Were All The Original T100 Bonneville 790cc Bikes Made At Hinckley?

Hmm well, putting it into that it gives me the manufacturer as Triumph at Jacknell Road but also says that the bike is from 1991

 

Lord this VIN identification business is doing my nut in! I have tried umpteen different 'FREE' VIn decoders. One gives a 2001 machine as a 2021 machine! Another couple give it as a 1991 machine. The 'Plant code' on mine is '2' but I can't find out what plant that actually means although I assume, as Bonnies were only made at Hinckley at that time it must relate to that plant?

 

Well, I have just been reading an article and it states that Triumph's destined for the USA market Must carry a Plant Identifier as the 11th character of the VIN number - J for Jacknell Road and they can carry a T for Thailand but also M for Manaus in Brazil and D for Manesar in India.
Bikes destined for the UK and European markets are, according to the article, not required to have a 'plant identifier' at all.

If you want to read the article it's here:
https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/news/2020/april/where-was-your-bike-made

 

It is indeed very puzzling. As I mentioned earlier, I came across an article that states that the 'J' at the 11th position is only certain to mean the factory of origin if the bike was intended for the American market and it would seem that, for all other markets Triumph didn't use VIN's that incorporate a Factory code. My two 2001 Bonnie's are made at Hinckley without a doubt as there weren't any Bonnie's being made anywhere else at that time and neither of them have a 'J' at the 11th position and neither do my two 2002 Triumph Sprint RS's which were also definitely made at Hinckley.

My guess now is that all the 790cc Bonneville's were built at Hinckley but I am still digging to try and find out when exactly production of Bonneville's shifted completely to the Far East.

 

I have to add that if you have a 'J' at the 5th position - SMTTJ that definitely doesn't mean that it is Hinckley built as, while my two Hinckley 790cc 2001 Bonnie's both have VIN's that start SMTTJ so does my 2014 T100 Bonnie which was definitely built in Thailand and my two Hinckley built Triumph Sprint RS's both start with SMTTF.

 

OK now here's some skinny 'from the horses mouth' that should make things a bit clearer (maybe). It's from an interview with Steve Sargent explaining the gradual move to manufacturing in Thailand. I have read this article before but never picked it apart to nail down the details. A couple of dates I have given are approximate as Mr Sargent says things like "about three years later" and I would guess that at one point where I estimate 2009 the actual year is likely to be 2008 as that coincided with a significant model change.

2001 Every Triumph Bonneville manufactured is entirely assembled in the UK with components from everywhere, tanks from a European supplier, high pressure cast crank cases from Europe and I am sure a plethora of parts from China. But, and this is key for me, at least a good part of the assembly and manufacture of the bike (including making the crank shafts) occurred in the UK.

2002 they started manufacturing Frames, swing arms and header systems in their new factory in Thailand but the bikes were still being assembled in the UK with some British and European components in the mix.

2003 They started manufacturing tanks in their Thai facility.

2006 (approximately) In a new Thai facility they started doing injection molded plastics, painting and some chassis assembly with engines being ship from the UK to be assembled into bikes in Thailand. I am guessing that, at this time, the bikes being produced in Thailand were for the overseas market as, otherwise it would make more sense to send the parts the other way, to the UK, for assembly. So we can more than likely assume that all Bonnie's that were built for the UK market up to 2006 were assembled in the UK.

2008 (approximately) They completed their third factory in Thailand which could do high-pressure casting of Crankcases, crankcase and cylinder head machining, frame painting and complete assembly of bikes and the Bonneville was one of the first to be wholly made in Thailand at that time so one can assume that that third plant in Thailand was set up to deal with the new EFI Bonneville and every carburettor equipped Bonneville was assembled in the UK while every EFI equipped model was built wholly in Thailand. In some consolation he does say that all camshafts and crankshafts were still made in the UK although I would imagine that has also now gone to Thailand. In the article, the year isn't clear as he says 'about three years later' and so I am guessing that the model change took place when assembly was wholly transferred.

I have to say that I am very disappointed with the way Triumph have gone and one of the big selling points for me of Triumph motorcycles was the fact that they were bloody classy and good British machines and were proudly British built but it would seem that Triumph now don't really care about the British market and are chasing the money, particularly in the Far East and Indian markets.
In the thread I had going about looking to get a scrambler one of the big reasons I finally decided to 'scrambler' a Hinckley Bonneville rather than buy a new Royal Enfield was that I realised that I was trying to pretend to myself that the Royal Enfield was a Brit bike that just happened to be built in Indian but, in my heart I knew that it would never be any more than a second rate Indian copy of a Great British original. I have sort of come to feel somewhat like that about my 2014 Bonnie as well. Jingoistic? Yes but hell most Americans wouldn't buy a Ford, Cadillac, Harley, Fender or Gibson guitar that was made anywhere else than the USA if they have the choice and the loot because they will always know deep in their psyche that it ain't the 'real deal' and I feel the same about British stuff. In every walk of life you will find that, if you don't have the loot for the 'real deal' you will settle for the Brand name on something made elsewhere but there will always be that little bit of your mind that says, "But it's not really a 'insert brand here' because it wasn't made in the homeland of the brand.

 

I seem to remember? having a similar conversation last year and establishing that my 2007 Bonnie was Uk built.
Now though, I’m not that bothered.
They’re good bikes and if they’re to your taste,then why get your knickers in a twist?