Triumph Factory Visitor Experience, Hinckley UK

[@JamesCouch777]

I've had, and still do have, several of the old Triumphs and have had one of the new Triumphs and I still prefer the old ones. They have a certain feel and sound that the new ones just don't have.

[@2wheelsrbest327]

They also use to whip on the back James 😂

[@aircooled2068]

If it's not got a 360 degree firing order its not a triumph The new bikes sound horrible, no longer sound like a triumph! They look fantastic,but as soon as you start the engine it's disappointing to say the least

[@Brit_Toolmaker]

@@aircooled2068 They are now just Triumph's in name only!!! Change the fundamentals and destroy the uniqueness, no different to Harley or Ducati changing their crank layout for an even firing order....why on earth would you destroy your uniqueness!!! The three-cylinder engines have now gone the same way with a cheaper to make T shape with its uneven firing rather than the 120 degree layout that has been Triumph signature for decades. Some strange decision-making going on at Hinckley these days, small wonder Triumph is losing money and making staff redundant.

[@daveco1270]

I love the old Triumphs. So cool. I though he said the new T120 is 400 pounds heavier than a 60's Bonneville...which seemed way off. Then I listen a few more times and realized he said "a full hundred pounds heavier than the 60's Bonnevilles" That makes more sense.

[@MatthewJFitzpatrick]

Thanks for clarifying this - I thought he said exactly the same thing and was thinking, how could that be? ... LOL

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Thanks another great video. Many years ago now having brought a late Triumph I did the factory tour but of cause there was no museum then so it might be time to return. Funny thing is that at that time you would have a coffee in the Board Room & Bruno would explain the history and ambitions of the company and in a throwaway comment he remarked that if they could get Triumph up to the quality of a Honda " they would be happy. Guess what make my next bike was 😉 That said having owned a 69 Bonnie back in the day I have always been a Triumph enthusiast. Pre Unit and Unite construction bikes were THE bike to ride back then.😀

[@teleoneil7214]

In 1973 I owned a Triumph Bonneville (which I bought brand new from my local dealer) & sold it with 1,700 miles because it was the biggest piece of crap that I ever owned. I had the bike towed 3 different times because the coils continually burned out. On one occasion I went around what was called a Cloverleaf intersection and the front end continued to shake in an uncontrollable violent manner till I came to a stop! I traded the Bonneville in for a brand new Kawasaki H2 Mach-1V, 750 2 stroke after owning the Triumph for only 4 months. Let me tell you about the brakes! They were terrifying! At 50 miles an hour when I applied the brakes I was thinking they would be no problem, but the brake fade was scary that I had to stay back from the vehicles ahead of me to make sure I was able to stop safely! You couldn't get me to even look at one of these bikes ever again based on my experience with the bike! I hated the bike! Even the seating was hard to get use to because it felt like I was sitting on top of the bike instead of being cradled in saddle. When I got the Kawasaki I was told I was going to hate it, but in actuality I was so happy with the decision I made because I no longer had any issues with the brakes or steering. I happily put on 35,000 miles without any fear or incident before I traded it in for a KZ900 Kawasaki which by all accounts was one of the best bikes I ever owned. Sorry to burst your opinion of the Bonnie but I lost total faith in the British bikes after that! Prior to the Bonnie I had my heart set on a 1972, 750 - Norton Commando but I never had an opportunity to put it through its paces.

[@richardcasey7521]

I’m a fortunate owner of a 1970 Triumph TR6 Tiger and a 2020 Bonneville 1200. Love them both!

[@adrianrouse5148]

I have a nice 1968 triumph in my shed. Like Peplow bike but a cheney frame. So light and flick able. I wish triumph would bring out a light 500.

[@TheLRider]

I recall watching the International Six Days trials back in the 50s and early 60s. We used to get a day off school to go and watch them as they passed not far from our village in West Wales. How's that for enlightenment!! Well done Triumph and well done Hinckley. Be very proud of what you have achieved and still are achieving.

[@Richard-pe4cx]

i did not realise they still had a factory with mainstream production left in the uk only one of customs and development ,all the rest in thailand which is why they are so expensive because of the import tax we pay . if your are going to flog your product with union jack motives all over it make it here !

[@chrisbolton5461]

Too right.

