Rocket III - Fit to be Thai'ed???

[postnote]

Nope Pig9r your wrong, not a lot for the Rocket comes from Thailand. Mostly UK, Japan, China and Korea oh yes and also Italy. Hope this helps

[DuckMan001]

Originally Posted by postnote

And finally the dreaded VIN number debate, no there is nothing sinister here. The ‘J’ or ‘T’ depicts the market the bike is destined for and ‘T’ indicates it has been made (in England) for the UK market. Simple!

OK, I'll accept that, but riddle me this Batman. I'm in the USA and my VIN has a J.

All '06 's and earlier that I've run across have a J and the T didn't start showing up till '07 (at least in the Bonnie and Thrux models)

[Pig9r]

Originally Posted by postnote

Nope Pig9r your wrong, not a lot for the Rocket comes from Thailand. Mostly UK, Japan, China and Korea oh yes and also Italy. Hope this helps

Info I have says, frame, gas tank, exhaust header, oil tank, swing arm, air intake cover, fenders, various chrome plated covers... pretty much the whole rolling chasis all is produced in Thailand.

http://www.r3owners.net/showthread.php?t=146
Read for yourself, its from a website one of the engineers in the Thai factory hosted for a bit. It starts on the second post.

[Pig9r]

My radiator is stamped KTM...

[postnote]

Oh silly me, I know nothing. I will leave it to those who know best.

[postnote]

Originally Posted by DuckMan001

OK, I'll accept that, but riddle me this Batman. I'm in the USA and my VIN has a J.

All '06 's and earlier that I've run across have a J and the T didn't start showing up till '07 (at least in the Bonnie and Thrux models)

Drop Triumph an email and ask for the country designate VIN letters, if you don't have an email address I'll send you it. At least you will get through to the right person.

Incidently, I have a picture of a recently built Norton racer, it was built by National Motorbike Museum as a one off. Will private mail to you if you want.

[triumph900]

FWIW the source I'm using is the Triumph NA document called "Triumph Motorcycle VIN Definition Summary". It came from Triumph. I used to work at a dealer, and Triumph faxed us the dosument. It CLEARLY states that the 11th VIN position is used to designate the Assembly Plant. J = Jacknell Road, Hinkley, England. T = Chonburi, Thailand. There is no indication on this document that indicates that the 11th VIN postition indicates the "market the bike is destined for".

This is what the fields mean:
POS 1 - 3 Manufacturer
POS 4 - 6 Model
POS 7 - Engine
POS 8 - Power Output
POS 9 - Check Digit
POS 10 - Model Year
POS 11 - Assembly Plant
POS 12 - 17 - Sequence Production Number

[DuckMan001]

Originally Posted by triumph900

This is what the fields mean:
POS 1 - 3 Manufacturer
POS 4 - 6 Model
POS 7 - Engine
POS 8 - Power Output
POS 9 - Check Digit
POS 10 - Model Year
POS 11 - Assembly Plant
POS 12 - 17 - Sequence Production Number

Yes, this is well documented info. If T has nothing to do with the Thai plant, I'd like to know why it didn't start showing up till they got into production mode.

Personally, I don't care where a bike is made as long as it is given reasonable quality control. I realise times have changed and in order to be competative, manufacturers have to go to areas of the world where overhead is cheaper. It doesn't make my bike any more or less whether a Welshman, Scot, Thai or 3 eyed irradiated freak from Chernobyl was on the assembly line as long as the QC was properly done.

I bought my Thrux because I like the lines, I can work on it and it's a size I'm comfortable with. Half the fun of owning a bike is wrenching on it, cleaning it and afterwards sitting back in the lounge chair, drinking a cold one and just looking at it. A bike is a piece of art and shouldn't be hidden by bodywork. I refuse to ride a sewing machine wrapped in plastic.

My 2 cents

[triple3john]

As far as I am aware all triple engines are manufactured at Hinckley.As for all other bits being made in Thailand what about all the major parts that all manufacturers source externally - like brakes,wheels,tyres,suspension,electrics.tanks,sea ts (the list is long). This leaves sundry metalware to be made in Thailand. I understand that the big 4 from Japan all have substantial numbers of parts made in 'the east'. It's the law of economics. At least Hinckley is employing 650 or so people in the UK plant(s). Long may this continue.

[dazco]

Personally, I don't care where a bike is made as long as it is given reasonable quality control. I realise times have changed and in order to be competative, manufacturers have to go to areas of the world where overhead is cheaper. It doesn't make my bike any more or less whether a Welshman, Scot, Thai or 3 eyed irradiated freak from Chernobyl was on the assembly line as long as the QC was properly done.

I bought my Thrux because I like the lines, I can work on it and it's a size I'm comfortable with. Half the fun of owning a bike is wrenching on it, cleaning it and afterwards sitting back in the lounge chair, drinking a cold one and just looking at it. A bike is a piece of art and shouldn't be hidden by bodywork. I refuse to ride a sewing machine wrapped in plastic.

I agree. of course we all would PREFER they were all made and assembled in GB 100%. But i bought mine for the same reasons as you. i have owned dozens of strat guitars which are also surrounded by the exact same controversy because there are dozens of models and at least 1/2 are made in other countries to one degree or another. usually just assembled and painted, but in the past some were fully made there such as the Japanese models. I've owned them all, and after a lifetime of owning dozens the 2 i finally kept after all the buying and selling was done and will follow me to the grave are a Japanese and a Mexican. they are the best of the many i have owned. I even sold my last American model that cost 3 times as much as either because it sounded like **** compared to both. So yeah, if the bike is going to be the same no matter where it's made, i'd prefer it be made in GB. But if not, it won't affect my decision as to what bike i will or will not buy at all. I plan on buying the new mid size cruiser if and when it arrives, and from all accounts it seems it will be made or least assembled in Thailand. But if it's all i'm hoping, i will have a burning desire to own it no matter where it's made as long as triumph designed it and the quality and design are up to the standards they have displayed so far.

I just happen to like triumph designs and always loved the Meridan twins, and no one builds bikes like the current range of twins and the rocket. and i'm sure the new cruiser will also fit right in there somewhere. All anyone else builds now-a-days are V twins, sportbikes and a few multis, all of which i have little to no interest in. So bring on the Thai 1500...........i'm all over it !