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The Hinkley 890cc bikes are stunning to look at, but none of them have the raw grunt of the Meriden (SP?) Bonnies.
The Hemi cyl head and saucer sized valves made that power plant a real winner!

Hinkley don't make an 890cc lump......790 or 865.

Maybe in Hinkley they do but in HINCKLEY not at all

*INSERT TECHNICAL TRIUMPH KNOWLEGE HERE*

Dont you folks ever look up the info for the new folks...silli looks to be nothing and no one or possibly a member that just want to stir the pot seeing as the only other post by this "noob" is a single word comment to another post.



My BS meter is in the red right now...maybe thats cause my post is so close to Dwights

The purse was the main problem at Meriden. I was there during the Co-Op days......no money in the pot, debts of over £10 million, out-dated equipment to work with, trying to produce a product that was long due a radical re-work and a tide of Japanese technically superior bikes arriving by the container load on the British docksides every week.
Honda 750 4 cylinder bikes, double overhead cams, 4 carbs, electric start, fancy metalflake paint, 4 into 4 chrome exhausts.....and what was our offering ??? Pushrods, oil leaks, unreliable electrics, a crumbling dealer network and a failing export market.

The only thing in our favour was the Triumph's would handle. The Jap's took a couple of years to sort out their frames and suspensions.....but as in terms of engineering of the running gear the Jap's were light years ahead.

Yep! "The [empty] purse" is always going to be the problem whenever the topic of any manufacturing company's "retooling" is mentioned, Steve.

However, as you said, you were employed during the Co-Op days, a time far past the era of Triumph's "Glory Years" of the mid-1950s to the late-1960s and a time when Triumphs were selling very well THROUGHOUT the world.

And soooooo, the question remains: WHERE exactly did all the PROFITS which Triumph HAD to be taking in during those "Glory Years" GOOOOOOOOOOO?????

(and sorry, nobody's going to get me to believe that ALL those PROFITS, which of course a sizable amount SHOULD HAVE gone towards modernizing their operation AND their product line during those "Glory Years", went to "those greedy lineworkers"...NOPE, it's looks like it HAD to be mostly BAD MANAGEMENT to me!!!!)

Ya'll are just being Silli!

It's a question we all asked at the time Dwight...."Where did all the money go"??
There were weeks during my time at Triumph that there was no money to pay the wages at the end of the week. At times you felt you were working for the love of the bikes....not as a job to earn money. Some of that cash from the 'glory years' would have gone down a treat during those times !!

We had spells that nobody would give any more credit to the Co-Op and we had to source parts from whoever would supply them. Many bikes went out with sub-standard parts fitted because that was all we could get !! The 'factory workshop manual' would have been useless to a home mechanic as the parts fitted to the bikes bore no relation to what the manual said should be there !!!

Imagine the fun we had when parts that were made to take AF fasteners had to be fitted to the bikes with metric set screws and bolts !! I think it was GKN that supplied the AF fixings, credit ran out, no more bolts, got some supplies from Italy I seem to remember. All metric !!

Tooling so worn that holes in engine plates fitted to frame tubes had to be taken out with files to get the bolts to line up.

Warranty claims on 90% of the machines that left the factory. No parts available to fix the claims as any spare parts were always ear-marked for the U.S market. The States were always seen as the most important sales market, so if a batch of parts were available they got shipped out !!

I wouldn't have missed a day of it Dwight....and I'd do it all again !!
It got a bit nasty towards the end with the strikes, the union's and the pickets but even through those times I can still look back and laugh. Customers showing up at the gates of the factory to get a repair done, being stopped by the union pickets and refused entry, walking to a 'phone box to call someone inside the factory to ask how to get in. Sneaking them and their bike in through a side gate, fixing the problem, then sneaking them out again !!!
And don't ask about how many oil-in-frame leaks I've had to fix......and the causes of the leaks in the first place !!!

Oh yeah! THAT confirms it! I could see sittin' over a couple pints of Porter Ale in some old pub in Blighty while...err...I mean whilst you relay these stories of your old Co-Op days, would be time well spent...or at least...time enjoyed by me, anyway!

