Got a chance to test ride a few Triumph's

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Apr 7, 2019
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773
Location
VA
Over the weekend a friend & I went over to Romney, WV where they were offering demo rides on Triumph motorcycles. I wished they would've had more of a selection, I was told that the market over there is more in the Adventure style bikes, I believe they had a couple of Tiger 1200's & Scrambler 1200's, one Tiger 900, 2x Tiger 660's, Trident 660, & a Street Twin, evidently the Tiger 900, Street Twin, & the Trident seemed to be the most popular as they were booked up all day with a waiting list. The demo was very relaxed the way they had it setup, basically ride over to the next town and then come back which was 9 miles each way and could get up to highway speeds, you could ride by yourself, with another friend or within a group.

They had the Tiger 660's available so we both took those out first, we were very impressed with them and I believe they were the favorite of the day. It was slightly too tall for me, I like being able to put my foot down without issue and could see that being one on a hill but they do offer a low seat option and a comfort seat, the low should make it more comparable to my Ninja 650 but the width of the seat has a lot to do with it too. I could easily ride this one all day without getting tired unlike mine where I'm wanting off the thing after about 2 hrs. The triple is very smooth with a lot more power than my twin but still very controllable.

Next I chose the Trident because it was available and he took the Scrambler, he wasn't too happy with that one at all and said once he got up to 55 the front end was all over the place, it could've been the knobby tires but the road was actually decent. The Trident is very similar to the Tiger, same engine and power but maybe tuned a bit differently, the major differences were the riding position and obviously the weight loss but that thing would scream down the road and felt like you could easily pull the front wheel if you wanted too. This one is more like what I would call a Supermoto only that it doesn't look like a dirtbike with road tires.

Lastly I got to ride the Street Twin EC1, and he took the Trident. I really liked this one, the sound is amazing with a nice rumble to it and is a bit loud when accelerating but once you get up to speed it's fine and isn't bothering but I would start wearing ear plugs or look for a helmet that is more quiet but I'm fairly certain this one had an aftermarket exhaust. I think they were strapped for time, they basically just went over the controls with you but didn't really spend a lot of time talking about each bike. I don't know if I could ride this one all day or not due to the seat but I'd say easily more than my current one and maybe 2-3 hrs if not even farther. This Twin is like mine meaning with power delivery there wasn't any hidden surprises but this thing pulls a lot harder, it doesn't matter what gear you are in within reason of course and there's plenty of torque. I used to wonder why Triumph didn't give it the extra gear but honestly it doesn't really need one, 5 is plenty and it's one less gear that you have to shift up or down.

I found all of these bikes were super easy to ride at least the ones that I got to test out, mine is a pig in comparison and more top heavy. We were hoping to at least get one more ride in but they decided to shutdown for the day. I found another Triumph one in Oct. that's actually a bit closer for both of us with more days to ride too.
 
I always liked Triumphs especially the Bonneville. Friends had them and my brother had a BSA Lightning. I had a Norton which was superior to all of them until the Japanese eclipsed the British iron.

Norton.jpg
 
I talked to my dad about it after I got home, I could tell he didn't really know as he was talking about the "old" days about the shift pattern and which side of the bike.... I told them that it's all a standard now and has been for a very longtime that it's 1 down and the rest are up, you may run into different shift patterns on racing bikes but that's a totally different story.
 
Triumphs are great bikes + i currently own an 18 T120 + a street scrambler + yes tyres effect the ride a lot. traded a 2012 mag wheeler on the T120 it rode + handled great but the somewhat sporty riding position was not for more than 45 min so good + years ago my first Bonnie was a 70 T120R 650cc, a great except the typical vibes from early british twins, i tolerated when young but not these days at 74 YO. my first bike after not riding for 10 years was a 2008 hardly Porkster 1200, should have bought a Bonneville then!!!
 
