Motorcyclebloggers.com has a very interesting post regarding the the rise of Chinese motorcycles and ATV’s in the United States market and the parallels to the overall “Walmartization” of our economy. The article is quite evenhanded, recognizing the benefits to be gained by overseas manufacturing, but also noting some of the tough questions that are right under the surface. You can read the full text of the post at “The Rise of the Chinese Motorcycle/ATV Business“.
These sentiments probably all sound quite familiar to owners and prospective buyers of new Triumph motorcycles as online discussions and arguments have been ongoing for quite sometime regarding the manufacture of Triumph motorcycles in Thailand. While I personally haven’t had the opportunity to examine a Thai Triumph yet, I’m sure that the quality is up to snuff, as Triumph has been manufacturing individual components there for years. However, I think if you ask the average Triumph owner, this transition speaks to something more emotional than just product quality and somehow, in an almost indescribable way, tears at the soul of their decision to buy a “Brit Bike”.
My day wasn’t going anything like I had planned and I was getting more frustrated by the minute. The local Triumph dealer had been hinting at a RAT (Riders Association of Triumph) organizational meeting and ride on their website for weeks, but when I called for information, I seemed to end up in a black hole every time. Voicemail. hang-ups. endless holds. You get the picture. (more…)
If you own a Triumph Modern Classic, chances are that you have been bitten by the mod bug. Wait, Rockers hate Mods you say. No, we’re talking about modifications here. It’s not that the Bonneville family isn’t near perfect already considering the chosen technologies and accessible price point, but the bikes just seem to lend themselves wrenching and modding. Maybe it’s the styling. Maybe it’s the fact that many of the subsystems are not all that different from the bikes of the 60’s and 70’s. Whatever it is, it’s spreading. Just take a look sites like TriumphRAT.net. The message boards there are full of uniqe and creative mods.
When I purchased my 2004 Thuxton, it took me all of a month to get rid of the stock mirrors and go to bar ends, ditch my stock silencers for British Customs Preadators, and pull the AI and airbox. I have been modding ever since and have a number of projects planned including a cut down of the rear fender, new brake light and indicators, and fork boots. What makes any of this different from the bolted on chrome of our HD bretheren? Well for one thing a lot of these mods are home grown, born out of trail and error and a lot of elbow grease. Want an example? Take a look at this video. You will learn something (I did), and have fun while you are at it. Lot’s of inspiration and a little bit of craziness from Thunzie:
Clutch and Chrome is reporting that Triumph has decided to enter the Qatar market, partnering with a local company that is “a premium provider of top luxury products in Qatar”. Also noted is the fact that Triumph has largely avoided a sales downturn as the world economy has slowed. This would seem to be an expected but notable move by Triumph, as Qatar and other Petro Kingdoms in the region are flush with hard currency and seem to have a voracious appetite for luxury goods. Would be very interesting to take a look at this at the end of year one, and see what models have sold well. Will buyers be drawn to the Rocket III and its over the top size, styling, and power? Or maybe the dual sport Tiger to get around in the sand?
Welcome to BritBikeBlog.com, and thank you for finding us. I intend for this site to a news and opinion site for the modern British motorcycle enthusiast community. My focus will be mostly on Hinckley Triumphs and the like, but don’t be too surprised if you see a smattering of other modern European bikes, classic Brit iron, and the occasional American or Japanese cafe’ racer. I hope that you find the mix of news, editorials, videos, photo collections, and other assorted information valuable and inspiring.
Passions and hobbies are all about community. My hope is that the content of this site and the comments submitted by you, the readers, begin to build that sense of community that inspires all of us to customize, mod, and pamper our prized motorcycles. If you made it here, you are more than likely aware of other sites targeted at you, but my hope is that BritBikeBlog fills a niche for news, comment, and discussion that you have been yearning for.
Check back often, as the next month will be very active.
