Quote: I had a 72 OIF TR-6 (Tiger) that I purchased brand new and the oil tank leaked profusely, due to shoddy welding. To me, then and now, there will never be an excuse for workmanship like that. Honda s innovation may get the Lion s share of credit for Triumphs demise, but their own factory workers rightly earned some of the blame.
Couldn't agree more with ya here, Ryk. However, least we not forget that the lads at Meriden were not being supplied with the latest and best tools and facilities as were those working in Hamamatsu, and most likely because of the aforementioned "resistance to change" and reinvestment into the core product the Brit management seemed to possess at the time.
And so, I doubt we can lay sole blame at the feet of Blue Collar Clive for the decline of the British motorcycle.
(...remember, the general consensus within the "White Collar" and the decision making part of BSA/Triumph LTD at the time was that "The Japanese pose no real threat to our continued domination in the "big bike" market, and so why change what we're doing?")
The Bosses supposedly said that little Japanese bikes were fine but when riders were experienced and wanted more they'd switch to British bikes! I also heard Triumph broughtin a German efficiency expert to sort them out and he supposedly told them not to cut workers from the floor but to cut up the top end of the business.Apparently they took no notice and cut workers from the factory floor with resultant drop in morale and quality control and the business died. They should have introduced floggings until morale improved.
Dinosaur.
"Oh Man I only ride 'em.I don't know what makes 'em work". Donald "Oddball" Sutherland
"Don't let the bastards get you down". Kris Kristofferson
"I am only paranoid because everyone is against me". Larry [Frank Burns] Linville
