03-28-2015, 02:21 PM
(03-28-2015, 01:14 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: The Triumph handled superbly compared to the Honda, and they had similar top speeds however the Honda had a 5 speed box and the Trident a 4 speed box, but more importantly the Honda had an electric started which Triumph didn't get until 1975... Way too late to save Triumph.
BTW little known, by 1973 Triumph had a 1000cc 4 cyl in prototype form called the Quadrant ( actually quite an attractive motorcycle) but it never made it to production.
True, the Triumph frame was more than adequate. But a Triumph engine in the Norton featherbed frame gave rise to the legendary Triton. A formidable racer and, in some guises, one of the most evocative looking motorcycles of all time. A great performer at the TT.
This conversation is interesting to me as I grew up with British motorcycles and have owned, and still own, a '61 Bonneville. The last of the pre-unit machines. Sky-blue on silver. My first experience of Japanese machines was a '93 Blade. Have always favoured Honda over other contemporary manufacturers since then.
Cheers