Topic: I think I'm gonna be sticking with Honda...

[GroovieGhoulie]

Well I'm down right now about new bikes.  Bear with my tale.

It looks like in November, we're gonna be deploying to Iraq for 15 months, so I'm gonna have a ton of cash upon my return.  I've been planning to get a new-right-off-the-showroom-floor bike and I was HEAVILY looking at the new Retro line from Triumph, notably the new Scrambler, for when I get back.  I just have not heard a bad word about that bike in the press and I LOVE the retro looks with modern reliability.

I test-rode one a few weeks ago and fell in love.  It's got similar power and weight as the CB550, but gobs more torque, thanks to the extra ccs and twin layout.  It handled well and I just really liked it.  It was a bike that was WAAAY too "clinical" and "disassociated" for me after only riding vintage bikes, but as a bike that would be used and abused as a commuter, (and, being a Scrambler, I WOULD absolutely use it off-road as a dual-sport/"dirtbike"), it fit the bill for a bike I could ride anywhere, get dinged, dented, rained on and dirty, and I would not get emotionally attached to it as I have my Hondas.

I was SO in love with it, I was quite nearly about to head down to the dealer in the next month or so BEFORE we deployed and plunk cash down on one.  I was THAT sold.

Then I find out the Retro line for every market except the UK/EU markets is made in Chon-Buri Thailand!  I felt a bit betrayed.  I won't lie, part of the cachet of Triumph, to me, is the whole "Made in England" thing.  I can deal with parts being subcontracted, as that's the way of the world, but I wanted all major assemblies and final assembly to be in the Hinckley plant.  It is not so.

Go to the website.  They are selling "100+ years of British motorcycle tradition".  EVERYTHING points to "Made in England".  NO reference to "Engines are made in England (for now), but everything else is made and assembled in The (Former*) Land of Cheap Plastic Crap, (*: the title is officially now held by China)." 

I mean, COME ON!!!  I wanted a Britbike since I was a kid and before I even knew what a motorcycle WAS, let alone a CB.    Commandos, Rockets, Lightnings: they LOOKED right, sounded right and had the right names.  Here was my chance to have one but without the oil leaks, dodgy electrics, vibration and other ills of the originals.  Don't want a bike with acres of plastic, or a low saddle and ten tons of shiny chrome.  But I DON'T want one passed off as a British Icon that actually originates in Thailand!  Oh, and I'm not able to travel to the UK or EU and buy a proper Hinckley Scrambler, though the thought DID occur to me.

Oh well, by the time I get back, the "new" CB750 should be out, (IF Honda actually builds it), and if I want a "new" bike, I'll probably get one of those.  Unless it's a total bummer of a machine.  Or made in Thailand.

Am looking harder at the W650 for a workhorse, but (lack of) factory support is a big deal.  Hell, I might just use the money when I get back and use the 750F as the workhorse and get the as-new perfect-shape Candy Blue Green early diecast I've been wanting for years.

[nickjtc]

I feel your pain. It's hard to find anything that is not made in the Far East, these days. Or which is made up of many parts made in the Far East. (Can you spell H-D?)

Save your pennies and get an original CB750. At least it will never go down in value.

[medic09]

I sympathize, I truly do.

More importantly, we all hope and pray that you stay safe to come back and play...

[Raul CB750K1]

So what's the deal? If the engine is made in England, and the parts are assembled somewhere else, does it really matter? Forget about "icons", a thai worker can work not only cheaper, but same or even better than a brit or any other "first world citizen". As opposed to us, they desperately need a job and they can work concentrated for several hours, something I can't do for more than one hour without coffee breaks, chit-chatting or having a walk.



The only reason why before everything was made "in house" was because there was nobody else doing it. Probably the metal in the Triumphs doesn't come from Sheffield but from Bangladesh recycling plants, the electronic components from China, spokes from Ukraine and seat foam from Bielorussia.


Be careful in Iraq and you will worry about your bike when you are back.

[GroovieGhoulie]

I feel your pain. It's hard to find anything that is not made in the Far East, these days. Or which is made up of many parts made in the Far East. (Can you spell H-D?)

Save your pennies and get an original CB750. At least it will never go down in value.

I want one, but I can't use it as I would a new bike. 

Rain
Snow
Heat
Dirt

It would be ridden every day.  I would stop using a car, period.  Mostly to prove that a motorcycle IS a serious transportation instrument and not just a toy, and that a unfaired "standard" bike with no luggage or racks can be used as everyday transport.

I REFUSE to subject a classic to that kind of treatment.  That's what I liked about the new Triumphs:  they're so cold and clinical, they truly are "appliances", at least to me.  I would have no problem buying a new bike and just riding it anywhere and in any conditions.  Dings, dents, scrapes, etc., would be no big deal because:

1. ANY part would be available from a dealer.  Maybe not cheap, but available with no hassle.  (Think bodywork for example.  As much as our old Hondas are still supported, TRY and walk into a dealership, or even online, and buy a new OEM tank, seat or sidecovers.  Try.)

2. The cold nature of the machine would allow me to stay emotionally distanced.  I am too wound up in my old Hondas to ever want to see them subjected to rain, snow or anything other than sunny, pretty days.  Fair weather machines only.  This limits my riding.

More importantly, we all hope and pray that you stay safe to come back and play...

Thanks.  Here's to that.

