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

[Pauljo]

My dealer showed me the J in the Vin number for my new T100. He said that he has already received one Rocket III with the T. He also said that the assembly quality of that particular Rocket III looked good.

[Pig9r]

I can't blame Triumph for wanting to save some money, in the US we are lucky that the bikes are priced at what they are considering the dollar is worth half of what the pound is.

[tccox]

Glad to see you Rocket III lads are suffering though this never ending thread just as we Bonnie lads did not long ago.

[rndtaylor]

I'm not suffering. I ignore postnote til he has the credibility of pig.

[blueyzarsoff]

Does anyone really care where they are made ???
Me personally i couldn't care less as long as i have 2300 cc's of snarling monster when i need it and a nice sedate cruiser when i'm trying to impress girls i'm not bothered..It could be made in the Jungles of Guatamala by the Fukawi tribe..As long as it hangs together and i enjoy riding it i have a care factor of zero...You guys know what happens as soon as your ride that beast.. This happens.: ..Wouldn't matter where it was made...I think i'm in love with my Rocket..I may even marry her..

[Stagger Lee]

Originally Posted by 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

People need to note that this above table is valid for the USA ONLY, and the vin numbers in, say Australia, are not legally required to follow the above code at all and using it may result in a big disappointment if the actual place of assembly was an important issue for you.

If you look closely at the headstock area of all triumphs there will be a small f2, f3, or f4 sticker. If you have a f2 sticker you have a made in Britain motorcycle...unlike me who ended up buying a Siamese twin ;-)

[RoadVenture]

Originally Posted by triumph900

Saw an 08 Rocket with the dreaded "T" in the 11th character on the VIN. Was surprised and disappointed. Guess we'll be seeing more models moving over there, going forward. I'll be looking at VIN's a lot closer now!

I can't speak for bikes, but I just got the front dresser bars for my R3. They are the newer style and are manufacturerd in Thailand.

[triumph900]

Tis true that the info is from Triumph North America. That's all I have access to.
Curious about "f2, f3, or f4 sticker. If you have a f2 sticker you have a made in Britain motorcycle". Where are the f3 and f4 bikes made?

BTW - Siamese twin - Thats funny!!

[Stagger Lee]

Originally Posted by triumph900

Tis true that the info is from Triumph North America. That's all I have access to.
Curious about "f2, f3, or f4 sticker. If you have a f2 sticker you have a made in Britain motorcycle". Where are the f3 and f4 bikes made?

BTW - Siamese twin - Thats funny!!

f3 and f4 are factory 3 (Thailand) and factory 4 (Thailand) I'm guessing f1 would have been the factory that burnt down in england.

Even better than the 'Siamese twin' was a catch line that Peter Theoming gave me (he is a famous editor and author of all things motorcycles down here in OZ)

Thai me kangaroo down sport!