Triumph or not!!!!
 

I am now very serious about doing a ten year round the world trip. I have being toying with the idea of which bike to use and it's driving me crazy. BMW should have had the right bike by now, but I still think not only is the thing too big and heavy, it is getting too damned complicated. On the other side, a single seems the way to go, but I do prefer the smoothness of a twin. My last trip round Australia back in th 80's on a TT600 was a real bum numb-er, although it was barable.

My idea, and this is for a couple of reasons, is to buy the new Triumph scrambler, and use this as a basis for a round the world bike. Firstly, and this is purely for reason's of sentiment and it's what got Ted Simon around the world, and though I am not trying to do any re-enactment of Jupiters Travels, I'm British, and I'd like to do it on a British bike. Surely the basic Bonnie must be a better bike than Ted's bike was 30 odd years later.

The second thing is the bike just looks so damned good. But I realise there will need to be alot of thought that will need to go into this machine. Apart from the basics of stregthening the bike up and finding it's week points, I have over a year in hand as I want to set off on this trip on my 45th birthday, so over the next 15 months I want to build the ultimate Triumph overland bike, big tank, boxes the lot.

What I'd like to know is (1) does anybody think I'm being a fool using this "Rock n Roll" looking machine as a platform? (2) I reside in Thailand and will have to make trips back to the UK over the next year to get this machine ready. Does anybody know anybody in the UK who could help me build this bike? I want to strengthen the thing up a bit, have a new pannier tank hand made etc, better suspension the lot. As I don't know much about this bike at all and I'm going in a bit blind, I'd appreciate any help or onformation you can give me. Keeping the bike nice and simple but able to carry all my gear plus a Fender Telecaster (electric guitar) is all part of it...

Many thanks, keep on rockin' and get well Rick Parfitt ( Status Quo guitarist and co vocal man who this week has been diagnosed of throat cancer)

Muzz

Been thinking along the same lines myself. I have a good friend who works at a Triumph dealer and he says that the Hinkley Bonnevilles are very reliable, have very few warranty claims and cover high mileages without problems. Those that he is aware of relate mostly to corrosion issues and are very minor. Personally I'd go for the standard/T100 variant as the lower exhausts would accommodate panniers more easily and Metal Mule now do racks and box's for the bike. I've ridden the standard bike and the T1T100 and for carrying pillions and luggage and feel that the T100 the better bike. It's no faster but has more mid-range torque. The ridding position is OK but I found the pegs a little high and the standard seat is the worst I've ever sat on but, this is an easy problem to sort as there are companies making after market seat or you could get modified yourself. LB.

Thanks Mcdarbyfeast for the reply. I was basing the bike on the scrambler just to try and keep the look and feel. For sure, I've already been on to Corbin today for a seat etc., as for the pipes, I was thinking if possible to keep the pipes high up out of the way of ground clearance if they could be run either side under the boxes. I remember Ted had a few problems with the low pipes.

Muzz

If you intend to cross rivers I guess the high exhausts would be better. It's some years since I read Jupiters Travels but, I presume Ted had trouble in that situation. I rode one of the pre-production scrambler specials built by Triumph dealer Jack Lilly in the UK. The exhaust on that bike was from Norman Hyde who sell Triumph accessories. The exhaust didn't curve in like the production bike and my leg got seriously warm due to the poorly made heat sheild. I saw the official scrambler at the UK bike show and think the production bikes exhaust wouldn't cause so much of a problem but, it would be a good idea to at least sit on one before you buy it. Conversly, the headlamp guard on the Jack Lilly special looked alot nicer than the production bike. I've just bought one te last Africa Twins with very low mileage otherwise I' be going the same route. I think I have some pictures of the Jack Lilly bike if your interested. Just email me and I'll send them to you. Good luck with the project. LB.

I can't help you as I know don't know squat about Triumphs. I just posted to say that bike sounds tres, tres cool!
Can we see pix of it when you've finished overland prepping it?
Matt

You might want to log into the triumphrat.net website. A lot of people from the U.K. post to this site and they are triumph fanatics.

Then again so am I and I can't think of a better way to take your trip. Keeping in mind that triumph parts will not be easy to get on your trip due to the limited dealer network.

If there were no challenges then you probably would not attempt such a trip.

Have fun
Rick

Thanks for your comments. I have given this bike some thought and I am looking to beef the frame etc up, maybe even get a new one and build a complete rolling chassis from the ground up. I have contacted my friends at Harris in the UK, and although they generall don't work on Triumphs, they know a thing or two about building Motorcycles. A nice one off with a Tiumph egine in it just built for the task of keeping me on the road for 10 years.

Will keep you updated in the Triumph section, but this seems to me to be a really exciting project in itself.....

Regards

Muzz

Hello muzz

*please* help me populate the Triumph section of the HUBB. It's getting embarrassing.

I'm looking to take a new Bonnie out for a long trip next year... a British bike with a bit of history and class.. with far less preparation than you, but with no plans to leave the tarmac at any stage either. And having sat on the scrambler, I know *exactly* what you mean, though I'm more likely to take the standard model.

I'd also recommend Norman Hyde - not that I've used him (yet), but he shares our enthusiasm for the marque and then some. He'll know the weak spots alrady and as far as I can tell, he'll enjoy the whole project:
http://www.normanhyde.co.uk/

--Mike

Moderator - please move this one over to the Triumph slot before it seizes up!

Muzz, I think a new frame is going a bit far - it can't be that bad - but a great idea and for all the right reasons IMHO.

I also did some research into this a few months ago (a regular Bonnie) and from what I read would not have had reservations about reliability (tho I do wonder how much these 'weekend pose'-oriented bikes get used hard...). They often crop up a few years old, perfect cond and low miles.

I was looking forward to the Scrambler until I saw it at a bike show - a Bonnie ruined by a cheap high-pipe job but that's just MO. Whatever model you choose you'd want a bash plate anyway (and firmer suspension) - and my view was a plate could easily be made to protect the low pipes too.

It's a nice low and planted machine, would be easy to ride on rough roads.

(My right brain is always baffled by how important it is for things - incl RTW bikes - to look good. It's may not be functional but while things are going well it adds a whole lot of soul to your experience...)

What a shame Ted S did not do his 2nd lap on a Hinckley Bonnie.

Chris S

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Author of Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 5 and Sahara Overland II

http://www.sahara-overland.com and http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com

moved to Triumph forum...

and I'd like to see more Triumphs on the road too!

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com