Previous bikes Pt 1

[Mick_J]

Following on from my "my garage" series of mini reviews I thought I would start a previous bikes review going back to 1994 when I bought my first new Big bike.

So after a series of Jap, Italian, German and British bikes in sizes from 175cc to 1100cc I decided to buy my first new big bike.  I actually wanted a BMW R1100r as a previous R65 had been really enjoyable but there were no BMW dealers near me with one in stock so I opted for a new Triumph Trident after a test ride proved very successful.  The bike was brilliant, the fit and finish of the bike was excellent, it had a good engine, brakes and handling, it was super smooth with plenty of mid range grunt.  The engine was so smooth I often found myself in fourth gear instead of sixth.  The only thing I was not happy with was the seat, as with most manufacturers they seem to fit low seats which slope down and taper off to a thin seat at the front to enable hobbits to ride their bikes but when you are full size its bloody uncomfortable and the dealer had no options apart from getting the seat altered.  I decided to write to Triumph as the Daytona used the same seat but with more stuffing making it ¾" higher, they sent a new seat to the dealer in a straight swap, which was much better.  I really enjoyed that bike, it did everything I wanted and it looked good to boot.
Once I got used to it I found a lot to like and not much to dislike, I think the two daftest things about the design of the engine and gearbox was that the oil had to be drained to change the front sprocket (although I never had to do it) and to change the air filter required the removal of the carbs.  I used the bike as my daily transport to work, to teach advanced riding skills to other IAM associates and for sheer pleasure without any problems in the eleven years I had it.  It was good on fuel, tyres, pads and chains / sprockets so was quite cheap to run and maintain.  I only had two problems, one of which was sorted under warranty which was the headlight brackets, they had corroded, once replaced there was never another issue with them, the other was a wheel bearing failed which was quickly sorted.  I changed the exhaust cans for lighter slightly louder ones, fitted an alarm/immobiliser, a belly pan and a small sports rack and that's how I kept it for all the time I had it.  A lot of people used to tell me they were a bit top heavy but I never found it to be a problem but I am over 6' 3".  I liked the large tank which meant I could get a whole days riding without having to stop for fuel unlike the modern trend of small 14 – 15 liter tanks.  The bike was very comfy even two up but as my wife had her own bike this didn't happen often.  During the time I had the Trident I tried quite a few other bikes but to me nothing came close to giving me what the Triumph did until 2000 when the second generation Speed Triple hit the streets, the engine had gone up to 955 (from 883, the same as the Trident) and everything had been moved on considerably, suspension, brakes, engine, chassis and weight.  I bought the Speed Triple (which I still have) and ran both bikes for a few years but as I due to leave the RAF after 30 years service I decided to let the Trident go and replace it with something a bit lighter and sportier as a retirement present to myself.