Vintage Motorcycles: When old becomes new again

[Rexsname]

Thank you SOAZ and Martin. A 150 mile range sounds good to me and, as cool as the V-Strom is, it is not even in the same league as the Triumphs for COOL.

MSRP is not that far apart either......$8800 for the Scrambler and about $8000 for the V-Strom

REX

 

[Martinjmpr]

Thank you SOAZ and Martin. A 150 mile range sounds good to me and, as cool as the V-Strom is, it is not even in the same league as the Triumphs for COOL.

MSRP is not that far apart either......$8800 for the Scrambler and about $8000 for the V-Strom

REX

I paid about $7300 OTD for my Scrambler. It was a "service loaner" from the dealer, had 1,275 miles on it and the dealership had done the 600 mile service themselves. Came with the full 2 year unlimited mile warranty.

BTW, she just turned over 10,000 miles and not a hiccup! 2 year warranty will expire in January but I don't anticipate any problems. There's really not a lot to go wrong with these bikes.

Here's a tip: In most markets, the Scrambler is the least popular of the Classic twins (The Bonnie, Bonnie SE and T100 are the most popular.) Often times, dealers have leftover Scramblers in stock or as dealer demos/service loaners. This means they are usually willing to work with you to sell a Scrambler where they might not with a Bonnie or T100.

The V-Strom is a good bike, a buddy of mine has one and he likes it. But the Triumph has a "cool factor" that no other bike can match!

Incidentally, if you get a classic Triumph, make sure to allow extra time at any fuel or food stops because as SOAZ can probably tell you, you will draw a lot of attention with it. You know how some bikes are "chick magnets?" Well, I call the Triumph an "old guy magnet" because seems like every time I stop I get some old guy wandering up to it and saying "Is that really a Triumph? What year is it? Did you restore it yourself?"

They're usually quite surprised when I tell them no, I didn't restore it, and it's a 2008 model.

Then they usually launch into some reminicence: "I had a Triumph/knew a guy who had a Triumph/My dad had a Triumph back in 19..."

EDIT: Added photos because I like to!

Here she is the day I brought her home:

Note the low miles. Also note the snow on the ground! I bought in January - good month to buy a motorcycle (lousy month to sell one.)

 

[SOAZ]

Incidentally, if you get a classic Triumph, make sure to allow extra time at any fuel or food stops because as SOAZ can probably tell you, you will draw a lot of attention with it. You know how some bikes are "chick magnets?" Well, I call the Triumph an "old guy magnet" because seems like every time I stop I get some old guy wandering up to it and saying "Is that really a Triumph? What year is it? Did you restore it yourself?"

They're usually quite surprised when I tell them no, I didn't restore it, and it's a 2008 model.

Then they usually launch into some reminicence: "I had a Triumph/knew a guy who had a Triumph/My dad had a Triumph back in 19..."

I agree, despite being the most Steve McQueen esque the Scrambler tends to go for better deals on craigslist or wherever when compared to a comparable Bonnie. It seems to be the least sought after of the modern classic triumphs. The Bonnie can be had cheaper if the model year is not an issue to you because they've been made since 2001 while the Scram came out in... 06 I think. Mine is an 03 that had 4200 miles on it so it made for a newish, but very low priced bike.

Haha! I think if Triumph really did sell one to every old timer that tells me, I used to have one of those, they'd have never gone out of business!!!!

I get stopped at every gas stop. Makes solo riding anything, but lonely.

 

[Rexsname]

I'm pretty sure I want fuel injection. I don't have any good reason for this, it just seems like a good thing. I like riding my motorcycle. It just feels a little small and it is tough to strap things on to. I would love to get a new (used) bike but it's just not in the cards for a while. I'm still learning, and mine is a good learning bike.

REX

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I keep wanting to get a classic enduro to compete on. I love life too much to be competitive on the big modern bikes. But I still have the desire to run the events. I worked at the Corduroy Enduro last weekend and man... I miss it. Getting a classic and running in the vintage class would be a blast, and a lot safer.

