|  | Topic : Riding a loaner today... |  |
| | | HooRad | | Set |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 19/01/2010 | | Posts | : | 280 | | Location | : | Richmond, VA, United States |
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| | Posted : 29 Apr 2010 - 19:57 Post title : Riding a loaner today... | | | I'm getting my longhaul seat and BC Hog Slayers installed today (finally!). The dealer was nice enough to offer me a loaner for the day and they gave me this...
All I can say is, WOW! Is that a fun little ride. It looks great. It's got acceleration to spare. Nimble. Telepathic steering. Comfortable seat. And what an exhaust note! I could get used to the Speed Triple, for sure. I looked down and I was doing 90 in a 45. I thought I was going maybe 65 mph. Oops! Now the riding position, on the other hand, is uh, painful. I liken it to riding a road bicycle where your hands get numb and your neck hurts after an hour or so. Don't worry, I'm not trading the bird in anytime soon (or ever). I would love to take that thing on the track, though.
Can't wait to hear the BC pipes in person, though. I'll post pics later...
So how do you like that, Circus Bear? (aka Thatch)  A little better than your loaner experience, I'll bet! You should have just stuck with Triumph!
| Not likely to die of natural causes. At least I hope not.
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| | | Kando | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 08/11/2009 | | Posts | : | 780 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 29 Apr 2010 - 20:17 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | | whoa buddy..........we get a choice of a High piped Bonnie or a ratty BMW single.....I'd take the Speed Triple any day. btw the speed thing is why I gave up my Sprint.....going 90 thinking 60? Although I have to say I find myself doing 85+ easily on the TBird!
Hoo any news on the loaded Cruiser lll bags?
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| | | HooRad | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 19/01/2010 | | Posts | : | 280 | | Location | : | Richmond, VA, United States |
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| | Posted : 29 Apr 2010 - 20:44 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: Kando) | | | I forgot to mention how different the wind is on the Speed. Since you're leaning forward you cut through the wind a little while the position on the bird makes your chest more of a sail and feel the wind much more. It is so weird to put your feet back onto the pegs too!
And Kando, as far as the bags go, I'm waiting for an overnight weekend trip with Miss Hoo to uh, see how they hang.  I'll let you know though. Regardless, I think they'll work, even if they'll need a microfiber cloth under them to avoid scratches and maybe a makeshift bracket to hold them off the wheels.
| Not likely to die of natural causes. At least I hope not.
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| | | daz | | Zeus | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/05/2009 | | Posts | : | 7,709 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 14:00 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | | HooRad wrote:
Now the riding position, on the other hand, is uh, painful. I liken it to riding a road bicycle where your hands get numb and your neck hurts after an hour or so. |
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See, this is what i never understood. I agree, and i'm sure a LOT of people do. Yet they never take bikes like this and put the motor into a REAL standard. I mean a bike who's ergs and looks are more along the lines of a bonnie. I mean, they don't have to make it vintage looking, but the point is to make a bike thats a true standard or in other words with ergs and geometry like bikes were back in the day but with todays technology. Want a great example of what i'm talking about look at the new nortons. There is at least one model made to look and sit like the nortons of yesterday but with today's suspension technology. Make a bike like that with a triumph triple engine and it's apparent from what i've read in the forums for years that there would be a line of people waiting to buy one. But all they make for the most part are sport bikes and what they sometimes CALL standards like the speed triple which are in fact nothing more than a sportie sans fairing and bars that are an inch higher. Can't count the times i've seen people at the forums say stick the triple in a bonnie style frame or do the same with a Tbird and i'm there. Take a hint triumph ! I really think thats the last empty slot in triumphs lineup and that it would be a great success.
| 2010 Blue/White Thunderbird, "Brutus". 1700 kit, short tors, gutted cat, UNI filter, filter seal off, custom tune. Brutus in his native habitat: Link
| | Post edited by daz on 30 Apr 2010 - 14:08 |
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 14:06 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | |
So how do you like that, Circus Bear? |
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Just a bit better than I fared. I'd love to get a street3 for a days ride. But the way I ride I'm quite sure I'd end up in trouble in short order. Thought I'm not sure I'd want it much longer than a weekend for what it would do to my back, wrists and balls.
