Thread: Triumph in Thailand (motorcycle)

Hi been looking for a new bike(classic) .
Yesterday spend a few hours looking at Royal Endfield bikes..all models.
Also have looked at Yamaha's SR 400..(Japanese built, with price to match ..baht 290000..

I read somewhere here that one of the forum members has a Triumph..can't remember who..

Going to look at Triumph M/C Monday..interested in the Bonneville..anyone else have one purchased here please?
They have 3 factories here..Chonburi..concerned with build quality ..not because built in Thailand..
Don't like all the plastic on bikes these days..hence the classic bikes..

Triumph Motorcycles Thailand Price List

Any other new classic bikes anyone knows about please..

^I had a totally restored 1958 Triumph Tiger T-110 in Thailand/Cambodia when I lived there. Once I finally settled in the Philippines, I gave the bike, which was in a friend's garage in Bangkok, to another friend who lives in Pattaya. It's still there.

Legendary bike. I bought it off the wall in the SuperStar Disco on Pat Pong back in the day. I have seen it once or twice in old photo spreads of the Pong in the day.

^ Approx what year was that? I'll ask Frank if he remembers!

I know a guy who rode to Thailand back in the day on an old Triumph he bought in Singapore.

^I bought it in 1988 and took it down to Aranyaprathet with me. Took it to the PI in 1990. Brought it back to BKK in '93 and totally rebuilt it over the next few years. Left it in LOS with a friend when I left in '96. Passed it on to my friend in Pattaya around '98/'99. There were two big bikes on the Superstar wall. The black Triumph I bought and a black Harley, which eventually ended up on display in the lobby of a Chinese restaurant.

That sounds like a good story Davis..
There is a few second hand old models floating around..

???????????? triumph - Truck2Hand.com

Did you take pictures of the bike/rebuilding process..would be a good thread.

1958 Ttiumph T110 Tiger

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^I bought it in 1988 and took it down to Aranyaprathet with me. Took it to the PI in 1990. Brought it back to BKK in '93 and totally rebuilt it over the next few years. Left it in LOS with a friend when I left in '96. Passed it on to my friend in Pattaya around '98/'99. There were two big bikes on the Superstar wall. The black Triumph I bought and a black Harley, which eventually ended up on display in the lobby of a Chinese restaurant.

The Harley was given to a Thai "God Father" who owns a massage palour on Pattanakarn Road called Osaka. Apparently, it is on display there.

When my mate Left Superstar the Triumph was still there

^You are correct. I'd forgotten it was a massage parlor. One of the twins, I think Sam, told me a Thai mafia type came in one night and was admiring the Harley. His brother said, "You want it, come get it." A few hours later a truck pulled up, and it was gone.

Originally Posted by biff

That sounds like a good story Davis..
There is a few second hand old models floating around..

???????????? triumph - Truck2Hand.com

Did you take pictures of the bike/rebuilding process..would be a good thread.

I've got photos around someplace, but refuse to post photos on TD. Sorry.

Do you know if your friend still has your Triumph Davis?

^As far as I know.....

Originally Posted by biff

Hi been looking for a new bike(classic) .
Yesterday spend a few hours looking at Royal Endfield bikes..all models.
Also have looked at Yamaha's SR 400..(Japanese built, with price to match ..baht 290000..

I read somewhere here that one of the forum members has a Triumph..can't remember who..

Going to look at Triumph M/C Monday..interested in the Bonneville..anyone else have one purchased here please?
They have 3 factories here..Chonburi..concerned with build quality ..not because built in Thailand..
Don't like all the plastic on bikes these days..hence the classic bikes..

Triumph Motorcycles Thailand Price List

Any other new classic bikes anyone knows about please..

The bikes are assembled here but as far as I am aware the engines are made in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

^I had a totally restored 1958 Triumph Tiger T-110 in Thailand/Cambodia when I lived there.

Good job. Beauty of a bike.

^It was that. When I gave it to my friend, the bike was in LOS and I had settled here. I never would have put it on the road in Manila, but now that I live in a semi-rural area, I miss it.

I once fell off a Triumph 650 when the driver lost control and we slithered and rolled our way onto a garage forecourt. Only extreme drunkenness and being at home to Mr.Floppy saved our lives.

Happy days.

I have been looking at other choices in that price range...thought might as well see what else is available..

Had one of these whilst I was at Uni..good bike..never broke down..ran on the smell of an oily rag...
1972 Jawa Californian 350 - Bike-urious

I had a 79 T140V bonnieville, that I had for about 12 years , had it totally rebuilt and spent more money than was necessary ( it didn't even leak oil when they got done with it)but I really loved that bike, moved to Lao and it sat in my brothers garage in Perth Australia for about 7 years then I decided to sell it , thought about importing it to Lao but the tax would of killed the deal,, faark sure miss that rig.

The bikes are assembled here but as far as I am aware the engines are made in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

The bikes are manufactured completely in Thailand, to high standards, cylinder heads, blocks and gear casings are all machined here in Thailand. They have one of the best aluminium foundries in SEA.

It's a nice set up and the timing was perfect for the current boom in biking here.

Ah, I still like the old ones Andy, especially the pommy bikes, triumphs , nortons beezers etc, they are special. I was once passing by a small village in northern Sumatra on a bus heading for lake toba when I heard the distinctive sound of a 1945 or there abouts BSA, I got of the bus in that town to investigate, turns out there was hundreds of them, used to be a Dutch enclave, anyway the beezers were still running with sidecars and the town used them like Tuk Tuks , I was to late, the best ones had already been snapped up, bummer

Originally Posted by beerlaodrinker

I had a 79 T140V bonnieville,

I've had 3 of them. All of them US spec with peanut tanks and high handlebars. So damn easy to work on too. 2 of them fitted with 2-into-1 exhaust and bell mouths.

Got a Triumph dealer just round the corner from my house and I walk passed the shop every other day. Each time I'm tempted, very, very tempted too wipe off the cobwebs and dust from my riding gear and get another Bonnie.

As an aside, rode one of the first 'new' Bonnies, must have been around 82-84ish.

Mate part - exed his BMW for it.

Horrible thing, wouldn't go, stop or steer. I will never forget it because it was so bad, though in fairness it didn't leak oil.

Mate thought the same and swapped it back for his old BM after a month, lost a fortune on the deal.

If you really want one get an old one.

Not having a go at Triumph, they are making some good bikes nowadays.

Presumably your mate is a cretin? Surely such grievous failings would have been apparent during the lengthy test run?

Originally Posted by AndyCap

The bikes are assembled here but as far as I am aware the engines are made in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

The bikes are manufactured completely in Thailand, to high standards, cylinder heads, blocks and gear casings are all machined here in Thailand. They have one of the best aluminium foundries in SEA.

It's a nice set up and the timing was perfect for the current boom in biking here.

Aaah.
Not sure I would be content to buy one in those circumstances.

The new bikes are way overpriced in Thailand IMO. I was seriously looking a couple of years ago, but the price point was too high.

^ As are cars but...