Triumphs are great bikes + i currently own an 18 T120 + a street scrambler + yes tyres effect the ride a lot. traded a 2012 mag wheeler on the T120 it rode + handled great but the somewhat sporty riding position was not for more than 45 min so good + years ago my first Bonnie was a 70 T120R 650cc, a great except the typical vibes from early british twins, i tolerated when young but not these days at 74 YO. my first bike after not riding for 10 years was a 2008 hardly Porkster 1200, should have bought a Bonneville then!!!
I would've liked to have rode the T100 & T120 but was stuck with their offerings, I have sat on them at the dealer though. I've stopped visiting the local one as you can't deal with them at all, they had a leftover '18 Street Twin and they had that bike in 2020 and still wanted full msrp for it, they had updated it for '19, updated the brakes and some other minor changes but if they were to come down some I would've gotten it but if I'm being forced to pay full msrp I'd just get the latest model anyways. It sucks but all of their other dealers are at least 2 hrs away and honestly I'd rather give them my business. I think that dealer just wants to sell T100's & T120's there must be more of a profit in those bikes and also a lot more accessories available rather than the Street Twin.

Triumph really does know how to setup a bike, really the overall package with fit & finish, the handling, suspension, etc....
 
I always wanted a Triumph street bike my whole life.....aster 23 bike I still want a Bonnie....
I had a 73 Trophy Trail i bought used with 700 miles.....it was not a bad bike but it was "keep it running challanged"
When it ran it was a sweet running bike except it was a pig on a trail at 350+ pounds...
after 1k miles i sold it in early 75 for 200 more than i bought it for to a dealer .....and bought a Yamaha RD350 from him.
BRING BACK 2 STROKES....I love the smell of Golden Spectro in the morning.... even in a autoluber like the RD.....Im sure the smoke must kill of some bugs.
 
Over the weekend a friend & I went over to Romney, WV where they were offering demo rides on Triumph motorcycles. I wished they would've had more of a selection, I was told that the market over there is more in the Adventure style bikes, I believe they had a couple of Tiger 1200's & Scrambler 1200's, one Tiger 900, 2x Tiger 660's, Trident 660, & a Street Twin, evidently the Tiger 900, Street Twin, & the Trident seemed to be the most popular as they were booked up all day with a waiting list. The demo was very relaxed the way they had it setup, basically ride over to the next town and then come back which was 9 miles each way and could get up to highway speeds, you could ride by yourself, with another friend or within a group.

They had the Tiger 660's available so we both took those out first, we were very impressed with them and I believe they were the favorite of the day. It was slightly too tall for me, I like being able to put my foot down without issue and could see that being one on a hill but they do offer a low seat option and a comfort seat, the low should make it more comparable to my Ninja 650 but the width of the seat has a lot to do with it too. I could easily ride this one all day without getting tired unlike mine where I'm wanting off the thing after about 2 hrs. The triple is very smooth with a lot more power than my twin but still very controllable.

Next I chose the Trident because it was available and he took the Scrambler, he wasn't too happy with that one at all and said once he got up to 55 the front end was all over the place, it could've been the knobby tires but the road was actually decent. The Trident is very similar to the Tiger, same engine and power but maybe tuned a bit differently, the major differences were the riding position and obviously the weight loss but that thing would scream down the road and felt like you could easily pull the front wheel if you wanted too. This one is more like what I would call a Supermoto only that it doesn't look like a dirtbike with road tires.

Lastly I got to ride the Street Twin EC1, and he took the Trident. I really liked this one, the sound is amazing with a nice rumble to it and is a bit loud when accelerating but once you get up to speed it's fine and isn't bothering but I would start wearing ear plugs or look for a helmet that is more quiet but I'm fairly certain this one had an aftermarket exhaust. I think they were strapped for time, they basically just went over the controls with you but didn't really spend a lot of time talking about each bike. I don't know if I could ride this one all day or not due to the seat but I'd say easily more than my current one and maybe 2-3 hrs if not even farther. This Twin is like mine meaning with power delivery there wasn't any hidden surprises but this thing pulls a lot harder, it doesn't matter what gear you are in within reason of course and there's plenty of torque. I used to wonder why Triumph didn't give it the extra gear but honestly it doesn't really need one, 5 is plenty and it's one less gear that you have to shift up or down.

