Reply With Quotethey do look good and i love the old tech. whos bringinging them in though?
i thought the importer had given it up.
I'm looking at getting one of these when they're released and on looking at some pictures today noticed it has 'Smiths' clocks.... They look good...
http://indiamarketprice.in/?item=roy...-jan-2013#!img
they do look good and i love the old tech. whos bringinging them in though?
i thought the importer had given it up.
Well spotted!
Smiths Industries have been making vehicle instruments for many many years, often as in my later Riley models under the name of Jaeger.
I haven't seen anything as yet indicating they will be exported here.Originally Posted by soapy
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Nice - that'd be a trip down memory lane for me! I had one of the originals back in the 70's, a 1963 250cc Royal Enfield Continental GT. I bought it in a tea crate when I was 14 and restored it ready for my 17th birthday.
Here it is with my BSA C15 and a 1970's me
FWIW they had a stand at the motorcycle show at the NEC last year so I assumed they were being imported (didn't note too much about the situation admittedly though). The cafe racer did look good though.
These guy's are close to me and when I had my Bullet a couple of years ago they were very useful, might be worth sending them an email. http://www.richardsons-motorcycles.com/
They are a lovely looking thing , would look good in the garage next to my mag wheel bonneville . Look more 'cafe' than the thruxton that I nearly bought :)
I got shot of the Bullet to buy a Bonnie
That looks great! Although with 27.2hp you'd have to work it a bit!
That's nice- like the bar end mirrors,what seat is that ?I got shot of the Bullet to buy a Bonnie
That's lovely! Good point about it only being 27bhp. Seems a shame, surely 50bhp should be both achievable and a much healthier figure! What did the old Manx Nortons make??
The 790cc Bonnie pictured makes around 62bhp @ 7200rpm. The seat is from a Thruxton Bonneville. Oh and the Bullet 22bhp @ 5400rpm, with a good tail wind.
Last edited by BRGRSP; 30th March 2013 at 20:52.
Thought it was thruxton- do you have the cowl too ?
I have the 865 efi version - almost identical to ride , I struggle to tell them apart
Thruxton has clip-ons or a type of Ace-Bar. No seat cowl, I also ran it with Thruxton downpipes, bigger bore and the length to the bend out of the head, thus leading to better breathing. As you can see, it also had "Goldie" silencer's, I use "silencer" very tongue in cheek, super loud.I had to fit a pair of Decibel Killers in the end.
Love it! Coooooool as f...!
Thrux had alloy rims and different size front and rear wheels. I did have a Thruxton nose fairing on it, which did stop a lot of the wind buffeting over 60.
I run my pipes pretty open with a lively map , pops and bangs like hell on the overrun if I'm to quick in closing the throttle . Dart flyscreen next on wanted list when I can stop buying watches :)
Yeah, I know what you mean about the popping and banging, mine was the carb model and once I'd upped the main jets she wasn't to bad.
When I fitted the Goldie's I ran it for a while straight thru, god it was loud. Just a blip on the throttle use to set car alarms off, but it was defo down on power.
I bought a set of DB Killers and wrapped them in silencer wool, bit trial and error but in the end I got the sound and power delivery pretty good.
One thing I must say is the price of spare and accessories are horrendous, thankfully a good friend of mine worked for Destination Triumph when I owned it
so any bits and bobs I wanted came at a very favourable price lol.
Brian.
Triumph bits are horribly expensive and not really decent value unless you can get the friends discount :)
Funny you should mention Destination triumph - I'm booked in a couple of weeks time at the fareham branch to get some work done :)
Your triumph sounds like you spent some time getting it right but no longer with you Brian ?
A timeless classic, I hope you fulfil your ambition to own one
I spent quite a bit of time and money sorting her out, the guy I bought it from had no garage, so she sat outside for all that time, the weather really took it's toll.
She was to much of a bargain to let go. I love tinkering so spent a lot of time and effort getting her back up to top condition. The engine cases looked as if they
were fur covered, you know what Triumph lacquering is like. Mechanically she was spot on with only 5k on the clock when I got her.
Once finished I got a bit bored, so got rid of and bought a Yamaha FZ6, poles apart and a much more capable machine all round. Saying that, a good friend of mine is selling his 1995 Speed Triple so another project could be finding it's way into the garage very soon lol.
What a lovely cafe racer that is... According to opinion polls I read on a couple of India motorcycle sites the bike isn't, or isn't expected to be, hugely popular. On the other hand the new RE Thunderbird 500 seems to be much anticipated. A more 'practical' two-seater with sari guard, but of course it looks nothing like the cafe racer which, hopefully, will be exported out of India.
