Hey John, I am with you on most of your points. However, I kind of like the pipes, because they convey that Legend/Tbird Sport/hotrod look. I didn't even consider the bag concerns until seeing Glazer's post. He is a smart man that Glazer.
Overall, as someone who is in marketing, I completely see both sides of the picture. Triumph needs to be true to its heritage and brand, but they also need to evolve. Being 100% true to the Meriden heritage didn't really work out for the previous regime long term, and the Hinckley crowd, to their credit, have been able to grow with new, innovative designs like the 675 and Speed Triple. Hey, if they were just going to sit around and make air-cooled twins, they would get criticism for not being innovative like everyone's favorite pin cushion Harley Davidson. Heck, my Sprint isn't exactly retro, and I still love it. It is a fantastic motorcycle. So is the Tiger. Does it look like a 1967 Tiger? No way, but it is still fantastic.
I am as unhappy as anyone on here who would like to see the Bonnie tank and the spoked wheels, but to survive you have to make some concessions to the mass market. Triumph did this with the R3 Tourer, and they are attempting to do this with the new Tbird. Hey, the niche market is cool, but cool can only take them so far. Us heritage types ain't getting any younger, and there are plenty of people who want cast wheels, belt drive, EFI. Otherwise, why would they do it?
Not bashing anyone, as I respect all opinoins that I read here, but sometimes, I get the impression that some would rather see Triumph just go away before they will accept some concessions to what the market actually wants. Let's give them a chance. They have made huge improvements to the R3, in my opinion, and hopefully, this Tbird will continue to evolve as well.
I'll see y'all on the road astride my '03 Caspian Blue TBA. Hey, where did that color go, as it is clearly the best they have ever produced!!!!!! Perhaps, my opinoin is in the minority!
