Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Looking for a job with Triumph??

So here I am, wandering the Robinson Mall in Sriracha, Thailand yesterday. I take the escalator up to the next floor and ....BAM!!! I see a Triumph Rocket to my right and a Speedmaster to my left, both on display.

There's some huge signs for Triumph and a crowd of people. Turns out the factory here is expanding (they have 3 factories) and they were holding a recruting drive to get more people. Also note how they describe how things are done with regards to the UK.





I check out the Rocket and take a pic of the Speedmaster.

I am then approached by a Triumph factory guy (wearing a company shirt, not ones they sell to public) and asks me if I ever heard of Triumph. I tell him that I have a 2007 America back in the USA. He then says they call that the MK model. The Speedmaster is called ML model. We start talking. Tells me the exhaust pipe header is one of the more difficult pieces to manufacturer. Double wall with bends, takes 12-14 steps to produce.

Then, out of the blue, without my prompting, he says they will soon build the 1500. He says it's very secret but he has seen concepts for it. EFI, parallel-twin, air cooled, chain drive, twin disc front brakes. Not sure what questions I should have asked, I wasn't expecting him to blurt it out.

We talk some more, I show him pics of my TBA, told him about AI removal and why it's done. He disagrees, says the double wall exhaust pipe will not have that problem. He is curious about the sound of my Bubs, I tell him they are awesome! He asks me what I think of the new 675. I told him I prefer the cruiser look. He tells me they will soon open a dealership in Bangkok & Chiang Mai (maybe Pattaya but they are not sure due to proximity to Bangkok). The old fuel tank, with the great indents, were produced somewhere in Germany. Thailand now manufactures the new design fuel tanks. They will soon be switching to assembling EFI engines.
Eventually, we shake hands and he goes off. I walk away stunned by what he told me, and really missing my bike now.

I would have considered applying for a job, but all they wanted are Thai Nationals, which means they can't afford me. He told me two British guys do work here in Thailand, overseeing operations.

I am still shocked seeing the their display and floor space they occupied.

now thats . all that and more on the 1500 ,gotta luv it .did you ask about a factory tour

I vote for the German tank.

I bet if you geared back you could live on $15.00 per day.

I guess its getting close to the point where we can say they make the parts and they make the bikes there, along with expanding in a big way.

Glad you liked your trip. Too bad just a few Brit workers are there to oversee the projects.

I wonder if they will ever put up a factory in the US?

Well, I hear Somalia has some very attractive labor rates goin' right now.

(though I've also heard Swaziland's a close second...or was that Bangladesh???)

"Then, out of the blue, without my prompting, he says they will soon build the 1500. He says it's very secret but he has seen concepts for it. EFI, parallel-twin, air cooled, chain drive, twin disc front brakes. Not sure what questions I should have asked, I wasn't expecting him to blurt it out."

Well, that's it then. The 1500 will be made in Thailand. Bummer. Huge bummer.

Well, better not buy one then.

And poor Yota, all convinced it's going to be 1620cc.

the 1500 YOTA is gonna have a chain drive??? does anyboby know this guy named YOTA that the're naming after??? maybe he could pull some strings, get us a belt drive. i purposly bought my 07 BA cause i wanted carbs and chain drive,, don't take long to get tired of chain drive,, tho. i just bet if this YOTA would call the factory, they'd change that. he has a lot of pull, the way the grapevine goes.

thought it was gonna be water cooled.....

Awesome article, bro! Thanks for sharing! I could really dig a 15 hundred America, even if it is not built in England. Dammit, not built in ENGLAND! Still.

I know people are sick of the tall tales but my dealer mentioned the new bike to me as well.

He mentioned that there was allot of VERY disapointed dealers at the dealer confrence this year.

he went on to say that one triumph guy would deny the project when the next guy would excitingly give details.

in a nut shell, his version was that they pulled all the test bikes back AGAIN to have six speed tranmissions installed.

he said the reports are that the new bike is gonna look "very triumph" and not mirror any other bike on the market.

I'll believe it when I see it, I told him.

I forgot to ask him what the final drive was going to be.

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He says it's very secret but he has seen concepts for it. EFI, parallel-twin, air cooled, chain drive, twin disc front brakes.

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Air Cooled Twin.......now im listening!

Actually, when I first read about a possible 1500 for Triumph, I was hoping they were going to do a smaller version of the Rocket. I actually like the Rocket, but do not want anything that big. But a 1500cc twin sounds interesting. Trying to imagine how it would look.