[GroovieGhoulie]

So what's the deal? If the engine is made in England, and the parts are assembled somewhere else, does it really matter? Forget about "icons", a thai worker can work not only cheaper, but same or even better than a brit or any other "first world citizen". As opposed to us, they desperately need a job and they can work concentrated for several hours, something I can't do for more than one hour without coffee breaks, chit-chatting or having a walk.



The only reason why before everything was made "in house" was because there was nobody else doing it. Probably the metal in the Triumphs doesn't come from Sheffield but from Bangladesh recycling plants, the electronic components from China, spokes from Ukraine and seat foam from Bielorussia.


Be careful in Iraq and you will worry about your bike when you are back.

True, I thought about that, and it adds to the whole "appliance I am not attached to" thing.  I dunno.  Maybe I'll be over it next week.  I just thought they should be more upright as a company, that's all.

Thanks Raul.

[Raul CB750K1]

Funny thing, I bet most of the people that bought Hondas in the 70's thought of them as appliances as opposed to their trusty Triumphs and Nortons....


Tell you what, maybe you can buy a seat or a tank right from the Triumph dealer, but I bet they are more expensive than any of the Hondas tanks or repro seats for sale. I don't think I will buy a new bike again. 10-year-old bikes cost a fraction, are not so appealing to thieves and you don't suffer that much if they fall or break. All that said, I love Triumphs like Bonneville or Thunderbird. Not so much the Thruxton. The Scrambler looks the part, but from what I read expect to scorch your thighs with the exhaust. In fact, it is too heavy for a real outdoor riding.

[nickjtc]

I don't think I will buy a new bike again. 10-year-old bikes cost a fraction, are not so appealing to thieves and you don't suffer that much if they fall or break.

Ditto.

[Shenanigans]

Please don't take this as a matter of fact because I do not know for sure. However a while ago while lusting after some new triumphs via craigslist I saw two separate listing for a 2005 that mentioned "last year made in england" Although I cant remember if it was the bonnie I was looking at or the thruxton. I wonder if there really was a year they "switched" over. And if any of that turns out to be true and you think a 2005 is new enough you might consider going that way. IF any of that is true and I would also like to know so if anyone knows....

[GroovieGhoulie]

Funny thing, I bet most of the people that bought Hondas in the 70's thought of them as appliances as opposed to their trusty Triumphs and Nortons....

Yeah, I thought of that as well.  The Irony and all that...

Tell you what, maybe you can buy a seat or a tank right from the Triumph dealer, but I bet they are more expensive than any of the Hondas tanks or repro seats for sale. I don't think I will buy a new bike again. 10-year-old bikes cost a fraction, are not so appealing to thieves and you don't suffer that much if they fall or break.

I know, and believe me, I'm thinking about one of those W650s, as they ARE nice machines.  But I dunno, there's something about being the first one to fart into the seat, ya know? LOL!

The Scrambler looks the part, but from what I read expect to scorch your thighs with the exhaust. In fact, it is too heavy for a real outdoor riding.

On the test ride, my leg got a little hot, but that's the price for those Scrambler pipes.  Happens on the GF's CL360 and my neighbor's CL450.  I do love the high pipes though.

As far as outdoor riding, I read an article where a Kiwi was testing one, running it around on some trails and ran into some fellows on BMW Adventurers and KTM 950s and such, and on some parts where the bigger bikes floundered, the Scrambler held on.  It's a big, heavy steel-framed beast to be sure, but similar machines were used as the basis for Scrambles machines and Trail riding back in the '60s, so it can be done.  Look at what Steve McQueen was riding in the ISDT.

Crazy Kiwi, hanging it out:

[GroovieGhoulie]

Please don't take this as a matter of fact because I do not know for sure. However a while ago while lusting after some new triumphs via craigslist I saw two separate listing for a 2005 that mentioned "last year made in england" Although I cant remember if it was the bonnie I was looking at or the thruxton. I wonder if there really was a year they "switched" over. And if any of that turns out to be true and you think a 2005 is new enough you might consider going that way. IF any of that is true and I would also like to know so if anyone knows....

Yeah, '05 was the last year of Hinckley-built Bonnies and Thruxtons.  The Scrambler didn't even come out until 2006, so I'm hosed in that regard.

[jtb]

Just come home safe.  You'll find a bike.
John

[firecracker]

Just had to chuckle...

Won't buy it because it's made in Asia, so instead you're gonna stick with your "Made in Asia" bikes...

 

I know, I know...  I get it, but it still made me laugh.

Stay safe and get back home in one piece. 

[GroovieGhoulie]

Just had to chuckle...

Won't buy it because it's made in Asia, so instead you're gonna stick with your "Made in Asia" bikes...

 

I know, I know...  I get it, but it still made me laugh.

Stay safe and get back home in one piece. 

At least Honda is honest about it. 

[Raul CB750K1]

Just had to chuckle...

Won't buy it because it's made in Asia, so instead you're gonna stick with your "Made in Asia" bikes...

 

I know, I know...  I get it, but it still made me laugh.

Stay safe and get back home in one piece. 

At least Honda is honest about it. 

So is Kia, Hyunday etc....

You know the Hinckley plant suffered a big fire. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise as they had to quickly set up another plant to keep up with the demand, but I can't remember when the fire happened. 2003?


Anyway, if I were you, the bike I would buy when returning from Iraq would be the thing that I would least worry about. You will cross that bridge when you get to it....