I think history would be a good start. Triumph is the oldest bike builder, one year older than Harley. Triumph in the late 50s to early 60s pretty much dominated the market. They were cool before folks knew what cool was. Brando, McQueen, Dylan, etc. rode Triumph. Hunter S. Thompson thought Triumph was art with wheels. It goes on an on.
Fast forward to today for cool.
Japan Inc. bikes don't break. They run forever and are not expensive. Problem is everybody has one, they have no soul. I can't explain more than that, you just have to feel what I am saying or you will never get it.
Harley shares a very similar history with Triumph. Choppers, bad boys, 1% etc. Only problem is, now everybody has to have one. Their demand makes them pricey. Their drive lines also make them pricey with belts instead of chains, great welds, good chrome and paint etc. Down side: The 1200 Sportster and the V-Rod are fast good performing bikes. The rest are very slow for the displacement. Again they all look alike and everybody has one.
Triumph is a little P-twin that goes pretty fast for its size, has great retro lines and sells for a little bit of money. Anybody over 30 from a few blocks away knows you are on a Triumph. They draw a crowd, they have history, they have a soul, and they don't require a 72 month loan to own.
They have horrible resale losing about 30% in a year then they stabilize. Your Triumph will keep up with all your friends and when parked the citizens will walk past the Harleys to ask you about that great looking Triumph. You will make your friends crazy.
Triumph is just cool, you just want it. You really don't own it, you are just its caretaker. It has its own personality.
