Buying Triumph’s Trophy,

Triumph’s tilt at BMW’S mighty R1200RT tourer was a valiant effort – the Trophy is fast, comfortable and sumptuously equipped. And it’s cheaper than a pre-loved BMW RT…

SUSPENSION LINKAGE

The rear linkage is critical on these, because if it seizes it can wreck the rear shock and a new Triumph replacement will set you back £1300. The linkage’s needle bearings need greasing when the bike’s serviced, but I’ve noticed some main dealerships overlook this; you can’t rebuild the Triumph shocks so you have to buy new – even an aftermarket one will cost over £500.

GEARBOX

Clumsy clutchless downshifts seem to cause gearbox problems. I’ve seen a couple of completely destroyed gearboxes with wrecked dogs, cogs, shafts, the lot. The symptom to watch out for is it jumping out of gear under power – usually between second and third. Fortunately the gearbox on the Trophy is a cassette type so it’s pretty painless to replace a couple of gears. Expect to pay about £100 per gear.

FRONT SUSPENSION

Look out for a bit of a knock when you ride over small bumps – it normally means the slide bushes in the forks are worn. It’s not a massive issue – you can live with it, and it doesn’t destroy the seals – but some riders find it annoying. Also check the back of the fork legs for pitting – maybe because stones are flicked up and damage the forks where you can’t easily see.

SERVICE

They’re relatively easy to service, though like a lot of modern bikes the routing of the ABS lines makes access difficult. The service intervals are 10,000 miles, with a big service every 20,000 – that’s the valve clearance check, rear suspension strip etc. I also change the brake fluid and coolant at that interval, though it’s not on the official schedule for 20K. I charge £395 for a major service, using genuine Triumph parts.

EARLY BIKES

The first bikes out of showrooms had several issues that were fixed through a recall. The biggest one was noisy cylinder heads, but there was also a recall for the ECU. It’s worth checking these have been done.

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS

These are rare because unlike the Japanese and Italian manufacturers, Triumph grease all the electrical connector blocks.

COSMETICS

Condition really depends on the kind of life it’s lead. I’ve seen some with rotting engine cases, and others with 60,000 miles that look like they’ve done 6000. Rust spots tend to be caliper bolts and fairing fasteners, but in general the Trophy lasts well.

VALVE CLEARANCE

You need to have them checked every 20,000 miles because there’s no telling if they’ll need doing or not. Some bikes go 60,000 miles without needing any adjustment, some need all of them adjusting at 20,000 miles. There’s no way of telling, so you need to get them looked at.

BRAKES

The official service schedule doesn’t tell you to service the brakes so I often see pads seized into position. This can often make the brake lever feel very good – it’s solid – but of course the brakes don’t work well. It’s worth checking the condition of the calipers.

REAR WHEEL

If you detect a small amount of play at the back wheel, don’t worry – it’s completely normal. The type of bearing that’s used in the rear drive box can’t be pre-loaded, so you get a bit of play. The final drive itself is solid – I’ve never had to replace one.

CAM TIMING

This needs resetting at the first big service. It’s worth checking on the service sheet if it’s been done.

HEAD BEARINGS

Some new bikes leave the factory with the head bearings over-tight, which can lead to notchiness. Sometimes if you catch it early enough you can cure it by taking the pressure off the bearings by slackening the headstock bolt by an eighth of a turn. This should really be caught at the PDI (pre-delivery inspection), but it often isn’t.