£950 Bobber in Yorkshire

[Dave G]

TRIUMPH RULE!

And BMW.

[jon'n'yvon]

Very similar companies up to the 1970s with their customer loyalty meaning that they don’t develop new engines but keep turning out the same old,.. same old with their company motto "why make the effort what do the customers know? " Harley Davidson are just as guilty and paying the price today yet BMW raised their game by finally doing engine development and making completely new engines and now their getting ahead of the Japs. Triumph in its latest guise is quite good if a little invisible in the market to most buyers but the loyal ones, they have a mix of modern sports models and traditional Brit-feel bikes

road test of a 650cc Triumph Bonneville in Motor Cycle News in 1966 This one ran 13.96 sec 1/4 mile at Santa Pod and did 117mph at MIRA proving ground but the road reporter did a 1500 miles road test on one and the Bonnie suffered a cracked and holed silencer a broken speedometer and rear number plate bracket and constantly failing tail light bulbs. That was the price of forcing 47bhp and a 0-60 time of 4.9 sec from a cheap to make parallel twin - a layout that had made a sweet motorcycle when it was launched in 1937 as the 27bhp 500cc Triumph Speed Twin 5T.
above words from the road test

In 1966 the customers didn’t want any failures on a brand new bike, if only a manufacturer could build one that wasnt designed pre-war and had a modern engine and didnt break?.......welcome 1970s Japan

[triumphbill]

Yeah, Thanks for the history lesson, but the point is that Honda 'bobber' looks crap compared to a real one.

[fieryone]

jon - did triumph just do too little too late with the T150 and T160.

what has cracked silencer, light and speedo problems and rear number plate bracket got to do with the engine? or have I missed the point.

I ride triumphs old and new, 'cos they suit me.

I've learn't over the years each to their own, if we all liked the same we would be in identical clothes riding identical bikes.



ps prefer Daves - but that said it is not for me, colour helps swing it.

pps if someone offered me a 1966 650CC bonnie cheap I would not need asking twice.

[leejazz]

heres your ft was a bit of an unreliable slug as i remember and not too popular

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/ ... _ft500.htm

[908L/C]

The people will vote......dont try to influence the judgement with your blatent lies ....no Enfield engine can do more than 43 miles without a rebuild unlike the riding school favorite for the last 20 years the reliable Honda 500

your wrong jon its a proper indian enfield not one of those old brit ones,looks better than the honda,sounds better than the honda.it could be worse it could be german.

[TimeBandit]

Talking of Enfields..... proper Enfields...like my no4.... nearly 70 years old and still as accurate as it was new.
Never ever breaks and to my knowledge has only had basic fields strips an maintenance from new...

Now why didnt they make their bikes like that eh.....








oh an it was made in Canada

[Bladerunner 929]

Cant see why reliability would be top of your priorities if your wanting this sort a bike and for that reason, and the fact it looks miles better Daves bike gets my vote It looks a proper job

[supadave]

That is what we are talking about, looks..............if I wanted a good reliable, fast jap bike I would buy a Fireblade

Ooops.............think I`ve already got one of those

[jon'n'yvon]

Talking of Enfields..... proper Enfields...like my no4.... nearly 70 years old and still as accurate as it was new.
Never ever breaks and to my knowledge has only had basic fields strips an maintenance from new...

Now why didnt they make their bikes like that eh.....

That sounds like my Dads Black & Decker drill its a 1955 and made with a green painted metal case..the only one I’ve ever seen I go through loads of drills and this old one looks as good as new and has never broken.......never been used though but that don’t matter my Dads got his own views its 55 years old and still working is all that counts

p.s the reliability issue was just to point to the reason we now buy Honda, chopped or bobbed bikes don’t need to be as reliable as a tourer if their not your only bike.

The whole point of this argument which most of you are missing is that Bud and I have taken an oath that given the chance we will never agree with SuperDave it keeps him a bit miffed which is fine by us

[supadave]

You know it looks better......................

[Bladerunner 929]

Look even better Dave if you dumped them horrible fork gaiters plus must be worth an extra 2mph wi all that weight shed, which is after all what the bobbers all about init????

[supadave]

22 bhp I`ll have you know

[TimeBandit]

Dropped my eldest lass off at work this morning an coming out of Baaaarnsley there it was coming towards me.....

a black H*nda FT500 in all its glory........

An it wasnt being pushed/towed...nope it was under its own steam from that wheezy 'orrible engine




Bloody H*ndas