Triumph US sales top 10,000

[Bob]

Triumph has announced that sales in the US have passed the 10,000 mark in a single year for the first time since the company returned to America in 1995.

Triumph's growth this year was led by the new Daytona 675, which won best bike honours from both Cycle World and Motorcyclist. The new Scrambler has also been cited as a sales success.

"All of us at Triumph are proud of achieving this important milestone." said Mark Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, Triumph Motorcycles (America ) Ltd. "I'd like especially like to thank all of our dealers who pulled out all the stops to hit our numbers this year. Now we're all going to focus on breaking Triumphs all-time US sales record of 28,500 units which was set in 1967 within the next 5 years."

[Bonez]

Triumph has announced that sales in the US have passed the 10,000 mark in a single year for the first time since the company returned to America in 1995.

Triumph's growth this year was led by the new Daytona 675, which won best bike honours from both Cycle World and Motorcyclist. The new Scrambler has also been cited as a sales success.

"All of us at Triumph are proud of achieving this important milestone." said Mark Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, Triumph Motorcycles (America ) Ltd. "I'd like especially like to thank all of our dealers who pulled out all the stops to hit our numbers this year. Now we're all going to focus on breaking Triumphs all-time US sales record of 28,500 units which was set in 1967 within the next 5 years."What crap. They are NOT the same Triumph.

Good to see they're selling ok though.

[Bob]

What crap. They are NOT the same Triumph

Just as well really, seeing as how the Meridian incarnation slipped away into producing utter junk and went bust!

I suppose it is to do with when I got into bikes (ie. after the previous incarantion fell by the wayside), but I don't buy into this whole "It isn't Triumph..." bit. The old company failed, due to lack of investment, arrogance etc (there is a fantastic book on the fall of the British Motorcycle Industry, called "Whatever Happened to the British Motor Cycle Industry" by Bert Hopwood that goes into far more detail than I ever could).

Thank the Lord Mr Bloor bought up the name and rights (and probably a pile of debt along the way) and had the vision to put Triumph back together again... albeit in a new location... and give the company it's own ID - going with a trademark triple was inspired, if you ask me... no-one else was heading in that direction.

OK, if some Korean bought Matchless and started churning out single-cylinder 125 learner bikes (125cc capacity limit for leaners here in the UK), then it would be fair to bandy the "It isn't Matchess" line about. But a British company, based not all that far from the original, making motorcycles - and admittedly trading on the old name and using the old bike names as well to invoke nostalgia. Far as I am concerned that is Triumph. In every sense of the word.

(Puts soapbox away)

It is the same with Indian in the US. You get to hear "It isn't Indian... it wasn't Indian... what about the vertical twin Indians in the 1950s". Again, the original Indian went bust. The revival in the 1990's looked like it was going to make it (they were shifting decent numbers of bikes towards the end), but the venture capitalists weren't in it for the long-haul. The next revival - which should hopefully get into action later this year - will doubtless have people saying "It isn't Indian". Well it is. Again, they're looking, as far as I am aware, to recreate the old Indian concept (in terms of engine configuration). Again, they've moved to a new location, but one at which they can build a plant that will meet their needs.

When they come back - they WILL be Indian. An American company, making motorcycles and - I hope this is right - feeding off their history and looking to do something different to H-D... still cruisers obviously.

Oh - and back to those vertical twins they put out in the 1950s. I've gone over this with Motu way back. I always discount those, as they were just re-badged British bikes, in a last-ditch attempt to save the company name. By that point Indian were not making their own bikes... so to my mind, were not the Indian Motorcycle Company.

(I'll put me soapbox away again... sorry, got a passion for Indian - though I don't think I ever want to try to ride one! Left hand throttle? Gear-stick? And all sorts of other oddities? But if anyone said I could have an Indian Scout from the last incarnation, I'd snatch it out of their hands!)

[Indiana_Jones]

I'm with Bob,

It's still Triumph. They happen to make bikes people want now, that's why they went under before.

-Indy