Obviously just a troll. I move that Phil delete the account immediate.

Any seconds?

I'll second the motion on the floor.

Well Silli the troll did kinda raise my right eyebrow to new elevations but I really enjoyed the stories from you, Mr. Brewer. I've gained great insight into the plight and flight of Triumph as it plunged into self-induced recession and final decay. So while Silli may appear to be silly (remember appearances can be deceiving) , he/she/it did spark a pretty interesting thread.

Hi silli... welcome to the Dwilight zone!!

All in favor, say "God save the Queen!" And thanks for the "inside" history information, Steven. I believe the general concensas is that mis-management killed both the Triumph car and cycle?

Oh...I don't know, guys.

Remember, if it wasn't for this new "silli" rabbit here, then these "tricks"(of language, history, and comradery in this thread) wouldn't have been here for us "kids"!

In other words, I say wait and see IF this guy turns out to be a "troll" or not. I mean, right off the top of my head I can think of a LONG-TIME "troll" around here who it appears nobody wants to do anything about...CAN'T YOU???!!!

(AND, I'll give ya a hint...he's known very often go on very heated and partisan political rant around here....ANY GUESSES????)

Need ANOTHER hint???

(think of a desert community!)

Maybe just back off a bit and enjoy the fruits of this thread because, well... if there really is a troll here then ummm,

They call me Troll;
Gnawer of the Moon,
Giant of the Gale-blasts,
Curse of the rain-hall,
Companion of the Sibyl,
Nightroaming hag,
Swallower of the loaf of heaven.
What is a Troll but that?

Post deleted by DaveM

I can't quite figure out Dave's mindset out EITHER here, Dave???

And so, what say we recap this whole thread here and see if we can see where Dave thinks it might've gone awry, okay Dave?

(I'm soooooo confused now, what with all these Daves here all of a sudden?????!!!!!)

Okay, let see now, this thread was started by a newby who posited that the old Triumphs were superior to the new Triumphs, or at least had "superior performance", RIGHT?!

BUT, because he initially made the misstatement in his opening remark that the newer Hinckley Twins were of 890cc in displacement, his credibility was immediately called into question by a couple of our members here, but, from what I could tell, NOT in a "threatening" manner whatsoever by those first two respondants.

BUT, our new friend "silli" didn't respond BACK in ANY manner AT ALL! Nope, not to say that he possibly mis-typed that "890cc" OR to say that he was under the misconception of the displacement but STILL thinks the older Triumphs have better performance, or as he stated "Grunt". Nope! The dude just disappeared and didn't stick around to defend his supposition, did he Dave...err...DAVES?!

And THEN, that sarcastic jerk, who since he's retired appears to have WAY too much time on his friggin' hands, started "schooling" our new friend in his typical smartazz manner about how much better the newer Triumph twins are as compared to older Meriden produced models, because said smartazz owns both an old AND a new Triumph twin, and thus might know a thing or two about their relative qualities.

BUT, once again, we have to ask...where did the new guy go so he could respond, EITHER in kind with some kind of smartazz answer, which BTW said smartazz would have found VERY entertaining and maybe some kind of mutual correspondence would have probably ensued, especially IF the newby's response was also rooted in some verifiable facts.

And THEN said smartazz began a correspondence in this thread with another member of this website who actually WORKED for Triumph during those Co-Op days in Meriden, and which said smartazz found VERY interesting and informative. And it appears there were a few others who found that information quite interesting also here.

BUT, once again, where was our new friend "silli" to maybe respond to ANY of this???

Cowarded in the corner due to his inability to keep up, MAYBE??? Well...I DON'T KNOW!!! Maybe THAT was it, HUH Daves????

Well, at least one of the Daves here evidently thinks so, HUH?!

Oh yeah, and then that smartazz retiree goes on to defend the newby's intentions and advises AGAINST throwin' him off the website.

(...and then of course said smarrtazz took a shot at another member around here who seems to have a constant problem with the keeping his politics out of this website and related HIM to a troll...HEY! maybe THAT'S where one of the Daves thinks this went awry, HUH?!)

I guess we'll never know, if he really decides not to post here again.

