More Triumph trouble for Garner...

Britfan60 said:
Fast Eddie, you seem to forget that the Norton wasn't intended for the masses. It was in tended to be a small niche, boutique bike. Although sales have increased quite a bit over the past few years and Norton has expanded its staff and production, it is still filling its obligations and remains a comparatively small company. Then we get some idiot low class Triumph dealer calling it a piece of shit like his opinion counts.

No Britfan I haven't forgot that, on the contrary in fact. If, as a business, you're relying on a small niche market, there isn't much room for manoeuvre, so if someone takes a relatively small bite out of it, it can hurt.

The Thruxton R in particular, looks like it will take a bite to me.

But hopefully not too big!
 
People that love the bike and have the means will pony up. Spending money on something more unique makes folks feel good, regardless of what the pros say. Some folks are dumping tons of money into restoring bikes with less than stellar reputations just for nostalgia sake and they are rare. Norton did a great job capturing the style that people long for. Triumph....IMHO, not so much. Great bikes, but.....meh.
 
In my case, until the Thruxton R showed up, I would have happily paid up for the Norton if they had shown a better record of fixing their mistakes and taking care of their customers.
When the Triumph 1200r came along, I would have been willing to pay more for it than the Norton as I see it as a superior bike in performance and features, equal in styling, ahead with dealer network.

But it was nice that it cost about 11k CDN less than the Norton, taxes in both bikes. The Triumph was 14,999 CDN plus tax, the Norton is 24999 CDN plus tax.

The exclusivity thing is out of my system after years of Vincent ownership. I like my Vincents a lot but enjoy riding the common old Commando just as much. Same applies to the 961 and the Triumph, at the end of it all they are just bikes to go riding on. They have to be pleasing to the eye but more importantly they need to work well.

I might be a bit of an odball, maybe not exactly the market Norton is targeting.

Glen
 
worntorn said:
In my case, until the Thruxton R showed up, I would have happily paid up for the Norton if they had shown a better record of fixing their mistakes and taking care of their customers.
When the Triumph 1200r came along, I would have been willing to pay more for it than the Norton as I see it as a superior bike in performance and features, equal in styling, ahead with dealer network.

But it was nice that it cost about 11k CDN less than the Norton, taxes in both bikes. The Triumph was 14,999 CDN plus tax, the Norton is 24999 CDN plus tax.

The exclusivity thing is out of my system after years of Vincent ownership. I like my Vincents a lot but enjoy riding the common old Commando just as much. Same applies to the 961 and the Triumph, at the end of it all they are just bikes to go riding on. They have to be pleasing to the eye but more importantly they need to work well.

I might be a bit of an odball, maybe not exactly the market Norton is targeting.

Glen

Well, if you're an oddball, we're both out of the same oddball mould, and I suspect we are not the only two!

I have also been fortunate enough to enjoy 'exotic' bikes with my Vincent and Egli Vincent. But cost, value and the level of attention that these bikes attract started to detract from their enjoyment as motorbikes and I found myself riding the Norton most of the time as it was just as much fun and still exclusive enough to feel kinda 'special' but a lot less worry and hassle.

I too came very close, on probably 3 occasions, to buying a new 961. Each time I concluded that I could live with the cost, I could even live with the 'niggles' as they are all a part of the 'hand built' thing. But what I couldn't live with, what would drive me nuts with anger and frustration, was the probability of being not dealt with efficiently by the factory with regards to any issues.

Then the Thruxton comes along, its a close second to Norton with regards to exclusivity. It is ahead on price and performance. Will most likely be ahead on reliability. Will definitely be ahead with regards to dealer support.

This thread wasn't started as a 'Triumph vs Norton' debate though gents, I agree with Britfan that they are different enough to enjoy their own niches.

My point was / is: how much of Norton's already small market will Triumph take with their new twins? And, will whats left be enough to sustain an entire motorcycle company?

I do hope so.
 
Norton's customer service has improved greatly. I got a call yesterday and today from them to see how I was doing after repairs. They've been bombarding my dealership with calls and advice. My dealership is starting to wonder just who the hell I am and who do I know?? Actually, the dealership is a lot more knowledgeable too with Norton's followups. It would have been nice if all this happened two years ago, but, I guess its hard to be that organized right out of the gate. I was frustrated, but now I'm quite satisfied.
 
Britfan60 said:
Norton's customer service has improved greatly. I got a call yesterday and today from them to see how I was doing after repairs. They've been bombarding my dealership with calls and advice. My dealership is starting to wonder just who the hell I am and who do I know?? Actually, the dealership is a lot more knowledgeable too with Norton's followups. It would have been nice if all this happened two years ago, but, I guess its hard to be that organized right out of the gate. I was frustrated, but now I'm quite satisfied.


This is fantastic to hear! :mrgreen:
 
Fast Eddie said:
This thread wasn't started as a 'Triumph vs Norton' debate though gents, I agree with Britfan that they are different enough to enjoy their own niches.

