My rant-
I stopped in to the Triumph/Ducati/BMW dealer in Hartford after my appointments this evening and spoke with the manager, who had been one of the crowd to see the new T-Bird. He said that it was about the size of an America with slightly larger wheels on the back and that it looked better in person than in the photos posted on the net. I don't recall if he told me that he actually rode it, but I think that would have led to another series of questions if he had. He and I both agreed that Triumph designers did their best to add as many things as people wanted but that some compromizes always have to be made. One of the things that people don't like, for example, is that the new tanks don't have the knee indentations, but this is because they have to hide the EFI (which lots of people asked for) under the tank to enable some semblance of fake carbs to be incorporated to keep the 'classic' look of a carbed bike. If they kept the tank indented and stuck the EFI downstairs, people would have complained about that, too.
Personally, I think that we all pretty much are getting 99% of what most of us we asked for on the new bike. A larger engine? Done! EFI? Done! Belt drive? Done! 6-speed tranny? Done! So what if all of the design isn't up to 'your standards' or if you think the T-Bird looks like a Harleyhondayamakawazuki cruiser! I think that Triumph will continue to listen to design wannahaves and continue to improve on a very (to me) attractive design. If you don't like what you see, then stick with your Speedy or America, ya buncha uppity whiners. Or - better yet - go buy a freakin' Harley like the rest of the 'unique' people out there.
Dear Triumph designers,
Looks to me like you have a winner there! Keep up the good work!
There, now. I feel MUCH better...
