From: klinger@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Jorg Klinger)
Subject: Re: Know someone at Triumph or Norton???
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:52:32 GMT

In <1992Oct07.095832.345@bnr.uk> datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild) writes:

>Jorg Klinger (klinger@ccu.umanitoba.ca) wrote:
>: In <SES.92Oct6115651@cmns-sun.think.com> ses@cmns-sun.think.com (Simon Edward Spero) writes:
>: 
>: >In article <1992Oct5.182245.11475@pixel.kodak.com> dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com (Dave Jones) writes:
>: >   Are there any British motorcycle companies?  Triumph and BSA merged over
>: >   20 years ago, Norton merged with them some years later, then there was
>: >   the Meriden Workers Cooperative trying to make something out of the
>: >   remnants of the Norton-Villiers-Triumph lash-up after it all collapsed,
>: >   and then -- what?  Maybe a cottage industry in parts for classic bikes
>: >   but hardly anything to keep Papa Honda awake at night.  Tell you what:
>: 
>: >Maybe Papa Honda ought to lay of the Halicon; Norton and Triumph are completely
>: >separate companies. Norton is pretty much a niche company, producing 
>: >a 588cc rotary engined sport bike (F1 Sport, #8514), and a touring bike
>: >(Krauser Commander, #6616, c/w krausers). They've been having a little trouble
>: >lately, but they seem to be recovering.
>: 
>: >The rebirth of Triumph is little short of amazing; they have an ultra modern
>: >factory, and are producing a full range >750 bikes, using a very modular 
>: >design; they're currently sorting out an importer for the States- these are
>: >mainstream bikes that are as good as or better than the Japs. 
>: 
>:  Funny, I used to ride a Bonnie for 8 years. I ride a Jap bike now but
>: still can't bring myself to call these new ones Triumphs. There is
>: absolutely nothing Triumph to these things except the logo. It's a
>: rip-off of an old, no, legendary name. It's about as legitimate as
>: copying a 1000 Ninja, sticking an Indian logo on it, and calling it an Indian.
>:                                Jorg

>The company is called Triumph, they manufacture Triumph motorbikes.  They are
>not called Bonneville, they do not manufacture Bonnevilles or clones of them.
>Is there something wrong with you?  Do you expect a company to manufacture one
>product only, forever?  If you want a Bonneville or a Z1 or an RD350B then go
>and buy one, you will have to buy a used one though because these are all old
>models from yesteryear.  Is this too novel a concept for you?  Too many keys on
>your keyboard?  Do you mistake the salesroom for the museum?  Triumph is a
>modern company trying to be succesful, competing against all the Japanese
>imports and trying to pursuade people to buy British (we are notorious for 
>being very unpatriotic when it comes to buying).  I hope you had a good time on
>your Bonneville and I am sure you could buy a restored one somewhere.


>Nick (the British Biker)   MAG 73516  DoD 1069  Concise Oxford

>M'Lud.

  Maybe you could help me out cause I don't have a clue. Are these bikes
manufactured in the old Triumph factory? How much of the old Triumph
staff, designers, workers, administration, still remains? Did they buy
the rights to the name? I'm not opposed to a new Brit bike, I'm just not
shure where this strong connection to Triumph comes from. Will they sell
to the same market that Triumph sold to? I suspect they will be in the
Ducati, BMW, etc. market.

__
 Jorg Klinger            |       GSXR1100        | Feed'em to the pigs while
 Arch. & Eng. Services   |          **           | their bones are still 
 UManitoba, Man. Ca.     |"The Embalmer" - IT175 | soft          - anonymous