikes should be a good deal (but expecting dealers to abandon their larcenous freight and setup games is, I realize, probably wishful thinking).

On that Harley thing I mentioned above:  QianJiang (also known QJ Motor) bought Benelli (an Italian motorcycle company) in 2005.  QJ took the name and started offering bikes made in China but labeled as Benellis (I saw them at the Canton Fair a few years ago).  The QJ/Benelli bikes are not bad looking, but I’ve never ridden one and I have no idea how good (or bad) they are.  It’s that very same Benelli (i.e., the Chinese one) that Harley announced would be making 350cc and 500cc small Harleys.  The Harley plan was that their smaller models would only be sold overseas (i.e., not in America).  Harley makes and sells more motorcycles than I ever will, so I suppose they know what they are doing.  But I think they are making a mistake not bringing their small bikes to America.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a QJ Motor! No, it’s a Benelli! No, it’s Super Harley!

Let’s not forget the new BSA Gold Star, another made-in-India Britbike reported here on the ExNotes blog about a year ago.  That one is still in the works, I guess.  For a delivery date, the new BSA website still says “available to order soon,” which is to say we have no idea when the new BSA Goldie will be here.

The revivified Beezer Gold Star. I think it is a better-looking bike than either the new Triumph or the small Chinese Harley.

While all this is going on, my friends in Zongshen (they make the RX3, the RX4, the Zongshen 400cc twins, the TT 250, the San Gabriel, and now the RX6 650cc twin that CSC imports to the US) tell me that the craze in China has gone full tilt toward bigger bikes.  That’s why they introduced the RX6.  I was the first journalist/blogger/all around good guy in America to ride and report on the RX6.  It’s a good bike, but I’m not a fan of the movement toward ever larger motorcycles.  I’m convinced that my RX3 was the best all around motorcycle I ever owned (especially for riding in Baja), and I’ve written extensively on that.

I’m looking forward to seeing the new Triumphs.  Hell, I’d look forward to seeing the new small Harleys and the BSA, too, but maybe that’s not in the cards.  Why the fascination and appreciation for small bikes?  Take a read here.

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Dream Bike: Triumph T160

The mid-1970’s Triumph T160 is one of the best looking motorcycles ever. The swoopy tank, the perfect stance, the soft-edged thrum of its exhaust. I’ve wanted a T160 since I first saw one. They weren’t popular where I grew up so I didn’t get to see a real live 750 until they were already out of production.

The T160’s engine is actually a BSA engine. But then again the BSA engine was a 500cc Triumph engine with an extra cylinder grafted on so who stole what? Not that it matters because the only real difference between BSA and Triumph’s versions of the 750cc three-banger was a slight forward slope to the BSA cylinder bank.

The older BSA triples are cool in a Jetsons kind of way. The square tank and the ray gun silencers didn’t sell well in the USA so BSA chromed the heck out of the thing and made it into a fire breathing hot rod. I’ve never seen one on the road, only in museums.

Triumph had the same problem with its modern-looking but slow selling triple. If I understand history correctly Triumph sent bodywork beauty kits to the USA to fix slow sales. These kits made the Triumph Trident look pretty much like any other Triumph made in the last 60 years.

The triple engine design consisted of typical British engineering: Why use one part when 32 parts will do the job just as well? The top deck of the crankcase had a gaping opening that the cylinder spigots fitted into. It looks weak to me. I’m surprised the crankcase doesn’t oil can at high compression levels. The center main bearing bolted in from the top, which is pretty strange. The sum of the triple’s complicated, ancient collection of parts worked amazingly well together, winning many road races against more advanced designs.

I would take any of the triples if you gave me one but the only one I would buy is the final Triumph T160 version. The T160 has an electric starter and the thing actually works on the few I’ve seen. Disc brakes front and rear means you don’t have to sacrifice stopping power to revel in the past. The styling of the T160 looks fresh 45 years after it rolled off of the assembly line. I like it better than the Vetter version.

Beginning with the 1970’s Japanese Superbikes steamrolled everything in their path. When it comes to big bike, high horsepower nostalgia most American motorcyclists of a certain age go for a Kawasaki or Honda. Today, the relatively cheap price of a T160 reflects the lower esteem British bikes were held in at the time. If you want one like I do, Triumph/BSA triples are within reach of the average person. $5000 should get one in ridable condition with not-embarrassing cosmetics. $10,000 will buy a show bike. The T160 pushes all the right buttons for me and if I didn’t already have 47 projects lined up I would have grabbed this recent listing. Let me know if you need me to go pick it up for you.