Hi All, I am new to the forum but not new to bikes. I live in the country that now produces the gorgeous new Triumph twins. I started biking in the 60's on a Tiger Cub and then graduated to a Tiger110 which I converted into Bonneville specked café racer. Both bikes were ridden on the Dragon Rally in 63 and 64 and me being 16 and 17 years old respectively. My second return trip from North Wales on the T110 culminated in a huge speed wobble at over 100mph (trying to catch a BMW) which found me and the bike overtaking trucks and cars on my bum on the fast lane of the M1. After that get off I managed to buy a BSA Gold Star front end complete with 180mm front brake which improved the handling of the T110 no end. I emigrated to Australia in 1968. In Australia I owned a 1956 Triton and many Ducati's and a couple of Harleys bought after I reached 50 years old. I also loved to ride in the dirt and had many KTM;s My work bought me to Phuket in 2000. I currently own the first Truxton R to be sold here in Phuket. I had previously bought a Thruxton 900 and even though the dealership told me about the new liquid cooled twins coming out in the next year I insisted I wouldn't be interested in a water cooled Triumph twin. That is until I saw it and read all the reports. I immediately ordered the Truxton R. My young wife currently riding a 1200 Sportster said she could have the 900 if I bought the R. Problem solved! So Now we have Harleys and Café racers and of course scooters. We rarely drive a car. I love bikes. My Father was Flight engineer in the war and after returning started an engineering business in Maidstone which I worked at after I left school. Now at 70 years I have a great man cave with several mills and lathes MIG and TIG etc etc. I do all my own work on the bikes I did delve into reprogramming the Thruxton 900 ECU after the dealership couldn't get it to run with the new exhaust and air filters I fitted. I also owned a Sprint 1050 for a few years on which I toured Europe with my wife who was on Ducati monster. Bikes were kept at an old mates place in Maidstone. I love all bikes but have a special feeling towards the Triumph brand having cut my teeth on them. Sorry if my summary is a bit long It's just that I am quite passionate about bikes Alan Matthews
Hi Alan it's OK we are all passionate about bike's on here as long as they are not BMWs We love lots of photos.Welcome to the nut house you should fit right in. Tucker
Hi Alan - welcome to the forum and don't apologise for the summary. It's interesting. Don't apologise for the BM either. One of my favourite bikes was an R1150R Rockster. Downside was, with a knackered knee I need to stretch my leg out frequently and the flat twin didn't lend itself to that. Both that bike and the current Street Scrambler remind me of the bikes from my early biking days in the 60's [not the huge CC's we take for granted these days, just the feel of the ride]. One of my fondest memories of Thailand is eating at a street food market in Phuket. My wife and I wandered about and ordered fabulous looking food from several traders and sat down to await its arrival. We expected small portions going by the prices we'd paid. When the food turned up there was enough for a banquet for half a dozen people. Not wanting to offend anyone, we ploughed our way through as much of the mountains of grub as possible and could barely move by the time we'd finished. An embarrassing torture at the time but funny in retrospect. Cheers, Steve
Sawadee Khun Matthew. I have a Bonneville and an airhead BMW in Los Angeles but live part time in Krabi, Thailand near Phuket. My wife and I have a 2nd home there and I'll be there next month. I'm going to the bike show in BKK this February. Are there any good shops with either old Honda or new Triumph parts and accessories? Preferably in the south of Thailand but Bangkok would be of interest to. I'm thinking of getting a Thai Stallion 150cc in Krabi. Any input on those?
Hi Richard, nice to hear from a fellow "Thai" we sometimes like to ride to Ao Nang for an overnight mini break. And love Koh Lanta if we want a longer trip. We have quite a few good bike shops here in Phuket. Let me know if you want more details. Is th Thai Stallion one of those small Cafe Racers I see the locals buzzing around on? They are pretty cool looking little bikes. When in February is the BKK bike show? Might go myself. Cheers Alan
Hi Steve good to hear you have enjoyed our local cuisine. We are spoilt here with great variety and quite inexpensive. BUT I do miss good old British fish n chips. I have to admit I have owned a couple of BM's but I really never liked them much. I was chashing the one
Phone sent the unfinished message. Or my large fingers did! Yes I was Chasing the German on the Beemer on the M1 in 1964 coming home from the Dragon rally and fully intended to show him the rear of the best of British engineered machinery. However with tents and gear loaded up on the back I should have known better. The German never even knew I was after him and thankfully he wasn't able to laugh at my tank slapper that was so intense that both my thumbs put quite substantial dents in the petrol tank. Thanks to my clipons Lucky both bike and myself survived the event and we limped home both sore and sorry. Happy you also enjoyed the 60s on motorcycles. I used to hang around with Paul Smart at his dads café the Enterprise. Great days:- Racemaster helmets and goggles , bellstaff jacket, white socks over the top of the boots Ahhh those were the days. Sorry you young guys but you did miss out on the best days of British motorcycles, we had them all. Although I have to say I think that the 2016 on twins are done so well for a retro of the originals. If I had been riding one of these machines I would have shown my backside to the German without kissing the tarmac.
Sawadee Alan and welcome. So jealous you get to live there riding around such an amazing land. I have been many times and will be moving semi permanently to the region in the, hopefully not too distant, future. We are in Phuket early February, staying in rawai. Can you recommend somewhere to get a scooter for a few days. Would be perfect for our Bonnie scrambler, but that will have to wait!
Alan, The bike show is Jan 31 to Feb 4th. http://www.bangkokmotorbikefestival.com/ I'm flying up on Saturday morning and staying in Bangkok for the weekend. Yes, the Thai Stallions are little 150cc and 'big' 400 cc bikes made in Thailand. They are based on old Honda engines that may or may not be made in China, I never could get a straight answer. Their website is awful, http://www.centaurthailand.com/. Yes, I would really appreciate the the names a few bike shops in Phuket as I suspect I'll be on the Island sometime this trip. Ride safe over the New Years holiday, it's crazy on the roads.
Hi there Mick, I live in Rawai and I have a spare scooter you could use for your stay. My phone number is 0899087133 it would be good to catch up for a beer.
So Hi Richard, I don't know anything about the stallions but I have seen many of them on the road and they are a pretty cool little bike. I also will be going to the Bangkok bike show at Central World. I happen to be going to BKK that weekend and thanks for letting me know about the show. I will be there on Saturday. If you are there call me on 0899087133 and we can hook up.