Triumphrat

Sheepdog

I bought my T100 at Destination back in '03. They made me a decent deal, but service was only average and the parts department was a train wreck. I know many folks get into motorcycle sales because they love bikes, but I often wish they would approach it as more of a business enterprise so they would be around for a while...

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2003 Bonneville T100 and 2007 Moto Guzzi California Vintage

RumRunner

Always sad to hear about businesses going under. When Steve and I spoke about it the other day I told him the dealership we deal with here in GA (Freedom) said they'd be happy to extend our RAT deals to any of your guys up there...

Rocket XIII

I stopped at Ultimate this morning when I was in Farragut and Knoxville on another errand. There were small signs on the various doors, each proclaiming that they were closed for inventory and with an apology for the inconvenience.

There were several vehicles in the parking lot, and there were obviously a few employees inside. Piles of boxes of parts were staged near the main doors as though waiting for return to Triumph and other manufacturers.

Today is a Monday, so it would be normal for them to be closed. But when I called last week during normal business hours, I got their voice mail which apologized for being busy and requested that I leave a message so that they could call me right back. They never returned calls even when they were in their hay day, so I did not bother to leave a message. That might be part of why they're in trouble.

I have to admit, I am curious to know their status. Maybe they will reopen with different management.

Charles Lathe

My dealer quit selling Triumph some time ago and it's a good long haul to the next dealer. Triumph gives it's dealers a bad time, insisting that they should make very big investments is showrooms; investments that aren't justified by the number of bikes they can sell in a year. I was told by a dealer in Maine who sells both brands that BMW is even more annoying. Harley drove many dealers out of business by making them spend too much money on showrooms, stock, and parts. It has been this way for a long time. The Japanese seem to just want someone selling their bikes so they have huge networks.

I wouldn't buy a trailer quite yet. I'm at 57 thousand miles and my only breakdown was a failed crank position sensor (a generic item not made by Triumph) and I was clear across the country in Oregon when that happened so a trailer wouldn't have helped.

Regards, Chuck

Rocket XIII

Honda can be just as bad. We have NO Honda dealers in about a 75 mile radius here anymore because the old dealers failed in the recession and potential new owners could not come to terms with American Honda on the showroom issues. The existing showrooms would not be approved under new contracts.

Honda, Harley, BMW, Triumph .... they all would prefer that the dealer have a large, one marque, modern showroom. The rules aren't applied uniformly because some dealers move enough bikes that the importer doesn't want to let push come to shove. An example where the importer (BMW) gave ground was at BMW Motorcycles of Daytona Beach where Ducati and Triumph were added and given large amounts of showroom space at the expense of BMW.

It varies (see Honda discussion above), but many dealers do carry multiple marques. The idea of the UJM (universal Japanese motorcycle) is still alive.

One problem for dealers that carry multiple marques is that it becomes difficult to obtain and maintain solid service personnel. If you don't have guys who have been specifically trained for modern diagnosis methods on the systems that are supported by the importer, it is very hard to support the customer when a bike has problems.

Retro-Racer

I think I've been to that dealer. A multi-line dealer as I recall, just off the freeway and across the street from a Harley dealer. If my still foggy brain is correct, they only 'dabbled' in Triumph.

/M

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"With integrity, nothing else matters. Without integrity, nothing else matters."

Johnnystriple

All the new motorcycle shops in my town closed up. At one time there were 3 here, no Triumphs. I have to go 35 miles away to see the Triumph dealer and the last time I was in there they weren't selling all that many of them. They are a multi-dealer so I hope they always carry the Triumph line. I'm trying to help out by buying 2 of them from them.

Rocket XIII

Ultimate was a significant Triumph dealer if typical Spring inventory and accessory displays are any indication. Of course they also had BMW, Aprilia, KTM, Polaris, Victory, Suzuki, and probably a few others. No H-D dealer nearby that I am aware of.

Destination, the Euro-focused forerunner of Ultimate, had BMW, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Vespa, Triumph, and probably others. They did not have much floor space devoted to Triumph as a rule. No H-D dealer there either.

Castle has a decent Triumph inventory and I think there is an H-D dealer not too far away on the same road. They have a decent Triumph inventory as a rule.

Man-O-War Harley in Lexington is visible from I-75 and has a Triumph dealer that might be argued to be a dabbler right next door. The Triumph dealer there has quite a few brands on the floor, although their Triumph inventory isn't terrible.

In any event, Ultimate does not have signage to indicate that they are closing the doors for good. It looks like a re-organization so far.

dixiecop

This Triumph dealership might prove useful for the OP... http://www.allsportinc.com/

I've never been there but I plan to ride my 07 Speedmaster up to North Al and check them out since the Birmingham Al Triumph dealer went belly up a couple of years back.

RedBird

" Triumph gives it's dealers a bad time, insisting that they should make very big investments is showrooms; investments that aren't justified by the number of bikes they can sell in a year."

"Harley drove many dealers out of business by making them spend too much money on showrooms, stock, and parts."

+1...It's not a coincidence--Triumph hired one of the top executives from Hardley a few years ago. Wrong time, wrong economy, and very wrong business practices by Triumph USA (possibly Triumph corporate, itself), IMHO.

My dealer has not had a Triumph in his store in many months, and I will be surprised to see one.

The good news is the Bonnies require little maintenance that one cannot do themselves. Check your valves at 12K miles and if they need shimming, rent a trailer then--or ride it to a good dealer a few hundred miles away and stay overnight and ride back home the next day. You will likely never need to adjust the valves again, IMHO. I only have 33K miles on my '03...2 valves needed shimming at 12K. Measured again at 24K and all measured the same as the post 12K valve shimming.

If I had a dealer as close as 35 miles, I would take a long way to the dealer, anyway--I try to never turn off the key on my twin before I have ridden at least 50 miles--100 is even better, IMHO.

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Larry
2003 T-100 (790cc), NARK, NH Togas, 8100 rpm rev limiter, 158 main jets, 42 pilot jets (less than 1 turn out on pilot screws), stock needles--no shims. 13 A/F ratio from 1100 rpm to 4000 rpm; 12 A/F ratio from 4000 rpm to 6000 rpm; 13 A/F from 6000 rpm to 8100 rpm.:D
2007 Tiger 1050--White:D--SW-Motech crashbars, Skidmarx rear hugger/chain guard, Calsci +7 windscreen.