Yep Dave, I suppose there's always gonna be some folks out there who might enter a party and maybe later feel they might lack the personally to even ATTEMPT to mingle and express themselves or their viewpoints once the action starts. huh?!

(oh...and BTW....GO DODGERS!!!!)

Dear Bonneville America People.
I could not imagine myself as a Troll. I have seen the movie “Lord Of The Rings”, and my diminutive stature precludes me from being a 3 meter (or metre for you pedantic people) mallet wielding, as ugly as that Indian motorcycle I saw on your site last evening, ogre.
I was flattered indeed that my second post on your “forum” attracted so much interest.
BTW, my post re the T120 engine (no…. not motor) was regarding it’s superb torque. From approx’ 2650rpm to the redline. I am fully aware that it was a ******. I was fortunate enough to be the proud owner of a ’68 T120 for a while, during the ‘70s. Every fortnight…… adjust valve clearances….. adjust ignition timing….. polish contact breaker points……top up primary chain case and engine oil. It was a mission, but worth every minute when you wound that throttle open!
Before I became the proud owner of an R3 (original) I rode a 2006 Bonneville T100. What a superb machine. I had the black and red paint, with pinstripes by “Neil”. I loved that bike. It just lacked the power needed for our weekends away. Where I live, near Johannesburg, South Africa, we are at an altitude of approx. 1680 meters. (5500 feet). This altitude compromises the power output of an internal combustion engine to the tune of approx. 21%. Maybe this is why the Americas, Speedmasters and Bonnies are not as popular here as they could be.
The new Thunderbird may fill the gap, but it is seriously overpriced here!
I apologise for being gruff and seeming rude with my first post.
Just to clarify things a little…… a list of bikes I have owned, in chronological order…..
Vespa Moped.
BSA C15….. two of them.
Triumph T21
Triumph Bonneville (1968 T120)
Honda CB750K (Ugh)
2006 Triumph Bonneville T100
2007 Triumph Rocket III.
Interesting bikes I have ridden, in no particular order…………
Triumph Hurricane
BSA Rocket III
Triumph Street Triple R
Triumph Bonneville SE
Triumph Speed Triple
Suzuki 500 Twin
And bikes I have fallen off……….
Pre-Unit Triumph 650cc Twin Chopper (Front Axle broke)
BSA C15 (Cage didn’t see……..)
Yes, I admit that my spelling of “Hinckley” was incorrect. I was thinking of the one where Erin Brokovitch (prob incorrect spelling) was born and hexavalent chrome was invented.
Nomad….. you are one stupid ******, as are you Zmilin. Friar John is another. Never in my life have I stumbled across so many idiots.
Dwight shows a modicum of intellect, but is unfortunately held back by these other fools.
Dwight…… I have just read you most recent post re myself.

You should get outta there before they drag you down.

Cheers.
Silli.

I hope this won't be your "swan song" around here, silli.

Though I think you're being entirely too hard(and wrong) in your assessments of our fellow members here, after reading your "official" introduction here, I ALSO think you'd fit right into this place.

I also think you might've started with the above initially, instead of the somewhat cryptic offerings which you did, and which I'm sure spurred these ideas among some of us that you might be a "troll". Well, THAT and the fact that you didn't offer us any more info about yourself in your Bio.

(and no...sorry...I don't let ANYBODY "drag me down"....I've always kind'a felt that that's MY JOB whereever I go for OTHER people!!!)

Geeeesh, kids. Can't we all just get along. Its just someone sharing an opinion. No need to start the fires and grab a bag of stones. What started as an opinion - whether only to share it or to insight (ain't my call) - could easily been met with counter opinion without checking the dudes spelling. And for you, mister new guy, just try not to meet rudeness with more rudeness. I suppose this may mark the end of the meat of riding season. It seems the lack of sufficient riding time brings about some form of anger riddled debate - none of which have addressed any worldly problems - or even one related to something as simple and joyous as plopping ones behind onto a cicle saddle. Well, that's all I gotta say. Have a great day everyone. Peace, out, Dawgs.

Nice post...........

Dwight.... like you signature.... I am also a lover of good scotch.