You might want to re-read the title when you have some free time.
 
swooshdave said:
Fast Eddie said:
This thread wasn't started as a 'Triumph vs Norton' debate though gents, I agree with Britfan that they are different enough to enjoy their own niches.

You might want to re-read the title when you have some free time.

"More Triumph trouble for Garner"... That's the title Dave ...

As in, the new Triumphs will cause him trouble ...

As in, bite into his market share ...

As in, that's my point ...

!
 
While I am sure the new Thruxton R has reliability and apparently decent handling on it's side I don't believe it is a substitute for what the Norton offers. Two separate machines that will draw their own following for years to come. No, this topic is not Norton vs. Triumph, in my opinion. I might add it has been very enjoyable to read.

On another facet of this thread - availability - I am shocked to find out that my local dealer in Gill MA typically receives one Thruxton R each month! :shock: Well, I suppose that depends on how quickly the inventory is depleted. I mean, we are out in the sticks here. I am thinking I might make that 30 mile trip this weekend to take a look at one in person. :mrgreen:
 
contours said:
While I am sure the new Thruxton R has reliability and apparently decent handling on it's side I don't believe it is a substitute for what the Norton offers. Two separate machines that will draw their own following for years to come. No, this topic is not Norton vs. Triumph, in my opinion. I might add it has been very enjoyable to read.

On another facet of this thread - availability - I am shocked to find out that my local dealer in Gill MA typically receives one Thruxton R each month! :shock: Well, I suppose that depends on how quickly the inventory is depleted. I mean, we are out in the sticks here. I am thinking I might make that 30 mile trip this weekend to take a look at one in person. :mrgreen:

Very well put, Contours. Maybe the thread title would be better as " Great Britain adds another great bike to its line up".
My local dealership, I think, sold one Thruxton R so far, but 3 or four T120s this past month alone. They currently have two more T120s in the showroom. They sold a couple of Street Twins too. Not everybody is into the cafe racer style. I think more folks appreciate the comfortable and more than adequate handling standard bike with gobs of power for what it is. The goodies aren't as nice, a little too much use of plastic, but I'd love to see the T120 in my garage for some nice two up riding. The Mrs. thought it was lovely. What the hell.....she pays the bills. :lol:
 
I sincerely hope you are right gents and the two brands co-exist for many years to come.

Britfan, if your improved customer service is representative of Norton's service to all, they might well actually survive and thrive!

Whichever way you look at it, its nice to have the choice.
 
Oh boy :( ... just took a look at that Thruxton R up close and personal. So very nice looking and un-fat as I once suspected they would appear. Got the real scoop from the sales guy, too. The one that are shipped on a monthly basis are pre-ordered. The one I saw in the showroom is only there because somebody reneged on a deal.

Not that I need a second state-of-the-art British twin. But I did mention I had a somewhat modified '03 Daytona 955i to trade. I'm going to keep in touch with this dealer and see if the demand for these babies is really what they stated it to be. :roll: In the meantime I have a bunch of work to do if I plan to ride my Daytona there.
 
Britfan60 said:
People that love the bike and have the means will pony up. Spending money on something more unique makes folks feel good, regardless of what the pros say. Some folks are dumping tons of money into restoring bikes with less than stellar reputations just for nostalgia sake and they are rare. Norton did a great job capturing the style that people long for. Triumph....IMHO, not so much. Great bikes, but.....meh.

There are some of us out there. I paid a deposit on a new Thruxton R and was expecting it this week. However I saw the new Norton Dominator and it blew me away. I've cancelled the Thruxton and bought the Dominator instead.
 
Gullwing said:
Britfan60 said:
People that love the bike and have the means will pony up. Spending money on something more unique makes folks feel good, regardless of what the pros say. Some folks are dumping tons of money into restoring bikes with less than stellar reputations just for nostalgia sake and they are rare. Norton did a great job capturing the style that people long for. Triumph....IMHO, not so much. Great bikes, but.....meh.

There are some of us out there. I paid a deposit on a new Thruxton R and was expecting it this week. However I saw the new Norton Dominator and it blew me away. I've cancelled the Thruxton and bought the Dominator instead.

Well, in your case, maybe the title should be "more Norton trouble for Bloor" ...
 
Looks Like the Float Bowls are the Slides , and the slide hosing the fuel wotsits , from the diameters of various things about there .

More Triumph trouble for Garner...
 
I took the Thruxton to Ashville NC this weekend. There are great roads there, and a wonderful motorcycle culture in the area. I have vintage friends there (vintage as in motorcycles, but also vintage in age LOL) Our riding group had everything from a 67 Atlas, to vintage BMW's, to Guzzi's, ect, ect

The market that might get hurt from the Thruxton might be the Italian and Japanese market.

One of the Guzzi riders took my fiancé's Street Twin for a ride, and fell in love with it. Everyone was impressed with the Thruxton.

And, I pushed the "chicken strips, down to about 1/8" (3 mm). I am thoroughly impressed with the machine

I agree with a statement earlier in this thread. The new Triumphs might not be as much trouble for the Norton, as it will be for non-English bikes.
 
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