Triumphrat

Fatbob · 08-08-2004

What is the scuttle on when/if the Trophy will come back, hopefully with fuel injection and maybe a drive shaft? I'm looking to replace my aging R1100RT BMW with something that has more poop! I became a Triumph rider this past year with a 2004 Tiger, and I'm glad I did.

Seeker · 08-09-2004

I have no idea if he knows a lick about it, but in talking to the owner of a local Triumph dealership a few weeks ago I asked him the same question.

He said that the Trophy was a "non-seller" in comparison to other models and that they are more focused on the classic and cruiser models at the moment. He didn't seem to hold much hope for a new Trophy anytime soon.

He also didn't seem to sympathize or care at all either (I told him I felt it was a mistake to stop producing the Trophy). When I mentioned that my Trophy was getting rather aged and that my alternatives would have to be a Honda ST 1300 or BMW 1150RT, he merely reminded me that he also sells BMWs and would be happy to sell me one!

Personally, I think Triumph should have just kept upgrading the Trophy to compete with the likes of those similar bikes and they wouldn't have seen it become a "non-seller" in the first place!

08-09-2004

I wonder if Triumph takes into consideration the "other" brands that most dealers sell alongside their models? Alot of the Triumph dealers around here sell BMW's, Ducati's, Aprilia, as well as the usual Japanese stuff.

Triumph has tried a number of different styles of bike over the years, from the old Trident to the Daytona to the ST and Trophy, and into the classic range. They seem to be fine-tuning their line into a niche brand, and they may be considering the fact that certain lines are covered quite nicely by their competition already. BMW has the sport-touring and lightweight touring bike range pretty well covered and Triumph might rather put their efforts into bikes that are unique to their marque.

Neil

Seeker · 08-09-2004

I saw a bike the other night that I thought (at a distance)was a Triumph Bonneville, but upon closer inspection, it was a Suzuki (I'm pretty sure anyhow...it could have been a Yamaha?). It looked as close if not closer than the original than what Triumph is putting out today! So the other companies aren't worrying themselves about carving out a niche...they just attack a market segment with their best effort.

I'm not convinced that taking a seemingly defeatist attitude towards certain markets is a wise business decision?

08-09-2004

Quote:

On 2004-08-09 09:05, Seeker wrote:
"I saw a bike the other night that I thought (at a distance)was a Triumph Bonneville, but upon closer inspection, it was a Suzuki (I'm pretty sure anyhow...it could have been a Yamaha?)."

It was probably a Kawasaki W650

It's a bike they originally produced in the '60's as a direct copy of the Triumph of the day. They've reintroduced it as a retro model, but they don;t sell many in the US.

"It looked as close if not closer than the original than what Triumph is putting out today! "

Yea, the Japanese were good at that.

"So the other companies aren't worrying themselves about carving out a niche...they just attack a market segment with their best effort.

I'm not convinced that taking a seemingly defeatist attitude towards certain markets is a wise business decision?"

But Triumph is a relatively small company and I would think they need to concentrate on what brings in the most revenue. Larger companies can afford to produce a few lower-volume "halo" products to attract a following.

Neil

08-09-2004

I have to agree with swampyankee. Triumph is a small company and can't afford to spread out too thin but the Sport/touring segment is not a good place to cut.

It looks like they are placing their faith in the Sprint lineup rather then taking the next step with the Trophy. I believe that the low sales with the Trophy had more to do with chain drive then anything else.

JohnRimmer · 08-09-2004

for the UK the market for big tourers is limited and sales volume is low.Indications are that the Trophy will not be replaced.A friend replaced his with an ST,and once he adapted to the 'sporty' riding position he loves it and would not go back.Triumph will probably go for a touring version of the Rocket 3 - with a price to match.

Seeker · 08-09-2004

Quote:

They've reintroduced it as a retro model, but they don;t sell many in the US.

Yep...it was a brand new "retro" bike for sure. And I'm not kidding that it looked more like an original 60's Bonnie than Triumph's own modern Bonnie.

That's the second one I've seen too.

I can't seem to find one though on the Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki websites :???:

gararnett · 08-10-2004

That's because Kawasaki discontinued the bike. As Swampyankee posted, it could only have been the Kawasaki W-650. Kawi had low sales and axed it a year or 2 ago.

http://www.ianchadwick.com/motorcycles/w650/future.html

Check the last sentence at the bottom of the page.

08-10-2004

If you wait until September Triumph will be making some big announcements so I am reliably informed. The Rocket 3 is supposed to be just the start.