I found all of these bikes were super easy to ride at least the ones that I got to test out, mine is a pig in comparison and more top heavy. We were hoping to at least get one more ride in but they decided to shutdown for the day. I found another Triumph one in Oct. that's actually a bit closer for both of us with more days to ride too.
So which one did you buy?
 
I live in the area and was in that dealer recently talking to the sales mgr. He told me that they just started selling Triumphs at the first of this year. He said they can get bikes to sell and parts are no problem. They sell Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki and have trouble getting bikes and parts. They have been really pleased with Triumph support.
 
A new Triumph dealer just opened this spring in a city near us. I spent an hour in the showroom a few days ago, sat on a few of them (I asked first). The T120 is my current fave, I love the look of that bike. Next step one of these days is a test ride.
 
I live in the area and was in that dealer recently talking to the sales mgr. He told me that they just started selling Triumphs at the first of this year. He said they can get bikes to sell and parts are no problem. They sell Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki and have trouble getting bikes and parts. They have been really pleased with Triumph support.
My friend has visited the Honda dealer here and they told him that it was at least a 3-6 month wait on new bikes and that someone just recently traded their bike in and they mentioned that if he traded it in now then he wouldn't have anything to ride until the new one comes it but the guy said that he's working so much right now that he really doesn't have the time to ride so he went ahead and let them have his old one.
 
Did you ride to Augusta and back?
The loop they had us do was take 28 to Springfield then and turn around at a church and come back, basically 9 miles each way I believe, had a little bit of everything for a test ride, winding curves and could get it up to highway speed.
 
A new Triumph dealer just opened this spring in a city near us. I spent an hour in the showroom a few days ago, sat on a few of them (I asked first). The T120 is my current fave, I love the look of that bike. Next step one of these days is a test ride.
I'm sure you'll be impressed with that one, I haven't test rode it but have sat on one at the local dealer but if it's anything like the Street Twin you'll be happy, the T100 & T120's are way more comfortable than the Street Twin.
 
Had a previous generation, 2015, Triumph Rocket III Touring. Should have NEVER sold that bike. Comfortable for my 6'4 frame and that 3 cylinder block of delicious British steel. I don't care what HD you rode, people noticed this bike when it showed up. I don't know what happened with the current generation "transformer" Rocket, but the previous generation was probably the perfect bike. IF Triumph had a touring bike, I'd be back on one in a heartbeat. Since that isn't an option, I'm picking up a K1600 GA. Oh, also, Triumph customer service was second to none!!
 
Had a previous generation, 2015, Triumph Rocket III Touring. Should have NEVER sold that bike. Comfortable for my 6'4 frame and that 3 cylinder block of delicious British steel. I don't care what HD you rode, people noticed this bike when it showed up. I don't know what happened with the current generation "transformer" Rocket, but the previous generation was probably the perfect bike. IF Triumph had a touring bike, I'd be back on one in a heartbeat. Since that isn't an option, I'm picking up a K1600 GA. Oh, also, Triumph customer service was second to none!!
I believe they had a Rocket for a test ride but I didn't see it, my friend mentioned it and said they had one but I guess it was so popular that day it was hardly waiting there to be ridden by someone. I feel like it was well worth it but my friend complained about the drive over which was about 2-1/2 hrs each way on windy backroads, slow traffic, farm equipment, etc... the main problem is the area I'm at isn't very good for motorcyclists in general, the closest H-D went out of business and you're lucky to even be able to get a test ride and none of the dealers ever offer anything special where the manufacturer comes in and offers test rides on new models.
 