Something tells me I'd not be avoiding that circus bear feeling on that bike either though.
I was going to pick on you for not just installing the BC pipes yourself (it's pretty easy) but the loaner bike is worth it. Let us know how you like your new pipes.
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| | | HooRad | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 19/01/2010 | | Posts | : | 280 | | Location | : | Richmond, VA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 15:33 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: Thatch) | | | I was wondering when you'd chime in Thatch! And yeah, you probably would have a little bit of a circus bear thing on that bike too. I'd love to see some pics if you ever do ride a speed3!
I was going to do the pipes myself (just rejetted the carbs and put new Cobra slash cut pipes on my girlfriend's '01 Marauder), but I had other things to have done including long haul seat, TOR map download, and coolant hose tightening so I just had them do it all. I must say I f***&*% LOVE THOSE PIPES!! First of all, they make the bike look much sleeker, more aggressive. I'm not a fan of the flared out aspect of the standard pipes. And the sound!! Wow. I hate to say it, but I think I was a little turned on listening to them for the first time! ;) And the longhaul seat with the back rest is a no brainer. It's so much more comfortable. Both for me and little Miss Hoo. Luckily for me, the "1" setting (most reclined) fits me fine. I can't imagine why anyone would move any further forward! If anything, it needs to have "1" as the most forward setting, and not the most reclined! Weird. So now, basically I'm done with customizing the bird. Ok, except for the BB kit which will come in short order. Oh, yeah, and the tuneboy download. OK, and maybe chrome wheels and pulley. 
So here are some pics I took on the maiden voyage with the BC pipes and the new seat. These were taken off a sideroad near route 5 east of Richmond. An absolutely beautiful place to ride near the James river with little traffic and great twisties. Oh, and there's a really cool hole in the wall little bar near a boat landing where the bird was well recieved.
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 15:44 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | | The BC pipes are somethin' aren't they? Loud enough to be aggressive, not loud enough to be obnoxious. Cruising is nice and quiet, twisting one off is a beautiful song. You should hear it once the BB kit is in, deeper, slower, more authoritative.
I'm with you on the styling too. It takes the bird from being a laid back sort of luxury liner (a cool look mind you but not so much my taste) to a sporty aggressive curve burner. I couldn't be happier with mine. Though I may end up losing them when I go to Germany (will be a sad day)
You need any help stripping those reflectors off?
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| | | HooRad | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 19/01/2010 | | Posts | : | 280 | | Location | : | Richmond, VA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 16:04 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: daz) | | | daz wrote:
See, this is what i never understood. I agree, and i'm sure a LOT of people do. Yet they never take bikes like this and put the motor into a REAL standard. I mean a bike who's ergs and looks are more along the lines of a bonnie. I mean, they don't have to make it vintage looking, but the point is to make a bike thats a true standard or in other words with ergs and geometry like bikes were back in the day but with todays technology. Want a great example of what i'm talking about look at the new nortons. There is at least one model made to look and sit like the nortons of yesterday but with today's suspension technology. Make a bike like that with a triumph triple engine and it's apparent from what i've read in the forums for years that there would be a line of people waiting to buy one. But all they make for the most part are sport bikes and what they sometimes CALL standards like the speed triple which are in fact nothing more than a sportie sans fairing and bars that are an inch higher. Can't count the times i've seen people at the forums say stick the triple in a bonnie style frame or do the same with a Tbird and i'm there. Take a hint triumph ! I really think thats the last empty slot in triumphs lineup and that it would be a great success. |
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I agree wholeheartedly, Daz. A triple with Bonnie ergos would be a game changer. I hate to say it, but the Harley XR1200 is a pretty cool standard, albeit with a suped up V-twin. Not wild about the styling, but it's much better that other HD fare.
Oh, and thanks Thatch for bringing up the reflectors. I'd never even noticed them. Until NOW! They must go. 
