RE:[ST] Is Triumph Trying to Make Selling Their Bikes Harder

["Steven Kohlscheen" <TrumpST@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

<<
On another thread I am pursuing information on eye to eye shock length for
various years of RS and ST's.  As part of that search I sent an inquiry to
Triumph USA Customer Service.   It seems that Triumph UK will not disclose
that information.  It was also stated that they were reluctant to make
recommendations on non-Triumph parts.  Am I crazy or isn't putting pipes,
shocks, etc part of the whole bike thing???    Can you imagine walking into
a Suzuki dealer and have him say Suzuki can't help you find the right
Yoshimura pipe for your bike!
>>
Whoa there sparky.  Let's compare apples to apples.  Can you imagine Suzuki
USA Customer Service recommending non-Suzuki aftermarket parts to you over
the phone?  Better not, because they won't.  Company employees are usually
drilled not to do such a thing due to liability issues.  Walk into a Triumph
dealer and they will probably work with you on whatever you want to buy for
your Triumph.  I can't say every counter person will be knowledgeable.  Then
again, that's what the internet is for, research.  Sky King and Jack
Lilley's would be my first stop for Triumph goodies.  Check t595.net for
where they're members are getting their goodies.  Sometimes owning a
European bike means having to put alittle more work into finding things for
it than other kinds of bikes.  It's a shame, but seems to still hold true.
<<
Did you ever look in Dennis Kirk, or Chaparrel catalogs and try to find
something for a Triumph?   Notice how there is vertually a complete abscense
of after-market stuff compared to other brands?   I know, lots of you are
saying there aren't enough Triumphs to encourage the vendors.  Well that's
not true.  In talking to several vendors since purchasing my bike, the
concensus was that Triumph is very difficult to work with.  Couple that with
the abandon ship drill of dealers over the past few years and it really
makes you wonder if the business side of the house is going to kill a great
line of bikes.
>>
Why do aftermarket companies have to work with Triumph?  Here in the USA
they don't have to ask "mother may I" to build parts for a motorcycle.  If
there is a need, and they can design it, find a test vehicle, and
manufacture it.  They can sell it.  It's in Europe where they need to
homologate parts for sale, if I'm not mistaken.  So whoever is telling you
that Triumph is the roadblock in creating aftermarket goodies is lying to
you.  It's perceived demand and nothing else.  Compare the need of a few
thousand CBR600 riders to a few dozen Sprint ST riders for aftermarket
pipes.  This is the equation they are working, and the CBR riders are
winning out.

I'm just as frustrated as some of you about the lack of aftermarket support
on Triumphs.  I'd prefer to have more than 3 choices in replacement rear
shock for my bike.  But, until the aftermarket companies perceive us as more
buyers, they're not going to rush anything into production.

Steven "Dirty Dawg" Kohlscheen

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