I am thinking seriously of buying a Triumph T100 or T120 but first I wanted to get your thoughts on Triumph reliability and ease of servicing. The reason I ask is I have a friend with a 2000 Sprint 955RS. Not sure why but he had to take off the tank for some issue. When he went to reinstalll it he couldn't get it to fit. Apparently it is a plastic tank and while off the bike it swelled or something and he had a really difficult time getting it back on. Additionally there was 3 vacuum lines on it and he couldn't figure out where one of them went. He went to the dealership and talked with the parts man and mechanic and they couldn't figure it out either. Now my friend is an experienced mechanic and has many years experience working on every kind of vehicle from airplanes to lawnmowers so I have a lot of faith that he knows what he is doing and the fact he stumped the mechanic adds too it. I guess the tank was off for awhile while he waited for the part to come in. At any rate I'm wondering about general reliability before I do any trading. I figure the best folks to ask are long term owners. Thanks for your input.
Hi, John and welcome. Swollen plastic fuel tank eh? That'll be the ethanol that pollutes petrol (gas) these days. Works like a charm - mostly. Some folk are lucky though and their tanks seem unaffected. Bonneville variants have few bad habits and are easier to deal with - apparently.
Thanks Steve. I will pass that on to him. Im sure he hadn't thought of that and the mechanic at the dealership apparently hadn't heard it either.
Get a new mechanic! Ran an America variant for a couple of years. Had zero problems with it, as above, ran like a watch, a very noisy one, but no problems. Edit: one tiny problem when changed front pads, but I take the blame for that.!!!!
Hi, I am about to buy my first Triumph, and hanging my nose over a recent T120. My question is this; is a 2016 T120 with 6500 miles on it a good bike in terms of reliability etc? or should I spend another grand or more to get a more recent model 2018 or 2019? I am not bothered about having the latest registration plate. For comparison I have been riding my 1999 Harley for >16 years, across Europe etc, and its been good as gold. Will a "modern" Triumph with all the fancy electronics etc be as reliable? I know there is always a possibility of a gremlin hiding, I am more concerned about any built in obsolescence of modern bikes. Is a three year old bike near the end of its life?! FFS I hope not! Thoughts from the experienced folk on here?
Hi RobH. First things first - if that's your postcode on your profile information you'd be well advised to remove it! Far too much of an invitation. On a more relevant note, you don't mention how much service history the 2016 has. If it's been well looked after, properly serviced, garaged, etc., then spend that extra grand on nice extras, a night or two away or .... whatever! In the final analysis, the choice will be yours but a good, well looked after, older bike can very often be FAR better value and reward than something newer that's not been as well treated. Good luck with the search! Regards, Adie
Also, I am looking at buying from a Triumph dealer, i.e approved, who all say full service history or similar blah blah blah. Of course I have no idea if previous owner has thrashed the bollox out of it, but I doubt it, not that style of bike eh. So would Triumph Approved be worth the extra dollars over private sale too?
You’ve normally got a bit more comeback from a Triumph dealer if something goes wrong, plus they’re supposed to have factory trained techs too which should help if you need to know anything (should!)
Thanks Freck, its good to hear such opinions, i know that ought to be blindingly obvious but i am extremely sceptical of any commercial operation, often seem to just want to rip off customer for everything they can. A very short term view, but that's driven by requirement for immediate results, I understand but don't have to like it. Went to Triumph at Wellingborough this morning, seem nice enough folk, but they would when I walk in talking about spending my hard earned with them. See how cynical I am! Anyway they have a T120 I am hanging my nose over, 2017 8k miles, some extras. It has Vance & Hines pipes, I was not over impressed with the sound to be honest. But then if i want to go deaf I still have my Harley.
I have a 2018 Street Twin (similar to the T100 mechanically speaking) and really like it. 18 months of ownership and 5,000 mikes so far and it has been flawless. One thing you might consider is cast wheels with tubeless tires versus tube tires on spoked wheels. (Street Twin/Speed Twin vs T100/T120) Can't fix a roadside flat w/ tube tires. One main reason I opted for the Street Twin. But just my opinion.
Nice bike BigCLM. Are those panniers Triumph leather or waxed cotton? they look leather. Also what screen do you have on it? is it good?
Waxed cotton panniers and the long haul screen. Both are Triumph accessories. I also have the rear luggage rack. The screen works well and look good. I am 5'-9" and the wind is deflected around my torso and over my helmet. Be careful if you are looking into a small fly screen. They don't offer much wind protection.
