Triumphrat

dave1068 · 04-20-2007

Hi all,

Plan on buying a Triumph soon after being a long time japanese bike owner. (sport-tourers mostly)

As I read the posts I notice lots of people change the pipes, seats, tires, suspension, etc on their bikes while still relatively new. Wondering if Triumphs come from the factory need all these mods as I've always kept my hondas all stock-as is. Not having to add exhausts, center stands, different tires, etc.

Is there some reason why so many mods are made by more than a few people on bikes such as the scrambler, T100, etc?

Thanks

ivar · 04-20-2007

Because you can.

No, honestly, I'm sure there's a lot of people buying, riding and enjoying these bikes bone stock.
However. lots of the people on these forums likes to tinker, to change things to fit their taste etc.

My other bike is a Suzuki SV650S so I frequent 2 SV forums. Those ppl are just as crazy tinkering with their bikes. And a lot of posts about just the same issues as seen here , handlebars being too low/high whatever, seats being too hard/soft etc, removing AI, pipes and air box mods. And so on.

ivar · 04-20-2007

Quote:

Wondering if Triumphs come from the factory need all these mods as I've always kept my hondas all stock-as is. Not having to add exhausts, center stands, different tires, etc.

Also, due to much more stringent noise and emissions regulations, many bikes leaves the factory with very restrictive air boxes and pipes, and air injection systems that makes the exchaust pipes blue as soon as you start the bike etc.

Brooksie · 04-20-2007

The bike is real nice stock. Mods are more of a hobby than nescessity. Being a budget bike that has to meet stringent Euro and EPA standards gives a little room for basic improvement to unlock the bikes potential. Pipes and AI removal allow the bike to breathe better and run a bit stronger. The shocks and springs are ok, but the improvement of aftermarket shocks really improve the design characteristics of the bike. Those are the only mods I think are needed. Everything else is to suit. Coming from a Nighthawk 750, you'll be right at home here. That was one of the first real sport bikes for the street.

[ This message was edited by: Brooksie on 2007-04-20 06:29 ]

markbvt · 04-20-2007

Dave, certain Hondas need immediate mods right off the showroom floor in order to simply run decently. Take a look at an XR650 forum sometime -- Honda sends those bikes out running so lean it's downright dangerous. They badly need uncorking and rejetting immediately to keep them from running too hot. And of course a nice byproduct of this uncorking/rejetting is significantly more power.

Triumphs are great right out of the factory. I think a lot of us perform these mods just because we like to tinker and make small, incremental improvements.

--mark

rstover · 04-20-2007

Having had 2 Honda Shadows that stayed stock and 2 Harleys both customized, and now the Bonneville T100, I like to have a bike that has basic great looks and design, but also the ability to put my personal stamp on it. In my mind, I add the cost of the mods I want to the purchase price of any bike I consider and it gives me a sound basis for the financial side of the decision. For me, pipes and AI removal are the only performance related mods I wanted. Bought the pipes on sale and the AI kit was cheap. Total investment for mods, around $450 and that included $150 to have the dealer rejet the carbs. That puts me at $9k all-in for a brand new bike that is "mine". I love it.

DrEnglish · 04-20-2007

Another reason we mod the Bonnies so much is that they are unbelievably easy to work on. Everything is out in the open, and it's all stone simple. One of my favorite aspects of the bike.

badrufus · 04-20-2007

My T100 was great right off the showroom floor. Lots of smooth, linear power and great looks. I had no intention to buy anything except a shop manual and a centerstand. Many people keep them stock, but most of us on this forum find that they are relatively easy to work on, moreover, they're fun to work on. There are several vendors of aftermarket parts, plus a fair amount of gear is available from Triumph. My first change was to fit aftermarket silencers because I wanted the sound of the bike to match the personality. I didn't do it for a performance gain, in fact, everything I did after the silencers (rejetting, K&N filter, tuning) was essentially to keep the performance as good as it had been from the factory. Then came ergonomic changes, ie, bars, mirrors, grips, seat. I had never changed any of this stuff on three previous Yamahas, but the Bonnie is a very personal bike and you might find you want to do things to make it somewhat unique. Your modifications may go in waves: most take care of the silencers first, then deal with some ergonomic improvements, then some cosmetic changes, and some get into serious engine and carburetion changes. But I would guess that for every Triumph owner who changes the bike there are two or three who leave it pretty much stock.

JBarn3 · 04-20-2007

As others have said, its more about making the bike "yours" than about fixing something that wasn't right from the factory.

To be drawn to the Triumph marquee, you are probably already interested in having something "different", something you dont see everyday. Modding is just taking that one step further to take your already uncommon bike and make it truly unique.

Also, for some of us, its fun to squeeze extra horsepower out of a machine, any machine. Doesn't matter what bike I bought, I would be looking for tweaks and mods to get a little better performance... not because I need it, but just because its fun and I can.

Mancha · 04-20-2007

My suspicion is that forum members are hardly representative of your average eotorcycle owner. What drives us to the forums in the first place? A desire to learn more information about our bikes, as well as to read of others' experiences with them. I suspect that the people who come to the forums are the people who are most open to the idea of modding their bikes.

Thus when it seems that "everyone" is doing particular things to our Triumphs, remember that most Triumph owners are not members of the forums, and are probably completely content with their stock machines.