Actually, a Ducati monster would be perfect if they could more the pegs forward a bit. They're a little too street bike -ish as it. Oh, and the tank is a bit of a nutcracker too on hard braking. Great bike though.
| Not likely to die of natural causes. At least I hope not.
| | Post edited by HooRad on 30 Apr 2010 - 16:07 |
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| | | PES | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 03/01/2009 | | Posts | : | 927 | | Location | : | Tulsa, OK, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 16:56 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | | The pipes and seat look great! Crap, now I have to start saving my pennies all over again so I can add the same.to my bike
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| | | brackforce | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 18:45 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | | Wow. I'm so glad I ordered those pipes (except in black) and the dual long haul seat. I also got highway pegs and classic rider footboards. This whole waiting for 3 more months to get my bird sucks so much. I had the dealer install lojack for me, too. I figured it would be well worth it living in the crime ridden shit hole of a town I'm in now. Anyway, the dealer sent me some pics of the bike put together (before adding anything) so here's a looksie. I'm actually pretty excited about my color choice now. I wasn't so sure at first, and I can't say I'm thrilled until I see the bike in person, but, judging from the pics I've been getting, I think I made a wise decision. Of course I was going to get black since it's the fastest color and all, then I went for Phantom Red Haze because of the special edition nature of the thing, but I think the stars aligned in my favor when my dealer just happened to have the Blue Haze ones in and offered to give me the BB for the same price as the factory BB bike. The more I look at these pics, the more I like the blue haze. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it still has a somewhat aggressive look (will look ba-dass when I start blacking stuff out) but it's kind of soothing in a way, too. I could see how the red haze one might start to annoy me after a while. I think I'm going to be really happy with blue haze, especially since it'll probably look black to me when I'm look down at the tank during the ride. I'm starting to think Blue Haze might be even faster than black. I'm pretty sure I've read over nearly this entire site at this point. At least now I'm up to date. You guys have me thinking about Tuneboy, which would probably result in me ruining something and tearing my seat apart to get more air which would probably result in me buying a new one. I'm already dropping about $20 grand on this thing. You guys are a bad influence on me. :)
Now, if I could just sell my condo and not have to pay two mortgages I could buy a Thruxton or something to go with the T-bird...hmmm...I need to sell my car to get a truck....maybe I could sell a few guitars and maybe the CJ750. I COULD trade in the America for a Scrambler or Bonnie. At this rate it'll be only a matter of time before I'm bankrupt. When that happens I'll just have to jump on my TBird and ride to Mexico.
  
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 18:53 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: brackforce) | | | she looks good Brack. I'm due to go down there this afternoon to pick up an order. I'll make sure I take a look at it. I've not seen any of the haze bikes in person. I did see an SE in the shop a few days ago. Lets just say they aren't for me.
I think you are right on the red haze vs the blue haze. The red has a bit too much contrast and looks a bit cartoony ... The blue is more subtle and works a bit better. But then I'm one that thinks red and cruiser just doesn't go together.
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| | | brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 19:05 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: Thatch) | | | I totally agree. I've never been much of a color guy. My last two cars have been black. My bike is black. My other bike is panzer grey, with a ton of black. 90% of my wardrobe is black. My computer has a black cover. Most of my tattoos are black with splashes of color here and there. I just like black. What can I say, but this time I decided to try something a little bit different. I would never consider the straight up red bike and I really do like the color schemes that Triumph produces with vintage style looks and racing stripes, but I don't know if those really fit me. They're great to look at, but I'm not sure if I could see myself on one. I decided that this haze thing my be to my liking for a change since it fades from black to a color. The more I thought about it the less I liked the red haze one. I'll give the blue a try and if I end up just hating it for whatever reason then I'll just pull the painted pieces, which shouldn't be that big of a deal, and paint them black. From what I've seen though, I'm digging the color. Let me know what you think when you see them in person! Mark says the pics don't do it justice.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| | | HooRad | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 19/01/2010 | | Posts | : | 280 | | Location | : | Richmond, VA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 19:36 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: brackforce) | | | Damn, Brack! Now I have a new favorite color! That blue haze is ba-dass!! Looks pretty fast too. Imagine how great it'll look with the BC pipes!
| Not likely to die of natural causes. At least I hope not.
