{"id":26591,"date":"2024-06-23T00:01:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-23T07:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=26591"},"modified":"2024-06-23T07:18:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-23T14:18:52","slug":"so-cal-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/06\/23\/so-cal-triumph\/","title":{"rendered":"So Cal Triumph"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n

I recently wrote about viewing the Triumphs and Enfields at So Cal Motorcycles in Brea, California.\u00a0 I included a bunch of Enfield photos with a promise to show a few Triumphs in a future blog.\u00a0 \u00a0This is that future blog.<\/p>\n

I’ve always considered myself to be a Triumph guy, even when I rode Harleys, Suzukis, CSCs, and my current Enfield.\u00a0 It’s a brand loyalty that goes back to my motoformative years in the 1960s.\u00a0 It was a lot easier then; Triumph’s models could be counted on one hand.\u00a0 Today, it’s confusing.\u00a0 I’d have to take off my shoes and socks to count them all.\u00a0 It’s too much for my 3-kilobyte mind, and I’m not going to cover all the Triumph models here.\u00a0 So Cal Triumph probably had them all in stock, though.\u00a0 There were a lot of motorcycles there, including a vintage Triumph Bonneville.<\/p>\n

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

There were two models I wanted to see when Sue and I visited So Cal Triumph.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We saw both.<\/p>\n

Check out the comparison photos of the vintage Bonneville’s 650cc engine and the Rocket 3 engine.<\/p>\n

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The fuel tank and powerplant on an original Triumph Bonneville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Rocket 3 is a study in excess in all areas, including price and fuel consumption.\u00a0 That said, I find this motorcycle irresistible.\u00a0 I test rode one at Doug Douglas Motorcycles in San Bernardino when Triumph’s big triple first became available.\u00a0 I had a beautiful blue Triumph Tiger in those days and Doug himself let me ride the new Rocket 3.\u00a0 The Rocket 3 was huge then and it is huge now, but it felt surprisingly light and nimble.\u00a0 I don’t know how Triumph did it, but they somehow made the Rocket 3 flickable.\u00a0 I like it and I’d like to own one.\u00a0 The styling on the latest iteration makes the bike look even better.<\/p>\n

\"Triumph
So Cal Triumph had three of these monstrous Triumphs on the showroom floor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Rocket 3’s single-sided swingarm and industrial-sized rear tire.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
Another chrome surface, another selfie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The price for this massive Triumph?\u00a0 Here you go:<\/p>\n

\"Triumph
A new world fiction record: An $1800 setup and freight fee! Have they no shame?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.\u00a0 \u00a0I 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.\u00a0 I know there’s the current crop of modern Bonnevilles; I don’t know all the variants thereof.\u00a0 But I recognize a good chrome gas tank when I see one, and I know a selfie opportunity when it presents itself.<\/p>\n

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The modern Triumph Bonneville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In the “have you no shame?” category: One more selfie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back to part of the objective for this blog: Seeing the new smaller Triumphs.\u00a0 One of these is Triumph’s dirt bike.\u00a0 I have no idea what the TF or the X represent (maybe the X is related to moto X, you know, as in motocross).\u00a0 The 250, I’m pretty sure, is the displacement.\u00a0 These bikes are made in the Triumph factory in Thailand (as are all models in the Bonneville line).\u00a0 \u00a0The 250cc Triumph is not a street bike (although they made a street 250 back in the ’60s).\u00a0 I’d never seen the new 250 prior to my So Cal Triumph visit.<\/p>\n

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The Triumph motocross livery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
Tall, gangly, and handsome: The Triumph TF250X.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The I found what I really wanted to see:\u00a0 Triumph’s new 400cc singles.\u00a0 There are two models here:\u00a0 A Speed 400 (the street-oriented version), and the Scrambler 400X (another street-oriented version doing a dual sport motorcycle impersonation).\u00a0 \u00a0The styling works for me; they both looked like what I think a Triumph should look like.\u00a0 We wrote about these when they were first announced; this was the first time I had seen them in person.<\/p>\n

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Triumph’s new 400cc single. The styling works. It looks like a Triumph. I like it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another Triumph 400cc single. The fit and finish are great.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I asked a salesman in the Triumph showroom where these were made.\u00a0 He told me India (which I already knew, but I wanted to see if he would answer honestly).\u00a0 \u00a0He then quickly added, “but they are built to Triumph quality requirements.”\u00a0 It was that “but…” qualifier in his comment that I found interesting.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 But that’s not the case at all.<\/p>\n

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The price on the Street 400 is a lot lower than the Scrambler; it is about $5K.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The price on the Triumph 400 Scrambler was substantially higher than the price on the Enfields I saw at So Cal Triumph.\u00a0 The Speed 400 was within spitting distance of the Enfield’s price, though.\u00a0 Are the Triumphs really better than the Enfields?\u00a0 I don’t know.\u00a0 So Cal Enfield\/So Cal Triumph probably does; they see what’s going on with both bikes when they are brought in for service.\u00a0 That info would be interesting.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 I sat on the Triumph Street 400 and it fit me well. I recognize that’s no substitute for a road test.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I like the Triumph 400cc singles and the Enfield 350cc singles.\u00a0 They are both right sized, good-looking motorcycles.\u00a0 If money didn’t matter to me and I had room in the garage, I’d buy both bikes.\u00a0 They both look good and their Indian-origins don’t scare me at all.\u00a0 If I had to pick one, it would be a tough choice.<\/p>\n

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Never miss an ExNotes blog:<\/p>\n

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About that riding in Baja I mentioned above?\u00a0 Check this out<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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