I think that triumph don't laquer at all now , bare alloy wheels and cases :(I spent quite a bit of time and money sorting her out, the guy I bought it from had no garage, so she sat outside for all that time, the weather really took it's toll.
She was to much of a bargain to let go. I love tinkering so spent a lot of time and effort getting her back up to top condition. The engine cases looked as if they
were fur covered, you know what Triumph lacquering is like. Mechanically she was spot on with only 5k on the clock when I got her.
Once finished I got a bit bored, so got rid of and bought a Yamaha FZ6, poles apart and a much more capable machine all round. Saying that, a good friend of mine is selling his 1995 Speed Triple so another project could be finding it's way into the garage very soon lol.
The FZ6 is no doubt quicker , better on fuel and more comfortable . On paper it's far superior but you sound like you miss the certain something ! I've done the inline 4 thing - so quick and capable but they left me a little cold to be honest . Now , a speed triple at a good price (I assume fairly cheap being a 95) would be interesting , I've never owned a 3 and love the sound :) go for it if you can !
I've ridden 4 cylinder bikes for best part of the last 30 years so no stranger to them, a change every now and then is nice. I must say the Bullet was a bit extreme though lol. and slower than a slow thing.
One thing the Bullet & Bonnie had was the ability to draw a crowd, mostly of old git's like me wanting to tell the age old stories of how they owned one as a
nipper.
Most won't believe they are both modern day homages to older bikes !!!
The Speed Triple I've been offered has only done 15k and owned by my mate since new. Supplied and serviced by Jack Lilley Triumph.
He's not ridden it for 5 years, but still fires her up once a fortnight or so. I took it out for a blast towards the end of last summer and although it's a nice
bike to ride, fitted with clip-ons it's not one for slow speed manoeuvres.
It's a very top heavy machine, If I get hold of it one of the first things will be a flat bar conversion. It's in the best colour also.... Black, can't say the Yellow or
Orange versions done anything for it's classic styling.
Apologies to OP, we seem to have hi-jacked your original thread, sorry.
Apologies from me also !
Perhaps a talking about bikes subsection is called for :) go for it with the triumph - if I had access to one of them cheap enough I would bite their hand off , be interested to hear what it costs you , if only to make myself jealous !
Shameless thread hijack picture
You been pulled with that rear plate yet ?
One thing that always got me with the "New Bonnie" was unless you bought the T100 you never got a rev counter.
The original Bonneville's always came with a rev counter as standard. I guess it's Triumph's ploy to make maximum money from their aftermarket goodies as do H.D.
I hankered after a cafe racer but my back forced me onto this:-
..... until my back ultimately forced me off that aswell! :( Those shorties made a lovely burble!)
Mike
As my old man would say ' that's what your ears are for '
2 years and 4000 miles - not a hint of being pulled :)
Font and format are correct , number is midlands so doesn't stand out as a wrong plate as much as it would do with a Hampshire prefix :)
Non endorseable offence and a fair chance of talking your way out of it so I will take my chances !
That's lovely Mike , are you able to ride anything at all now ?I hankered after a cafe racer but my back forced me onto this:-
..... until my back ultimately forced me off that aswell! :( Those shorties made a lovely burble!)
Mike
It's really not worthwhile me having a bike any more. Anything more than half an hour and the agony kicks in and lasts for hours (sometimes into days afterwards). Manoeuvering the bike into the garage was the last straw. It's four wheels (Someone has suggested three!) from now on I think.
Perhaps a convertible?
Mike
"1995 Speed Triple a true modern classic"
as for spares a few kawaski bits fit and are cheaper clutch/brake levers etc.
i went for a run yesterday my hands where in agony within 20 miles and i was cold i dont have any winter gear its supposed to be warmer know.
going to the hospital for injections to my hands on Sunday if that dont work it will be a operation,i am not giving it up without a fight.
Very nice. Is that the Thruxton?Shameless thread hijack picture
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
Thats a shame Mike , how frustrating :(
For cheap thrills , throw about £1000 at a mid 90's MX5 . Ignore the hairdresser comments , you won't find much more fun per pound :)
Thanks , i like it - It's the very basic Bonneville with a couple of minor bits . I'd like a thruxton but funds weren't up to it at the time !
Here's a road test of the new RE Continental GT:
http://www.ndtv.com/photos/news/the-...-14914/slide/8
i like that model simple without all the chrome.
Belstaff heads up,these are rare now its original,i wont be selling mine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nk...at=0&_from=R40
I showed the cafe racer to my brother who has been a motor cycle freak for almost 50 years. He said that whilst it looked good, if it was anything like the other Royal Enfields coming out of India it would most likely be a POS. Are they really that bad?
