Triumph Speed Triple/Triumph dummy here.

I have some questions.

I hear about Hinkley Triumphs. What does this mean.

I did hear about a Plant burning down, does it have somthing to do with this.

Also, I'm not sure when the Speed Triple first came out. I think a redesign was in 02. Is there 3 generations of S3's including the new 05.

Last, has anyone heard what the 05 will sell for?

The reason I'm asking is i'm in the market for a new bike. I love Torque, and HATE bikes that rev to the moon and have 0 bottom end power. I have considered a FZ1, Honda 919, Z1000, or a 03 Naked SV1000.

BTW I plan to buy used, and try to pay cash for it. So I need to know a little about used S3's and what years did what. Thanks guys.

[CanyonChaser]

I think we are to version 4 now.

The S3 orginally came out in the early 90's as a four cylinder - single headlight version.

In 97, it became an 800cc triple - This is the t5 series S3
in 99, it grew to 955 cc's, but maintained the same aesthetic look (remember mission impossible two?)
In 02 they evolved into the design you see on showroom floors now
and in 05 the new version, thats been all the hub-bub comes out. And I saw a uropean site that listed the price at 11,500 euros.

The 99-01's have shown to have been the most reliable, and in my opionon, the best looking. And they can be fetched for great prices. I bought my 01 - new in the box, last year for 6k.

Hinkley is the modern Triumph corporation - it was bought by a John Bloor in the late 80's from the bankrupt old Triumph that made the classic bikes of the 60's and such. They are similar in name only.

The fire, was when an assembly building for Hinkley triumph burned to the ground. I assumed that the building housed the cruiser line. It slowed down the production line, and many feared would result in the demise of Hinkley Triumph.

Hope that helps.
Dave

[Captain_Rat]

SureThing,

Don't go by the Euro price when trying to figure out what the price will be in the US. In the past, the S3 has sold for much less in the US than in Europe. Word is that the 05 will be priced at about $10K.

Capt.

[StoneTriple]

On 2004-09-23 12:58, CanyonChaser wrote:

The S3 orginally came out in the early 90's as a four cylinder - single headlight version.

The Speed TRIPLE has always had a three-cylinder engine.

In 97, it became an 800cc triple

It was a 900 from 1994 to 1996 and grew to 955 in 1997.

Hinkley is the modern Triumph corporation - it was bought by a John Bloor in the late 80's from the bankrupt old Triumph that made the classic bikes of the 60's and such. They are similar in name only.

Actually, Bloor bought Triumph in 1983 and continued to make Bonnevilles until 1988 while working on the Hinckley factory and all the new designs. It’s the same company.


[ This message was edited by: StoneTriple on 2004-09-23 14:20 ]

[AH-1]

man I learned something today!.thanks.
pete

[CanyonChaser]

haha! Me too! Excellent! Thanks for the corrections!

[CanyonChaser]

haha! Me too! Excellent! Thanks for the corrections!

But I always thought it was an 805cc engine. Not a 900..

So it is

94 new

96 Became a 805

99 went to a 955 redesign

02 redesign

Is this right?

[lowedaph]

Triumph initially started importing bikes to the US for model year 1995. There were only two engines: the 3 cylinder 885cc used in the Speed Triple (and Tiger, Thunderbird, Trident, Sprint) and versions of the Daytona and Trophy which used that engine or a 4 cylinder 1180cc.

In 1997, the Speed Triple and Daytona were completely redesigned. The T509 Speed Triple maintained the old engine, while the Daytona got a new 955cc engine. In 1999, the Speed Triple got the 955cc engine (detuned from Daytona spec for more midrange). In 2002, the Speed Triple underwent a minor redesign, the tweaked chassis and engine result in slightly higher performance.

You asked for some thoughts, I'm no techie, or Triumph historian, just a fan of S3 since 1995. The 1st generation S3 are a timeless classic. Not the fastest or best handling, but in my opinion, the best looking. The only thing that comes to mind to watch out for is that some of the early 1995s had sprang clutch failures. Triumph solved the problem in the later ones with 6 speeds. If you're looking for "attitude" then start with the T5s. The early 1997s had factory polished frames and wheels, it was gorgeous, but Triumph decided that grey powdercoat was more cost effective. A few of these bikes also had frame failures. You don't have to worry about running across one of them, they were replaced under warranty. I can't think of any major systemic problems with the 1999-2001, although there were a few recall items. All of these bikes are well supported but getting kinda long of tooth. If that concerns you, then 2002-04 included a big drop in factory MSRP, and deals should be readily available next Spring when the 05s hit showroom floors.

The factory suffered a fire in March 2002. It was widely covered in the press:

article 1
article 2

Happy Shopping!

Certainly got your facts right there! :-D