5th Mar 2009, 16:33

I was one that wouldn't own another Triumph.

My Trophy 1200 sat in the garage awaiting depreciation as the lemon law lawsuit took a rather long time and it became easier (and cheaper) to simply dump the motorcycle.

The problems were many- starting with mirrors that folded back on the fairing at speed - replaced three times before finding some that didn't have the problem.

Replaced front brake rotors, terribly warped after the first year.

An "unfixable" (by the dealership - there are work-arounds) stalling problem where the bike would simply starve the carbs at about 1/4 tank of gas. Above that, it was fine. Below that it was rather unreliable after a few minutes on the highway. Dealer wasn't able to reproduce, of course, but video tape evidence was admitted to the case...

Had to replace the fuel petcock knob the first time the bike did the stalling trick, too, as it broke as I twisted it.

In an effort to fix the trouble, the dealer did rebuild the carbs. Gas mileage which had been around 35 (I used to joke that my Mini Cooper got better mileage!) jumped to mid-high 40's and the terrible cold rideability problems went away, but the stalling persisted.

The instruments that fogged on the inside...

The unreliable speedo.

The second set of brake pads.

I could go on (really - I could - it had electrical problems, too)

I was involved with a club of Trophy owners, and there were many that had similar problems. I had them all, and in my 25 years of riding, I've never had a bike that has to go to the dealer more than once in the maintenance period (the last time was my R1200, with leaking fork seals at 20,000 miles.

I'd not buy another Triumph. I'll also not buy another bike from the dealership, and discourage friends from doing the same.

Of course there are plenty of comments like the above, where someone's bike can go forever without trouble, and to those I toast, and hope that my problems were unique.

28th Mar 2009, 19:27

I own a 2002 Triumph Trophy 1200 and has been very reliable. 100,000 kilometers (60,000 miles) and runs like new. Only fork seals and a speedometer cable have been the unexpected problems.

Other than that, tires, brakes pads, one chain and sprocket set. The usual things you would have to do to any bike.

Have seen other Triumph Trophy forums where one owner had 130,000 miles and another with 221,000 miles with no major repairs.

These bikes are overbuilt, and will run forever if looked after by riders that know what they're doing when it comes to maintenance.

20th Dec 2009, 21:07

I am a British Expatriate living & currently working in Brunei Darussalam. In 1994/95 I purchased a 1200 Triumph Trophy new from the UK & exported it to Brunei.

I have to say that it has performed impeccably over the years. It has only covered 16,000 miles as it's really only a toy to me. However, when it is called upon to perform, it's over some of the worst roads one can imagine, tropical heat & in heavy tropical downpours, two up, full of luggage.

There are no Triumph dealers here, hence I do all the work myself. Perhaps that's part of the secret... if it ain't broke don't fix it!

Problems. Tyres, brakes, batteries, chains. They're not problems, they are consumables to be expected. Starting at times can be a booger, these engines are susceptible to plug gaps. Keep the plugs clean & gapped correctly. Batteries also need full charge to jump the gaps with a fat spark. Front indicator plastic mounts to the frame turned to plasticine in the heat! Rear brake stop switch replaced twice, however, I now believe this to be an air issue in the hydraulics, shall check that first, the next time it plays up. Givi hard luggage fixing kit hasn't held up well to the roads, & the fixing point to the frame had to be welded up once!

I have changed the oil & filter every 3000 miles so far, but now intend increasing this up to the recommended 6000 miles. I run on Shell fully synthetic.

This bike has held up very well over the years & I have no intention of selling her. It does what it says on the can & does it very well. This is a bikers bike. It needs very little maintenance & very little cleaning.

7th Oct 2010, 00:15

I bought a 95 Triumph Trophy 1200 new, and have owned and enjoyed it now for over 14 years. It has around 30,000 miles on it, and has needed very little routine maintenance, and one trip to the shop for a once over at 25k.

I use the bike sometimes as a commuter, sometimes for touring, weekend trips that include dirt roads up in the mountains, and once in a while, I take the mirrors off, tape up the lights and race around a track.

It has been a workhorse, I have other bikes that have come and gone, but this one just keeps starting up and asking what's next. Love the bike, I would recommend to anyone.

15th Jan 2011, 14:08

I bought my 1996 1200 Trophy in May 2010 1 week after passing my test. Straight in at the deep end from a 125 to such a heavy bike, but I have enjoyed 6000 miles of trouble free riding in all weathers.

Serviced it myself; new pads, oil filter, and replaced the tyres as the ones on it had done 9000 miles before I purchased it. I did 4000 more miles on them before I replaced them.

I would have another Triumph any day. Considered a big BMW, but going to wait till the new Trophy comes out and consider one of them.

28th May 2011, 12:12

You are being heisted. Change your workshop, they are obviously not up to the mark, and are taking you for a sucker!

12th May 2013, 07:19

I bought a '95 Triumph Trophy 1200, in the green color with carbon fiber mufflers last Fall. I bought it from a friend, who had bought it from another friend, who used to garage it at my house, so I knew the bike well. So well in fact, that I had put a good chunk of the 8000 miles on her (my friends rode Harleys and were not used to the power the Trophy 4 could unleash). I, however, have owned nothing but fast motorcycles; Honda V-65, Suzuki Madura 1200, Kawasawki GPZ 1100, to name a few.

I had not been able to ride since being struck by a car while riding my bicycle in 2008. I ran into the friend who I knew had the bike early last fall and asked if he was interested in selling it. He was, because he rarely rode it, I took it out for an afternoon, and was sold the first five minutes. The bike put life back into me.

Of all the bikes I have owned, the Trophy is the fastest, smoothest, most forgiving one yet. The only upkeep I had to do was replace the front fork seals and all the brake pads. The bike pulls real hard when I ask her to, and often on highway runs I glance down and find myself cruising at 100-110, not even realizing I'm going that fast. I did not have a manual and had to send away for one, as I did not know how to adjust the rear suspension, and it was a little stiff for me, especially for my injuries, but after I adjusted it, it was perfect. The bike has power to spare, stops better then any bike I've owned, and will bail you out if you make a mistake when doing some back road s-turn riding. It is a unique bike, and I've yet to see another like her, and feel myself lucky to own one.