So Sad............

Confusion reigns! J & R Cycles is no longer a Triumph dealer. GP is still selling Triumphs.

Not a huge surprise there TBH. Stopped in there once (biggest chore was finding the place). Not much of a show room and the most disinterested staff I've ever met.

Claviger said:

As much as I hate to admit it Triumph are falling behind the Japanese brands in development of their bikes.

Boneville - Basically unchanged since the EFI changes.
Rocket - Basically unchanged since the Roadster got ABS, and even that was a small change from the R3s before it.
Thunderbird Series - Nothing compelling to get HD riders on it as an alternative, including price, and not much has changed since I troduction.
Daytona 675 - Very small incremental changes over the years until 2013, even then the difference to the rider is tiny vs the 2006-2012 models. Lacking most of the electronic sex found on jap premiere sposport bikes.
SPEED Triple - Essentially identical in character from 2003-2010 and still the 2011 was really just a update to the frame and some mechanicals. The engine is mostly unchanged since I think 1998.

The two models that have gotten a lot of development, the tiger and trophy, do stand out against their competition.

When Triumph started back up they said they would focus on their core bikes, the speed triple and daytona, and expand from there into market niches not already filled. They have done so successfuly, but competitors have now out niche the niche bikes in some cases, and Triumph has sat on their hands instead of updating to compete. Big mistake in this industry!

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There a few Jap bikes that haven't got on-board the 'new model tweaking' bandwagon. Suzuki haven't changed their 1200 Bandit and the Kawasaki KL 650 haven't changed much. I know little about Jap bikes so I'm sure there are other models that have remained pretty well the same since their debut. Could be if it's a good machine why change it just for changings sake .. just my thoughts.

I have a problem with this TC, because if you don't change the bike that is fine, but don't try to market it as "premium" when it's 10 year old tech imho:

Speed Triple R 2014 - $14,699
Speed Triple 2014 - $12, 799
Speed Triple 2006 - $9,999 (Adjusted for the US inflation rate this is equivalent to $11,776)

Some inflation, some (lower quality than aftermarket parts) ohlins, ABS, some retooling slightly of the bike but essentially the same bike should not incur nearly a 5k premium imho. Certainly, the standard should not be 1,000 over the 11,776 it should be.

Thats MSRP in the US. I know many countries pay more after doing the exchange rate math, and in Hawaii we pay about 1,500 over MSRP for all bikes.

It is maddening to wait for triumph while other company's are doing some cool stuff, but that's their way and lucky for us at least when they launch a new product it's decent. but i'm looking at the new ducati multistrada.

Triumph here have seen fit to franchise another dealer - frankly because the existing one (two shops) has a **** poor reputation. They sell other marques and a mate of mine has been franchised by Moto Guzzi to do after sales work.

Thing is I think that owners of certain marques are more self sufficient - they have tools at home. Guzzi/Triumph are amongst them ime. Also tend NOT to use OEM aftermarket parts - but source/create individuality.

Here without doubt it's the sports/adventure bikes that make money for Triumph. Anything sub-1000cc is far easier(cheaper) to tax/insure too. The 675's sell en masse.

Ducat's are lovely to ride - but (from experience) can be HORRENDOUSLY expensive to maintain. Seriously, look at service costs.

The local dealer was dumped by Triumph because Triumph was making impossible demands for a tiny shop - like the demand that there always be X amount of bikes on display in the store, when the store is a few small rooms. It was annoying mostly because of the service and warranty side, it's a small shop with great people, but it doesn't affect my bike so much as it is now out of warranty; they can and will still do service work.

As for Triumph not innovating fast enough... I disagree. There is nothing wrong with building a fantastic bike and then evolving it slowly towards perfection. Changing out a model entirely is a huge undertaking as well and every new design will have some teething problems. The Triumph lineup is very competitive, and the bikes are still winning comparisons against newer variants from other manfacturers; the Street Triple and Speed Triple are consistently very popular. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

You don't see Rolls Royce making a new flash-in-the-pan model every year either; the Phantom VI was made from 1969-1991, the Silver Spur was made from 1980 to 1998. The current Phantom model has been in the lineup since 2003. Change for the sake of change and to please consumers with a split-second attention span isn't only a positive; though I might wish that Triumph made greater improvements faster and perhaps stayed away from the bargain basement parts bin for some sections of the bike.