[@Saecocycle]

We live in a global economy these days, the times of significant engineering in the U.K. are history. In order for companies to keep their products affordable they move production to areas of the world that offer quality and financial savings. The duty on new motorcycles is only 6% which is probably a massive saving against keeping all production here. With Brexit the same situation in reverse will effect Ducati, BMW etc as their products coming to the U.K. will attract a 6% duty charge too.

[@TristanOfEngland]

Disappointing to see many complaints about the current company in the comments. I took my Dad on a factory tour this weekend and we both loved it. He's 72 and has been a bike man all his life. I don't own a triumph but want one now. Contrary to some on this thread there is manufacturing at Hinckley (Tigers I think). Yes triumph have plants all over the planet but that's because the big markets are south America and south east Asia, shipping bikes from Hinckley would add a huge amount to the price and mean long waits for the customer. That said, Triumph recently out sold all of the Japanese firms (bar Yamaha) in Europe. Over 60% of all triumph parts are manufactured in house and production techniques and tolerances match that of Rolls Royce Jet engines (according to RR staff who recently toured Hinckley). Yes it's not like things were but times change and to survive Triumph have to and are now the only notable British motorbike manufacturer. A hugely impressive tour and company. Highly recommended.

[@philmuskett265]

Green with envy. Great video, mate. Definitely a tear in the eye when you were showing us round the factory. Not much chance of getting there from down here in Oz.

[@farmerfishdogg486]

See you went for a spin round the lanes and through Shenton 😉👍

[@TheLRider]

And down the A5 towards Gibbets Cross..

[@Banditmanuk]

What great top knotch videos you guys make. I was lucky enough to be shown around the Triumph museum by Dick Shepherd himself. He let me sit on the great escape bike (didn't realise it was worth so much) Dick is such an enthusiast and Triumph are lucky to have his collection on show. Looking forward to bike nights starting from next Wednesday. Bit sad seeing some of the negatively in the comments against modern Triumph. Still think they are doing a brilliant job making modern bikes and yes modern bikes that look like older bikes.

[@TheClassicMotorcycleChannel]

Thanks @banditmanuk, right back at your mate :)

[@shingerz]

Looks good going have to visit well done john bloor keeping this iconic name going and be honest bloody good bikes too well built and great to ride own a a speed twin 1200 love it the torque and sound are a addictive handling very good good video this nice one 👍🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@johntreadwell6846]

fabulous video 👏

[@Lar308]

The reality of the tour is that (at least on my tour) they don't let anybody near their R&D centre or their paint facility. In fact the day I was there in 2019 the production line was looking pretty deserted. At that time they only manufactured the Tiger and Speed triple but I heard after that all production had ceased so I am not sure what bikes are produced there now - the report seemed a bit vague but it seems to me that production is only a token thing for PR purposes. Because of Brexit who could blame Triumph for producing overseas now as parts will be impossible to get reliably and be too expensive to be able to keep any production line going. I own a 2017 T120 and a 2016 Thruxton R - both beautiful bikes.

[@billycaspersghost7528]

Triumph have had factories in Thailand for years , it has nothing to do with Brexit and the major markets are the US and the emerging east. Your bikes were made in Thailand. Most of the previous generation twins were made in Thailand for some years. Ducati scramblers are also Thai made. Most bikes have been mainly Thailand made for a long time and not a lot of Triumphs have had EU parts as a major source have they? Suspension ,fuelling ,tyres ,electrics ,etc . Bikes produced in the UK were only about 7,000 out of 60K before the "stopping UK production" story last year. It will fall to about 4000 . R+D ,prototypes and custom remain here, with now some facility for excess capacity to meet market fluctuations.

[@allanblackesq]

Another great review, thanks.

[@resin8n]

I enjoyed the video. Though my understanding is that the current Triumph's are now made in Thailand not England, and of course are only Triumph in name, not heritage.

[@TheLRider]

It's called global expansion and they build in both locations but all design and development is UK based.

[@englishdog1234]

set that off a treat fit a tank rack.

[@garyvesper9647]

Keep on kicking the goals Triumph👍👍👍 I would love to have a T120 in my garage also

[@srmjo]

11:32 ... the classic sound? Hardly. To my ear the 270° firing interval produces a sound that is very flat and dull compared to the old Triumph and BSA twins that I rode in the early 1970s, with their 360° interval. Admittedly, I wouldn't miss the pneumatic-drill vibration levels of those old classics, but I do miss their sweet musical roar.