Over the weekend a friend & I went over to Romney, WV where they were offering demo rides on Triumph motorcycles. I wished they would've had more of a selection, I was told that the market over there is more in the Adventure style bikes, I believe they had a couple of Tiger 1200's & Scrambler 1200's, one Tiger 900, 2x Tiger 660's, Trident 660, & a Street Twin, evidently the Tiger 900, Street Twin, & the Trident seemed to be the most popular as they were booked up all day with a waiting list. The demo was very relaxed the way they had it setup, basically ride over to the next town and then come back which was 9 miles each way and could get up to highway speeds, you could ride by yourself, with another friend or within a group.

They had the Tiger 660's available so we both took those out first, we were very impressed with them and I believe they were the favorite of the day. It was slightly too tall for me, I like being able to put my foot down without issue and could see that being one on a hill but they do offer a low seat option and a comfort seat, the low should make it more comparable to my Ninja 650 but the width of the seat has a lot to do with it too. I could easily ride this one all day without getting tired unlike mine where I'm wanting off the thing after about 2 hrs. The triple is very smooth with a lot more power than my twin but still very controllable.

Next I chose the Trident because it was available and he took the Scrambler, he wasn't too happy with that one at all and said once he got up to 55 the front end was all over the place, it could've been the knobby tires but the road was actually decent. The Trident is very similar to the Tiger, same engine and power but maybe tuned a bit differently, the major differences were the riding position and obviously the weight loss but that thing would scream down the road and felt like you could easily pull the front wheel if you wanted too. This one is more like what I would call a Supermoto only that it doesn't look like a dirtbike with road tires.

Lastly I got to ride the Street Twin EC1, and he took the Trident. I really liked this one, the sound is amazing with a nice rumble to it and is a bit loud when accelerating but once you get up to speed it's fine and isn't bothering but I would start wearing ear plugs or look for a helmet that is more quiet but I'm fairly certain this one had an aftermarket exhaust. I think they were strapped for time, they basically just went over the controls with you but didn't really spend a lot of time talking about each bike. I don't know if I could ride this one all day or not due to the seat but I'd say easily more than my current one and maybe 2-3 hrs if not even farther. This Twin is like mine meaning with power delivery there wasn't any hidden surprises but this thing pulls a lot harder, it doesn't matter what gear you are in within reason of course and there's plenty of torque. I used to wonder why Triumph didn't give it the extra gear but honestly it doesn't really need one, 5 is plenty and it's one less gear that you have to shift up or down.

I found all of these bikes were super easy to ride at least the ones that I got to test out, mine is a pig in comparison and more top heavy. We were hoping to at least get one more ride in but they decided to shutdown for the day. I found another Triumph one in Oct. that's actually a bit closer for both of us with more days to ride too.
My favorite Triumph is the Speed Triple. Lightweight, pointy, and Fun!
 
Had a previous generation, 2015, Triumph Rocket III Touring. Should have NEVER sold that bike. Comfortable for my 6'4 frame and that 3 cylinder block of delicious British steel. I don't care what HD you rode, people noticed this bike when it showed up. I don't know what happened with the current generation "transformer" Rocket, but the previous generation was probably the perfect bike. IF Triumph had a touring bike, I'd be back on one in a heartbeat. Since that isn't an option, I'm picking up a K1600 GA. Oh, also, Triumph customer service was second to none!!
I had a 2103 Roadster. Mine also was not stock, it dynoed at 144 HP and 159 ft lbs of torque. People have not felt torque on a motorcycle until they've ridden one of these beasts! I sold mine and bought a Gold Wing as it was not comfortable for me for long trips...
 
I always liked Triumphs especially the Bonneville. Friends had them and my brother had a BSA Lightning. I had a Norton which was superior to all of them until the Japanese eclipsed the British iron.

View attachment 102984
I used to go riding with a guy that owned a Norton Commando and I thought they were nice bikes, way different that the Japanese bikes of the day !
 
had a 70 T120R bought in Morocco in the Navy, great but VERY vibey like others + now own an 18 water cooled T120 Bonnie, smooth + powerful with good brakes + handling!!!!
 
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