A guy at the event had a running XT500 for sale for $1500 and man I was tempted.

The only problem is the trails are getting so hogged out by the big bikes, ATV's and big trucks, that it's hard to get one of these through anymore. Though one of the Penton boys ran it on a classic Penton. I've got a photo at home.

 

[Sabre]

There's some very cool stuff coming out of Enfield these days. Their new EFI machines have entirely new engines, too. They've borrowed engineers from Europe and are turning out a remarkable machine these days.

Speaking of scramblers (small "s")...

Regarding the Trumpets, I'm on my second Hinkley Triumph (first a Bonnie, now a Tiger). They are as finely built as any motorcycle I've ever ridden. NO maintenance issues whatsoever...the new Triumphs are rock-solid reliable and strongly built. Due to the ergo's (seat-footpeg-bars) and geometry (rake-trail-suspension) the Scrambler has a lot more room than the Bonneville. At 6-1 I put bar risers on my Bonnie and I still felt cramped on it.

And those high pipes...yeah, I'm one of those children of the '60's - '70's that the manufacturers are targeting these days...but I like this version:

Of course the new Scrambler is certainly no slouch. Here's one of our mates from NZ giving it the berries...

Oh, and I had a Ural for a number of years, too. Even my old Y2K model was extremely reliable. They're much better now, too, and I wouldn't hesitate to trek off with a modern Ural on any sort of adventure. They're stone-simple to work on, and most of the niggling little issues have long since been sorted. Besides, you have enough room to haul all your tools and spares! :bike_rider:

Here's one that's not available stateside (boo hoo):

 

[WU7X]

Scrambler

There is a guy in the PNW that rides his Triumph scrambler all over the place. I first noticed him in a lot of the road trips on ADVrider.

the seat on those things looks like a wooden plank. How do they ride?

 

[SOAZ]

There is a guy in the PNW that rides his Triumph scrambler all over the place. I first noticed him in a lot of the road trips on ADVrider.

the seat on those things looks like a wooden plank. How do they ride?

I've had no issues with mine and that includes 600 mile days. (Heck I even think it's super comfy compared to all of my previous dirt bikes, especially the KTM) If you do some searching on the Triumph sites the consensus seems to be that it's horrible though. My guess is that the British and *cough* Japanese engineers made the seat for someone under 175lbs or so.
For me, I'll change it out more for looks than anything once I wear this one out. I'd say, don't rush to change it. See if it works for you and then decide. :coffeedrink:

 

[Martinjmpr]

There is a guy in the PNW that rides his Triumph scrambler all over the place. I first noticed him in a lot of the road trips on ADVrider.

the seat on those things looks like a wooden plank. How do they ride?

Actually, it's fine - much more comfortable than it looks. Being flat it gives me enough room to move around a bit. About the only ergonomic complaint I have is in my neck/shoulders. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle that, right now I'm looking at either risers or a slightly higher, MX-style handlebar so I can relax my arms a bit.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, that seat looks great compared to a seat on any modern enduro bike. Those are just 2x4's wrapped in synthetic leather.

 

[nat]

I did all the fab work for my Dad on his '73 Bonneville. Came out very sweet and pretty damned reliable.

I also grafted a Celorex sidecar onto a Yamaha V-Star. That came out good as well :ylsmoke:

 

[BEVAN]

I have a 67 Norton atlas and 68 BSA Victor...both with full resto, I'd love to take them on a trip but a bit more testing will be needed before that can happen.

My 68 BSA Victor 440:

And my 67 Norton Atlas 750:

Cant wait to take a trip on the atlas...just need to ride more.

 

[BEVAN]

These are my pop's bikes.

1961 Matchless G80CS:

1951 Matchless G80CS:

And the Bonnie forgot the year:

 

[Snafu]

This bike is older than me but I'm never letting her go!

1983 Sportster 1000cc Shovelhead....gotta love that rigid mount, push-rod V-Twin!! Oh and all those people complaining about seats....try mine!!! :yikes:

 

[Scott Brady]

Beautiful bike - just right.