[@paulharrison8155]

Agreed ... I much prefer the engine sound and firing interval from 2002 Bonneville T100 than I do over my 2019 Scrambler 1200 XC

[@NM-eb5ej]

I have old and new, My 1959 Tigercub T20c is all orginal down to the tits on the made in England Dunlop tires , has less than 500 miles on it.

[@يجعلةعامر]

I had got 1972 T140 through my studded in Faculty Of commerece in Egypt Cairo in 1988 also I got the used bike but its have super trouqe KM meter more than 240 km and my brother hvae a BSA 1968 twen too the UK bikes are famous in Pharaos Land I just hope to send my greeting for every Britich Engeneers who bulding all tht legened bikes

[@brucegeange8991]

I can not see any connection between Hinkley and Meridian John Bloor always spoke disparagingly of The Meridian men but touts the past to sell his imitations. I bought a T595 in 97. They should have kept looking forward.

[@williamgregory6684]

They should have marketed that Triumph 3 cylinder to the general public. Their sales would have skyrocketed!

[@georgejarman2987]

Most decorated motorcycle. How about Slippery Sam???

[@gm16v149]

Probably means the awards it’s won. Slippery Sam wouldn’t have won as many awards, except maybe for oil leaks, that’s how it got its name lol.

[@gm16v149]

I owned Triumphs during the 1960s and 1970s, I know the new T120 would be more powerful, have far less vibration, better braking and heaps better reliability than the old twins, but not sure about fake Amal’s though lol. I’ve got a Kawasaki Z900RS now, but one of the new Triumph triples or twins would be an alternative choice. Definitely a factory tour is on the cards when COVID lets us travel overseas again.

[@arthurclarke7072]

Who are Triumph trying to kid ? They have British flag logos and the bikes are mainly built overseas. They say “Black is our most popular colour”, that’s because they don’t produce any other colours, really. The guy from Triumph saying they produce bikes for the EU market at the UK base. They are trading on a history they haven’t got. I’d rather buy Royal Enfield. At least you know it’s made in India.

[@John-FO-81]

So Triumph does Not Produce Bikes in Hinckley but in India Correct??

[@dannymatte1656]

I’m had bonneville My entire life. I have a 74 750 cc which I’d love to keep if only it has electric start.

[@peterhatfield5632]

I think you mean Hinckley. The only building of note in Hinkley is a nuclear power station.

[@TheClassicMotorcycleChannel]

Thanks Peter! Just corrected that.

[@TheLRider]

Wrong Hinckley mate. This one's in Leicestershire and not on the South Coast somewhere.

[@peterhatfield5632]

@@TheLRider The original caption stated "Hinkley", which is a town in north Somerset only renowned for its nuclear power station. The caption has since been updated to correctly state "Hinckley", which is in Leics. You need to read the first comment before sounding off.

[@glenhardy4770]

Pardon me, interviewer, who makes your boots?

[@classicbikeman]

They are made by TCX

[@denisg4288]

It irritates me when they pretend the current company has heritage. It doesn’t. The brand does. Triumph are clever in their marketing and many buy the hype. Don’t get me wrong, I think the current range is fantastic, but the company doesn’t have history and hardly British anymore.

[@andypandy9931]

How can it be 400 lbs heavier than a original Bonneville?

[@UncleWally3]

Behold those classic fuel tanks on the original bikes, beautifully unblemished by the cheap to produce “tin-toy” exposed pinch-welds Triumph now pumps out on their retro models. As they have with their T120 Scramblers and Rocket 3, I hope Triumph soon addresses this insult to their own history and aesthetics . . .

[@bobstevens9040]

To do the factory tour you'd have to take a plane to Thailand. Don't trumpet your "heritage" when you've scuttled off to the far east like that other shyster Dyson

[@denniswhite664]

A museum.. and.... no CUBS? Vintage and biggies. Oh, well. Still nice look inside. TY

[@alexandresantoscardoso3963]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@roeng1368]

I hope Triumph don't do a "Dyson" and head to the far east completely, i think a lot of people would not be very happy with that.

[@rum5812]

ok not an oil leak to be seen, something is not as it seems

[@gm16v149]

It’s a Hinckley Triumph not a Meriden Triumph.

