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Do you care if your Bonneville is made in Thailand?

Do I care if my Bonneville is made in Thailand poll?

23K views 135 replies 62 participants last post by  lambroving 
#1 · (Edited)
Do you care if your bike is made in Thailand or not? Do you care enough to pay extra to have a made-in-the-UK bike?

It's a frequent topic of conversation. And the forum has, as usual, come up with a definitive answer to this issue: some folks care and some folks don't, for purely subjective reasons, and that's fine.

So, all that is needed now is to know the relative number of people that care and don't.

So, here's a poll, as suggested by Jonkster.
 
#3 ·
I was going to say "vote in the poll, not in the messages", then I checked and realized the poll doesn't work in the original motorcycle.com app. Does in the new one though.

Well, I was going to vote "I'd take a British one if the cost was the same" because I don't really care, but if all other things were equal then sure I'd take a made-in-UK bike for sentimental reasons. Then I realized I really don't know which factory has better quality control. Then I started to worry, then I decided I don't want to worry, so I voted "don't care".
 
#4 ·
I didn't think about it until I read your comment. Everything else being the same, I will take the British made Bonnie. If quality control is better in Thailand, then I will take Thai made Bonnie. That being said I didn't care where both my Triumphs were made before purchasing them.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I picked the forth choice . But if I was British I would have picked 3 and likely 2 if it wold bE lIke 10% more max aND of eQual quality . But that's just my feelings of course.
 
#7 ·
I'm sure if I was from GB I'd opt for the bike being made there but either way its a foreign made bike to me. I have a Triumph made in GB and its not anywhere near the quality of my Thi made bike, that being said I assume if my bike had been built in GB today the quality would be there, maybe not at the price that I would want to pay though.
 
#8 ·
I wish that someone had lied to me and told me my Thailand-made Bonnie was made in England. But since they didn't... I don't really care as long as the quality is there.

-Dan
 
#12 ·
Most Bonnevilles for the home market were assembled in Hinckley because for various reasons it was probably cheaper. No idea whether that line was closed down in the last few years. UK riders can confirm whether recent Bonnevilles have a "J" or "T" in the 11th position on their VIN's.

FWIW, my Thai '09 T-100 had an astounding number of blue chalk marks on every chassis bolt and nut. Some may STILL be there. Hasn't fallen apart yet... :D
 
#25 ·
....... No idea whether that line was closed down in the last few years. UK riders can confirm whether recent Bonnevilles have a "J" or "T" in the 11th position on their VIN's.
I was told my 2015 was Hinckley made, but as Eryk says above the VIN is now in the format of: AAAAAnnnnAAnnnnnn. The 11th position is Alpha but in my case it's an 'F' I also have 2 T's and one J elsewhere just to be really helpful! :wink2:
 
#13 ·
Not sure where my Thruxton was made but the Bonneville was certainly made in Thailand, can't complain about the quality of assembly.
Only wish they had used the stainless spokes, brass nipples, and alloy rims on the bonnevilles.

Just bought a Chinese made Honda 125. Built in a Honda factory, Not up to the jap quality standards I bet but reliable enough. Was cheap though, less than 20 percent of the price of a Bonneville.
 
#15 ·
My Thai bike has had fewer problems than my English built bike. That being said I don't care where the bike was built as long as it wasn't built in XXXXX , XXXXX , or XXXXXX.

If they where I wouldn't be riding a T100.

Actually the answer I'd like the most is 'Made in the USA".
 
#16 ·
I have a Triumph built in England (1971) and one built in Thailand (2014.) Let's briefly review "things gone wrong" in the first year:

1971 Daytona T100R
Front brake drum badly out of run causing nasty vibration while braking.
One valve adjust cover was loose and spun off and was lost while riding.
Crankcase drain plug thread was such a poor fit that it was not possible to tighten it sufficiently to prevent oil drooling out.
Slide in one of the Amal carbs kept jamming in the carb body making throttle control difficult.
Seat tether cable pulled out of end fitting.

2014 Bonneville T100
........um.......nothing

In review then, where would you like to have your Triumph built?
 
#21 ·
My '05 Thruxton was made in England...

Except for the wheels, they were made in Germany, oh, and the seat, it was made in Italy. Eh, the carbs were made in Japan, wait, so were the brakes. Come to think about it the OEM tyres were made in Germany too.

I'm proud that my Thruxton was made in England...and that my '14 Bonneville was made in Taiwan.
 
#28 ·
What program (app. or whatever) did you use to produce that map?
It's really nice.

RE: Where a Triumph is made, sentimental to England if price and quality control were equal to other places.
 
#27 ·
#32 ·
That's weird, Motogadget does say that but they are wrong.

In the US 10th postition is year, 11'th position is plant code. See US Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 565.15(d)(1) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/565.15).

Wikipedia claims those two positions are standardized world-wide, although the plant codes are not standardized. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number
Found this on forum, and I think Motogadget know what they are doing.
If there is a difference between US and EU is unknown to me??...


-------------------- START ------------------

1-2 = Country of origin we all have SM here for UK designed

3 = Manufacturer, T is for Triumph

4-5 = Model type, TJ=Bonneville, they are all variants of the original

6-8 = model number (these are what I could derive) There seems to be no variance on location in the world. Likewise for years
Bonneville=900,910
Thruxton=904,914
T100=905,912,915 (not sure if the 912 was reported right)
Speedmaster=906,916
Scrambler=907,917

9 = motor
T=790cc 360 firing
1=865cc 270 firing
2=865cc 360 firing
7=865cc 360 firing EFI

10 = final drive ratio G=18/43, M=17/43, R=18/44

11 = model year, 1=2001....A=2010 etc

12-17 chassis number

------------------- END ----------------------

Sent fra min GT-P5210 via Tapatalk
 
#35 ·
The important thing to me is that it is built in a Triumph factory and not subcontracted out to the lowest bidder. My scrambler is as good quality wise as my 2 other Hinkley Triumphs a 96 Trophy and a 2000 tbs.
And the three of them have all been dead reliable,I cant say that for most of the 25 or so other bikes I have owned. This will probably not be the last Triumph I own no mater where they are made.
 
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