last british made bonnies

[tezza]

hi guys , new to the site, love it. rode british bikes for 30 yrs. just trying to clear up an issue thats probably been delt with before here but can anyone tell me when the last twins were made in england, not that i have an issue with where there made now. just wondering. thinking its time to buy another bike after a 5 yr lay off and like the new t100s. got side tracked with a 38 chev hotrod thank tezza

 

[otherwise]

My understanding is they are still being made and assembled in the UK.
Some are made and assembled in Thailand. I was told all engines are made in UK.
Your dealer may have UK or Thai depends on where you live. In Australia we get the letter "T" in the vin showing Thai manufacture.
I'm sure others on this forum will confirm this or correct me.

 

[B06Tang]

I spoke to a Triumph rep when I was at the NEC show in Birmingham last November. All Bonnevilles are assembled in Thailand now. I BELIEVE 2007 was the last year that the bike was manufactured, from start to finish, at the plant in Hinckley. Otherwise is right, production still takes place at Hinckley but assembly is now in Thailand. This goes for all the modern classics line.

 

[Chris in NC]

..can anyone tell me when the last twins were made in england, ...

You should post a picture of your hot rod.. :rockon:

If you're looking for a used Bonnie, and are interested in whether it was assembled in the UK or in Thailand, the 7th digit in the VIN will be a 'T' for Thailand, or a 'J' for those bikes bolted together on the Continent. I'm not sure when they stopped building Bonnies in the UK, it may very well have been in '07.

 

[coopv2]

my 9/07 bonnie starts SMTT J****G*******
I guess the J is UK EH?

 

[strokerlmt]

I kind of like the fact that my T-100 03 was put together in the UK....
LMT

 

[Motley]

Really, who gives a tinkers where, or by whom, it was built? :mad2:

 

[B06Tang]

I think the Thailand plant is going into its third or fourth year of operation and these bikes are still being made and performing to the standard to what they were before the switch. I can that someone would like that it was done up in England but seriously; the bike is only assembled in Thailand. That motor is still British made.

 

[thearcticsea]

I'm pretty sure all the thailand workers, or at least supervisors, department heads, etc. are all Brit ex-pats.

To me, it doesn't really matter where the bikes are assembled as long as they're engineered in the original country and made to a high standard.

 

[Kirkus51]

I really like that this subject comes up every once in a while because I can harp on the fact that no bike is 100% ANY country. Hell, Harley controls are standard outside and metric inside. Some of the wheels for Harleys are Aussie made.

As long as there's a state of the art facility manned by workers who give a damn, the bikes will be what they are and that is fun to ride with a bullit-proof engine.

 

[B06Tang]

That is one thing the rep at the NEC show in Birmingham was quick to point out; the plant is British managed and he eluded to me that the standard was enforced even more strictly in the Thailand plant because of the buzz they know it could generate. I have read reports that these air cooled engines are hitting 100,000 miles with nothing more than basic maintenance performed on them...I think that says it all right there.

 

[Nick Morey]

I really like that this subject comes up every once in a while because I can harp on the fact that no bike is 100% ANY country. Hell, Harley controls are standard outside and metric inside. Some of the wheels for Harleys are Aussie made.

As long as there's a state of the art facility manned by workers who give a damn, the bikes will be what they are and that is fun to ride with a bullit-proof engine.

Absolutely. Welcome to the gobal economy and all that entails.

Hell, my car is a Chrysler Sebring, made by Mitsubishi, in Mexico I believe. Bottom line, it's got 125,000 miles, doesn't burn a drop of oil, no rust, and like the Energizer Bunny it just keeps going & going...

At this point I could care less where my bike or car was made, just that they are made well.

 

[B06Tang]

Welcome to the global economy...it's a fact of life now no matter what product we could be talking about. It doesn't take away the great bike Triumph is making. I heard also that they just took the #1 spot in Great Britain for the 500cc and over class. Pretty impressive accomplishment that they have edged out the big Japanese makers.