[@billycaspersghost7528]

@@gm16v149 Strange isn`t it that it has now been 30 years since Triumph came back. Near 60 years since the height of old Triumphs days. Yet still this oil leak stuff continues. Are these stories now passed down the generations? Many people who come out with the leaks and vibration stories can`t have ever owned a T110 or like ,many not even born. I`m 62 and only just stretch back to T140`s in the late `70s. It didn`t leak oil but it shook.

[@gm16v149]

@@billycaspersghost7528 During the 1960s when I lived in UK I had a 500cc T100A “Bathtub”, a Norton 650SS, and a 650 Triton I built. Non of them leaked oil (well, maybe a little bit) because they were relatively new and unbutchered, but the vibration on the 650s is another story.

[@ronaldhart6362]

Sorry 😞 I will Not Buy A Triumph until they resume manufacturing bikes in the UK...not assembled? MANUFACTURED

[@Lar308]

Well then I guess you won't be buying a Triumph motorcycle. Vehicle - indeed any type of large scale assembly is a thing of the past - or soon will be in the UK now over Brexit.

[@paulharrison8155]

@@Lar308 Yes I heard that JLR, Nissan, Toyota, Vauxhall etc etc don't make any vehicles in the UK any more

[@billycaspersghost7528]

@@paulharrison8155 You heard wrong then didn`t you. All those companies continue to manufacture in the UK And if you cleaned the wax out of your ears you would have heard both Nissan and Vauxhall announce new electric vehicle and battery production to take place in the UK. Large new facilities in Sunderland for Nissan , Electric van production at Ellesmere Port in 2022 for Vauxhall.

[@paulharrison8155]

@@billycaspersghost7528 Oooo get her ....Yes I know that JLR, Nissan, Toyota, Vauxhall etc are just four of many vehicle manufacturers still producing here in the UK. It's just you who clearly doesn't understand sarcasm !

[@billycaspersghost7528]

@@frankmarkovcijr5459 ???

[@nickmarshall9192]

Great bikes But they are not made in England and they should not have the Union flag on them I personally would not own one for that reason Hopefully one day production will return to great Britain

[@allanshort8264]

And Mini, owned by BMW have Union flag patterned rear lights, but I don't hear anyone complaining about their assembly plant in the Netherlands. Triumph is owned and designed in England, and my 2018 T120 black is so much better and more reliable than the T140 American custom and the T150 Triton I had back in the 70s

[@nickmarshall9192]

@@allanshort8264 you are right about the Union flag on the new mini's I hadn't even thought about that! Also the new triumphs are a lot more reliable than the old ones And I have ridden some of the hinkley bikes I liked the triumph sprint that I tried but not the Bonneville's although they are all very good bikes I prefer my Brit bikes Each to their own I guess

[@darrinslack1269]

@@nickmarshall9192 Problem is Nick most of the parts that go to make a motorcycle can`t be sourced from the uk anymore ,break down any motorcycle from any of the companies and you`ll find disc brakes from italy or japan , forks suspension from the same , electrics from germany or japan very very little now is built in house or can be sourced locally , everyone forgets it`s easier to buy of a company that has the part ready for you to fit straight on then designing and developing,this has gone on since the start of two wheelers

[@nickmarshall9192]

@@darrinslack1269 yep I understand and agree I used to have a t140e with veglia Speedo and rev counter and a Ducati 860 GT with Smith's Speedo and rev counter But I still knew that the Ducati came from Italy and the triumph came from the UK because the bulk of it was made and assembled there Nowadays I don't think any part of the new Bonneville's for example is made in the UK or assembled here It's just my opinion I think they are great bikes but they have triumph written on the tank! They have a union flag ! I don't actually mind where a bike or parts of a bike are made What I don't like is them pretending to be something they are not

[@sean8470]

i'm a triumph owner but geez guys lets move on from steve mcqueen nobody cares...seriously. Triumph has much more history than to hang on to a b-grade actor who chain smoke but could ride

[@BobberRider]

"The Bobber is the least classic of what it's trying to do." Look at the lines of the 1949 Speed Twin. I beg to differ Sir.

[@aumkar2]

The new bikes are hideous with poor quality control and after sales support. Thanks, I'll stick to the classics.

[@hotwheel6663]

Bring back Norton