Faults:

3x sprag clutch, fork seals, wiring harness, ignition coils.

General Comments:

Wonderful. It was designed for someone exactly my size, 6'3". Have done well over 1000 miles in a day several times. Cruises easily at 140mph as long as the fuel lasts. Mine is number 202, one of the first ever built at Hinckley in the first batch. Has never ever let me down.

I have replaced the forks and brakes with 1000/1200 Daytona items and have a Maxton rear shock and matched fork upgrade, so the handling is very, very good. Have done dozens of track days on it.

It looks very ropey now after 22 years and many winters of riding, but it goes as new. I have had it on a dyno at intervals, and it still makes about 118 BHP at the rear wheel, just as when new. Uses no oil and the engine noise is only slightly louder than my other (number 204) identical model with 20,000 recorded miles. MPG was 37 MPG over 140,000 miles, but I decided to renew the carb jets and found the earliest (larger) jets were still fitted, so replaced them with rec. size. MPG is 10% better now.

I also have 1000 Daytona, 1200 Daytona, TT600 and 675 for comparison. All totally reliable.

Anyone with a question on these earliest bikes can email me on trophy12@supanet.com and I will try to help.

Faults:

Misfiring, when accelerating. Found not to be carburetter problems. Eventually diagnosed as an ignition coil breaking down.

General Comments:

Great value for money, comfortable tourer.

Surprisingly good acceleration, although mpg is not as good as many modern bikes of the same type.

Also top heavy. This takes some getting used to, but once moving, this bike is a dream to ride.

I had a skittish 600cc Suzuki Bandit previously, and although it was a very reliable bike, it was not very comfortable on long runs, nor did it give any protection from the elements.

The Trophy gives excellent protection, is less prone to cross wind issues and is what it is, ie a big heavy powerful touring bike. If you are not worried about mpg, then these bikes are a lot of fun for low cost.

Faults:

Slight misfire at low revs when accelerating.

General Comments:

This is a vastly underestimated tourer, with plenty of power and comfort to match.

Although its looks are not to everyone's taste, the large fairing gives excellent protection from the elements.

It is great fun to ride, has phenomenal acceleration, and has 'presence' on the road, ie if car drivers cannot see a Triumph Trophy coming, they need a sight test.

Only a couple of negatives. It is a very top heavy bike, and therefore difficult to handle in slow traffic.

It has a very large turning circle, and is difficult to manoeuvre off the stand manually. Probably sounds stupid, but a low geared reverse gear, as fitted to some big tourers would have been a welcome addition.

Also a gear indicator would ALSO have been useful. I am often not in top gear when I should be, because the engine is so flexible.

In summary. Although the Trophy is no longer in production, it is a lot of bike for very little money. I see no reason to spend upwards of £12k for a touring bike, when a £3k to £4k Trophy 1200 gets all you need.

Final tip, always get on, and off it on the side stand and pull it upright. If it falls over you'll need several helpers to pick it up and to avoid a hernia.

Faults:

Bike was stood for 2 years, so needed the carbs stripping and cleaning, as it kept flooding.

I have just noticed there is a fork seal weeping; all related to age of bike.

The fairing, once removed, never goes back on properly!

At low speed it handles like a puppy on a lead, and the turning circle is pathetic, it takes me about 10 shunts to get it out of my gate.

General Comments:

The bike is very quick, but doesn't instill confidence when entering a corner at speed. It is quite comfy 2 up.

The cooling fan comes on after very short time, but so far it has been reliable, so I suppose that's what it's all about.