 

[tezza]

well i rode triumphs for over 20 yrs heres some end of the world triumph history 1.1971 oil tank frames 2. 1979 no splayed heads 3.1984 harris bonnies italian parts 4. 2000. new trumpys look like jap bikes 5.new bonnievilles dont look like triumphs at all 6. 2006 made in thailand. when is a triumph not a triumph ? i heard this all, over the years it was the end of the real triumphs. in the early 70s when everyone including the patch clubs rode 750 hondas, 900 kawasakis, 650 yammies, english bike where know as poorly made inferior machines. end of the 70s nobody wanted to be seen on jap bikes and started riding british or american bikes again and so the saga continues whats the argument? that a thai worker cant put a nut and bolt together as well as a pommy worker ? heard all the same arguments with harleys when i rode them when the evos first came out the shovel riders called the shit designed by japs. these days everything is made somewhere else so get over it. when i posted the question i said that it doesnt matter to me and i stand by that if the bike you look at and ride makes your heart jump thats what counts after all isnt it all about having fun on 2 wheels euro american jap enduro mx road cruiser sports whatever where ever it comes from me i cant wait to get another bike where ever it ends up coming from

 

[tezza]

just for the record i got my first bike at 13 yrs of age and im 52 now ive had 5 cb750 hondas, 6 kawasaki 900, 2 650 yammies, a 76 bonnie (new) a 78 bonnie, a 79 bonnie (new) a 68 trophy a 73 norton commando, a 650 matchless twin, a 500 single matchy, a 42 wla harley, a 73 sportster, a 75 shovelhead, a 93 heritage plus numerous mx and trials bikes i have never had a bike in a bike shop did everthing myself built choppers (real choppers not occ things), cafe racers nearly every non jap bike got full nut and bolt restos did mechanical, painting, wirring myself plus over the years had mates who who between us have owned nearly every british bike ever made ha ha after a 5yr lay off im itching to go riding again so much for giving up motorbikes lol guess somethings never change . just a quick hello to all the other ozzie guys out there maybe see you on the road soon, Tezza.

 

[Pete R]

My young bloke is an engineer and into mountain bikes (careers down hills at a zillion miles an hour and scares the begeezus out of his old man). He says there was a bit of a shitfight when Marzocchi started building shocks in Taiwan - blokes saying the taiwanese stuff was shit, only buy the Itie stuff blah blah fuggen blah.
Turns out the Taiwanese factory is a several ISO levels above the Italian shop, the quality of the product is therefore higher. Young bloke says he wants the Taiwanese made stuff.

In the end it comes down to the nationality of the bloke who pushes the button on the latest state of the art, duck's guts CNC machine. And in that case what does nationality matter?

:cheers:

Pete

 

[B06Tang]

That is true Pete; I am into mountain biking as well and have the Rocky Mountain RM9 that I have raced downhill on. The Taiwanese are making some of the best high-end frames in the industry for mountain biking. I have Marzocchi on all three of my bikes and pound the living snot out of them. CNC machining has brought the ballgame up another level and as we see with so many different products now, quality is/can be done from just about anywhere.

 

[Stars&Bars]

My bike was built, according to the VIN in the UK but last time I pulled into Pattiya Beach, those little Thai's may not of made machinery very well but they sure could grow some healthy Thai stick!
Back in the 70's, Navy Sailors didn't just sail the High Seas, they sailed the seas High!

 

[Iceseven]

my 9/07 bonnie starts SMTT J****G*******
I guess the J is UK EH?

Yeah the "J" is for Jacknell Road, Hinckley. My 1974 Trident was built by BSA (Meriden labor strike) and constantly required pistons and every part that was welded came off at least once in the twenty years that I had her, really doesn't matter much to me where the new Tri's are built as long as the quality is there.

 

[coopv2]

. just a quick hello to all the other ozzie guys out there maybe see you on the road soon, Tezza.

Hey there tezza, where are you at on the Gold Coast mate. Im at the Molendinar Industrial estate. and like you, started early riding at 14 with no license, got that at 15,then a Dt175, XL250, Xv750, 25th aniversary XLCH, CBR1100RC, CB900, CB1100F2, Z1000R, GPZ900R, GSX1100, GSXR1100, GSXR750 GSX1100G, 87 FXST, 90 FLSTF, 94 FXR, FXWG custom built, 97 FXD, Ducati 900 monster, 996 S4R Monster, 2001 Custom built FXD, Custom built FXST, Custom Built Indian, and now my 07 Bonneville. Probably missed a couple. anyways let me know where your at.
Coop