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| | | brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 19:43 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: HooRad) | | | Yea, Man. I can't wait to get the powder coating done. I think the black and blue will be awesome. Actually, I can't wait to get back to the States so I can ride the damn thing. Maybe I'll take a long ride to Richmond (it isn't that far) and show it off. We'll stop by the studio and see if the guys from Lamb of God want to ride bitch with us (if you're into metal that is.)
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
| | Post edited by brackforce on 30 Apr 2010 - 20:36 |
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 22:25 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: brackforce) | | | Well I saw it. These are crap pictures but they show it's there and it's marked 'sold' as you can see.
And here she is from the side.
I talked to Mark a bit about the bike and what all he is doing. Bad news is I heard the Big Bore kit is back ordered. Of course you've got a few months before it's a real problem.
I will say that I think the phantom color looks better in person than in pictures. Typically the pictures make it look like there is a fairly harsh line between the black of the horizontal surfaces and the blue vertical surfaces but that's not how it is. The transition is actually fairly subtle. It looks good.
I met a Major in the shop who had recently bought an SE and the showroom had another 3 tbirds in it. The choppers and bobbers are getting squeezed out as more and more Triumphs are being sold. (two thruxtons in the last week... .pretty good) Apparently they are up 25% over last years sales. Thats great to hear these days. It's good to see the shop doing well and even better that they are actually a good shop that follows through with good service.
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| | | DVR | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/10/2009 | | Posts | : | 651 | | Location | : | I'm Denis, from Belgium |
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| | Posted : 30 Apr 2010 - 23:47 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: Thatch) | | |
Thatch wrote:
Though I may end up losing them when I go to Germany (will be a sad day)
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You won't , I am sure.
My German friend just installed the Remus exhaust and he removed the inside damper pipe completely.
He has been riding like that for a few weeks now and nobody complained. He loves the sound they make.
It was his dealer who told him how they usually do it when they sell a legal TUV approved exhaust. Either they cut the
inside damper to make it shorter and give it a little more sound or for the hard core guys they just remove it all together.
Just take them along and after you bike is registered put them back. Nobody will now or care.
| 1700 limited edition phantom black
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| | | brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 01 May 2010 - 06:29 Post title : Re: Riding a loaner today... (Re: Thatch) | | | Thanks for the update! Sucks to hear that the BB is backordered, but hopefully it won't be too long before it comes in and gets installed. I'm glad I went a head and ordered everything now. I'll be pretty upset if they don't get it all done in 3-4 months. It should be plenty of time to get things sorted. Did mark say anything about the powder coating? I'm still waiting on word/quotes. They finally charged my card for the other accessories I ordered, too, so hopefully they're on the way as well. They have two Thruxton's, huh? That's interesting. I've never seen one in there. What color were they? How'd they look? I've really been considering getting a cafe racer for zipping around town, although, it's not necessary. I think I've developed a bike addiction. I should just calm down and enjoy the T-bird. I'm afraid if I get a Thruxton or Bonnie I'll be in the same boat I was with the America, just itching for a little more power. I agree with what I've read before about needing a sixth gear. I know you can modify the Thrux to get more power out of it, but that's more money to go along with all I've already spent. I'm not surprised that the choppers are getting overrun by more practical bikes. I've never been very impressed by the customs they had in the shop. They always have crazy colors and look way over the top, plus they just don't look comfortable at all. I'll take a bike like the T-bird any day that cruises in style, but can make the long run too. I've mentioned to a few guys over here that I'm selling my America and I've had 4 people say they're interested, but don't want to do the deal until we get back. I'm torn on whether I should wait until I get home or consign it over to Hotrodz to get that money dropped on my T-bird loan. I think the America will go pretty fast even though it has a couple of scratches on the exhaust and saddlebags from a slight fall I had a while back. Used ones are really hard to find. It seems that people hang on to their Triumphs. I was looking for used Thruxton's and there's like 3 or 4 total on cycletrader and ebay combined. I appreciate the pics!
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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