Triumph Motorcycles in trouble?

[1675]

Just seen this article on You Tube by Stuart Fillingham

I personally think Triumph "lost the way" around 2005 to 2010 and most of their bikes since then have been small production runs of bikes with slightly different specifications with different suffixes and prefixes which most struggle to understand. The new Explorer with its engine/wheel/electronic combinations for example? They also seem to be ploughing ahead with their "classics" which are reincarnations of once popular 50's and 60's models. With an ageing buyer base, they certainly seem to be grasping at straws and definitely don't make anything I am interested in buying. It also seems many buyers are now put off because it is no longer being "Made in Britain", coupled with the announcement of lots of UK redundancies. Mind you, they aren't the only ones to outsource to the far east.

[RedMerle]

Our Stuart Fillingham is a bit of a Royal Enfield fanboy and this video does need to be viewed with that in mind.

[Novocastrian]

Originally Posted by 1675

They also seem to be ploughing ahead with their "classics" which are reincarnations of once popular 50's and 60's models. With an ageing buyer base, they certainly seem to be grasping at straws and definitely don't make anything I am interested in buying.

All I would want is a faired bike, not necessarily as large as 1200cc, and I don't need all the electronic gadgets.  The level of gadgets on my previous 1998 Trophy would be quite enough, and less to go wrong.  I don't think I'll be able to get that from Triumph in the rest of my lifetime.

[RedMerle]

If it’s anything like the products that I sell, most of the buyers are completely convinced that they don’t need “all of the gadgets and why can’t manufacturers simply build an uncomplicated and reliable one, cheaply”.

Then, we lose a sale when it doesn’t have the most obscure and near pointless function that a competitor’s machine has. Worse still, they only express the need for that obscure function long after they’ve bought the machine and their default position is usually to accuse mis-selling 

Usually best to fit every obscure electronic function imaginable and get used to most owners only using 5% of it. I have a similar relationship with the multiple programs on my washing machine, of which I only use three 🙄

[earthman]

Originally Posted by Novocastrian

All I would want is a faired bike, not necessarily as large as 1200cc, and I don't need all the electronic gadgets.  The level of gadgets on my previous 1998 Trophy would be quite enough, and less to go wrong.  I don't think I'll be able to get that from Triumph in the rest of my lifetime.

For those of us who specifically went out and bought a Trophy SE, I'd say that the gadgets and comfort etc were exactly what we wanted in a bike, that's the part of his video I totally disagreed with.

[Novocastrian]

Originally Posted by earthman

For those of us who specifically went out and bought a Trophy SE, I'd say that the gadgets and comfort etc were exactly what we wanted in a bike, that's the part of his video I totally disagreed with.

Not me.  I was happy with my previous 4 cylinder Trophy.  This next model didn't have the option to leave them out ! 
 

[RedMerle]

I never owned a 1200 Trophy 4, but I did own a Sprint 900 and a Daytona 1200.

What are the new gadgets that you don’t like? Personally, I like the heated seats & grips, ABS, adjustable seat height, adjustable windscreen and power take offs. Okay, I’d quite like an old analogue clock and fuel gauge back 

[earthman]

Originally Posted by Novocastrian

Not me.  I was happy with my previous 4 cylinder Trophy.  This next model didn't have the option to leave them out ! 
 

Well to be fair there's loads of other bikes that you could have opted for then,....it's us folk who want the stereo and all the gadgets who are in the minority and have little choice really.