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
I keep an eye out for one at a sensible price , perfect match for my bonneville :)
I understand that the earlier ones were very poor, with loose paint, dodgy chromework (which there was a lot of!) and leaks.
They have much improved the quality of late but still have a long way to go.
Mike
They're interesting Eddie .
They may be made recently by still demand maintenance in accordance with a design of its age.
A friend ran one for 3 years . He checked it over regularly for loose bolts and kept it well greased .
It was ok in that time but he said he could watch it go down hill if at all neglected . Finish not up to modern standards etc
Nope, this is the Thruxton. Mine was the Mk 1 version, the Mk II has not so wrist straining bars!
I part-ex'd it for my Moto Guzzi
Looks well in that colour , quite striking :)Nope, this is the Thruxton. Mine was the Mk 1 version, the Mk II has not so wrist straining bars!
I part-ex'd it for my Moto Guzzi
that's just reminded me of another difference between Mk I and Mk II Thruxton, the awesome yellow
1. Mk I had clip-ons, Mk II didn't, it had handlebars instead but made to look like clip-ons.
2. Mk I had carbs, Mk II was fuel injected
3. Mk I was available in 'flying custard yellow' which was of course the fastest colour
I recommend one. I own a Royal Enfield Bullet C5, and it is such a wonderful bike I plan to get the Cafe Racer for my move to India next year. I've always owned Kawasakis, and use one now for my commuter. There is no question the Enfield is not up to that build standard, but it is still a reliable, high quality bike. Think of an Enfield as a classic, beautiful Unitas movement that looks great in a display back, but lacks the precision and accuracy of quartz. Still wonderful for what it is.
I suspect your brother is thinking of the classic, non-unit construction engines prevalent before '08 or so. Old design and manufacturing specs meant you were getting an authentic experience from many, many years ago. There is something cool about that. But, you were buying a museum piece and they required specific break-in procedures, constant valve adjustments (every time you filled the gas tank for the first few thousand miles while the valve train seated and thereafter, you'd still want to check weekly) and could be counted on only for being unpredictable. Some who really enjoy the hobby of wrenching found it endearing, and they are quite easy to work on. A friend with an older one got to the point he could do a valve adjustment in 5-10 minutes, and could fix just about anything on that bike in no time on the side of the road with a wrench, a screwdriver and some duct tape. "Hey, hold on a sec, lemme pull over. (Pause for a few seconds on the roadside) Okay, cool, let's ride." I'm not afraid to wrench, but prefer riding to tinkering, so I'd avoided them for years until the redesign.
I've been very happy with the new model, though. Enfield has done great things in recent years and are now putting out reliable product. My C5 has a fully-integrated engine/transmission unit, self-adjusting valves, fuel injection, Brembo brakes, etc. - very durable and, so far, absolutely trouble free. Manufacturing techniques for the integrated unit engines are now world standard, and it is gaining a reputation for being (pardon the pun) bullet proof. All the hard bits are on par with anything else out there now. The soft bits, well, assembly quality isn't up to Japanese standards. It isn't perfect. As for riding it- very lightweight, quick steering and torquey. Suspension could be better for sport riding, but it is nearly as fun as the Nijna to flick around the back roads, and so darn good looking, ugly me was was offered cheap sex by a group of three bikini clad college girls last month just for riding one. (In front of my wife and kids, whom I was meeting for dinner, but that is a different story.) Warranty is two years, and I've not needed it.
Last edited by GFloyd; 6th April 2013 at 13:04.
That's interesting reading , sounds as if they are going the right direction now , it must be a steep learning curve for them .
From what I gathered in India (I visited the RE factory in 2010), Royal Enfields have a reputation for needing more maintenance. I heard there (not in the factory...) that a Royal Enfield without oil leaks is a fake! Could be that people were referring to the older models, but the reputation seems to linger on. I saw very few REs in India compared to the other bikes, Hero Honda, TVS, Bajaj etc..
The Enfield looks lovely but possibly underpowered IMHO. I got myself a MKI Thruxton, the first one my local AD had, black with a chequerboard stripe down the middle, proper carbs & clip ons as a real cafe racer should have. I had the closed circuit race pipes put on & boy were they loud. A word of caution though, on these early ones the bright-work was awful & i had to have all of mine replaced after just over a year (thankfully under warranty). Unfortunately as i went to pick it up, all shiny & new, being the fickle f***er i am a GSXR 750 K5 savagely grabbed my attention & after possibly the quickest PX they had ever experienced i rode that home instead. #
An incredible ride the GX'er but after all the bikes i have passed through my hands (and there have been a few) the Triumph was the most satisfying & rewarding to ride & drew the most compliments by a very wide margin. It would be the only bike i would buy again.
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