Now let me put on my 'memberin' cap and try to compare my first Triumph with my last...
First was a hardtail, very light but a real bone crusher at times. Last has a swingarm that seldom bottoms out, so it rides nicer. It is also some 200 - 300 pounds heavier, so you just can't do the same things with it.
First one had a kick starter and a Bosch magneto, last one has a bunch of electrical and electronic crap. I can (and often did) fix the '49 on the side of the road and got home. Can't do that on the new one without carrying a spare battery and (very expensive) electronic module in your pocket. In this respect, the old is more reliable.
I have yet to lose any parts off the new one in spite of only checking for loose nuts and bolts once a month. Also, in 6 years I have never had to replace a selenium rectifier on it while the old one fried about one a month. In this respect, the new one is more reliable.
With a parts investment of at least twice what I paid for the bike, the 650 would almost go 120 MPH on a good day. After spending about 1/10 the price of my 790 for parts, I've seen it top 115 on a bad day. That has me convinced that there is a lot of potential in the new design and, if I could spend twice the original price, it would easily outrun my old 650.
Then, there was the 1000 - 1500 mile oil changes compared to 6000 miles, the engine overhauls every couple of years because there was no oil filter, the twice a week lub (twice a day when traveling) and twice a year replacement of the old open pin chains, etc.
If the new Triumphs had a proper kickstart, a dipstick and points, there would be no looking back.
