it seems to me that the people that make negative remarks about this bike are either fishing or dont have one. it seems to me that the people that own this bike never really complain about this bike. it seems to me that anybody that has sold this bike always cant believe they are doing what they have to do, not that they want to sell the bike but that finacial, or family obligations get in the way. and when someone poses this kind of question it always seems that they never give any insite as to where they are, who they are, and if they own this bike or not, and i usually assume that they dont and that they tend to want to see what the reaction is gonna be. so to you sir i will guess your fishing before you buy. i dont have a problem with that. because if you seriusly look at things around here you will see that this bike in its original state is probably one of the most trouble free bikes on the mkt. today. thats not to say that they are all perfect after all they are just human beings that are putting them together and just like anything that is man made can have faults. i have several friends that have had way more trouble with their brand new h.d.s than anybody i know that owns any Triumph!!! i have friends that have yamahonzukis that some are trouble free and some are not (not as bad as h.d. but not ALL trouble free) so to answer your question....i dont think you have to much to worry about if you actually go out and buy a Triumph. no more than any other and less than some. people tend to talk bad about the old bikes (all) and you often hear about the lucas electrics, and the dripping of oil, and the lack of dependibility of the old Triumph's but i have one that has 112000mi on it and i have never had any complaints about her. some guys just cant leave well enough alone, that old bike is almost as stock as the day i bought her and she has NEVER failed me!!!! so i think i will leave this one alone also and see what happens. i have an 02 with 20,000mi and no problems yet. so you think about what you want and if you are looking for a bike to tinker with all the time, this may not be the bike for you??? but if you want a bike that handles like a bike should, and an engine that seems to be pretty much bulletproof (unless you fool with it) and is relitivly easy to work on when OR if the time ever comes that there is a need, a bike that didnt come from the asian world, and a bike that has a history of being a world class marque. then i think the answer is simple. a machine is a machine....some last a lifetime and some dont, i believe its the luck of the draw or the way you hold your face, i've never been sure hahahahahahaha
