|
I am a fairly new Triumph owner and forum member.
I don't like some of the divisions I've seen in the Triumph owner community already . A person rides a Meriden Bonnie and has no use for folks who ride Hinkley Bonnies? A person rides a new Bonnie and considers himself above anyone who chose a Bonneville America or a Speedmaster? What a crock! We all need to support the Triumph marque, past and present, and the other folks who ride these great motorcycles.
But I do see where folks who ride a Tiger vs a Sprint vs a Rocket III vs a new Bonneville vs a Meriden classic Bonneville (etc) would have different things to talk about. Technical issues differ between the models. Typical use and owner riding interests also differ to some extent. So there is reason for the various forums.
I do think that the Bonneville/Thruxton models differ enough from the America/Speedmaster bikes to justify a separate forum. On the tech side you've got the spoke wheels thing, and perhaps a bit stronger interest in "go fast" performance mods. On the usage side, the Bonnie/Thrux bikes appeal more for sport riding - the feet forward bikes are cruisers. Triumph created these different twin models to target different rider market segments. It isn't realistic to ignore that.
From a (forum software) technical perspective, it might be difficult or even impossible to revert back to the original categorization of existing messages - now that they have been lumped together. I'm not sure. But the consolidation of these two groups did feel wrong to me.
I don't look down on folks who ride cruisers. I'll wave to them. I'll ride with them. I'll call them my Triumph brothers & sisters. But I owned a twin cruiser (Honda) once. It IS different, and for several reasons I lost interest in that. It just isn't for me.
I liked the Bonneville Owners Forum. I miss it. I didn't see it as anti-cruiser. I did see it as recognition of the special character of the Bonnie and Thrux models. So I do fall in with the folks who'd like it back.
__________________
Paul
2007 Triumph Bonneville T100
2006 Kymco People 250
|