Classic style bike. new Triumph or Ducati?

Which would you prefer for a new bike with classic look. The Triumph bonneville, scrambler, thruxton or Ducati GT 1000, sport 1000.

I really like the looks of all of them. Never driven one of them, just seen them.

Would love some imputs from you owners.

Short answer for me is that as much as I am drawn to the looks of the Triumphs, the power was sorely missing when I test rode 3 of them(America, Bonneville and a Thruxton). From all accounts the Ducati's actually DO at least perform like a contemporary bike. Something about all that empty space above the rear wheel on the GT 1000 however leaves me wondering if the looks are satisfying enough. Not exactly a neo-classic per se, but the Guzzi Bellagio would be a strong contender if only it were available in my market.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words and I agree

those two bikes look awsome. But for the guzzis I like the V7 classic and V7 cafe better.... they have the real classic look But dont know too much about the guzzis are they reliable? and how are they to drive?

I'm kind of tired of the matte black paint on some of these bikes. That Guzzi would be awesome in a pearl white.

I don't think I could buy a retro-styled current production bike as it just wouldn't seem right to me, but I'm a bit of a randian in terms of aesthetics I suppose:)

I do appreciate classic looks, just not on new machines. I think if I were in the market I'd be looking for a bevel drive like this one
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=410408&highlight=bevel

The Ducati is drop dead gorgeous - no doubt about it but, Not very comfy IMO and they just sit weird (and I'm a sport bike kinda guy).
The Triumphs have plenty of power for what they are and are actually comfortable & designed to ride...

I was in a similar situation when I bought a bike. I liked the gt1000, the moto guzzi and the thruxton. The ducati is beautiful bike but a complex engine and expensive. I went with the thruxton, had the fairing, tors and higher bars and its a great bike IMO. Looking and running, etc. Plus easy to maintain and easy to modify.

You need one of these

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2008/11/hyde-harrier-jubilee-gives-tri.html

Based on a Triumph Bonneville, mucho trick

I have lusted over the V7 since last year's Milan show, even tried to convince myself I could live with the modest power output. I finally had a chance to ride the Breva 750 (same bike as V7) and my hopes were dashed. As an around town putter it would be a fine bike but on the freeway at an indicated 80 mph that 'little' engine was working pretty hard. Mind you I am 200+ lbs in the B-day suit and a (much) lighter rider might be a better fit.
As others have suggested, a Bellagio fitted with a V7 body work and cafe seat would be a nice bit of kit. Even a V7 cafe (prone) styling exercise on the Big Breva, i feel would have made more sense than on the very modest Breva 750. The more upright position on the Classic would certainly makes the 750 mill easier to live with.

I actually bit the arm off of a man that tried to throw a leg over my Triumph Scrambler without asking.

True story.

The Triumphs get a crap load of attention as well. Can be a bit uncomfortable at times. I've taken to calling mine The Movie Star.

Excellent bikes for just cruising around. Plenty of power for that too.

I do love the looks of the Thruxton also, but it's just too under powered IMHO.

Bellagio '09

You could get a used Triumph classic like that Thruxton and the money you save you could then spend on hotter cams and more open pipes. Thunderbike claims they can get close to 80 hp at the rear wheel with their kit.

Forget about the horsepower and the cost; you'll never have more fun riding anything than one of the new Triumph twins:







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Man that flat green is hot. I love my red and white but man is that sharp. The pinstriping looks great by the way.

Yer right about them being fun. I was looking at trading in the Scrambler on some higher powered machines but I just couldn't do it. These classics are just oh so right.

Yer missing out on the carbs though. How is the EFI treating you?

My Thruxton was plenty fast. Remove the air injection crap, put on some 'Offroad Mufflers', rejet, some ICON shocks and your good to go. I really miss that bike

The FI runs clean and pulls hard from any rpm, and no popping on deacceleration. The first tank of gas yielded 45 mpg on a mixture of riding. I think that will improve.
Read Peter Egans editorial in the January issue of Cycle World. He (and several of his friends) just got a Triumph twin. They feel about the same as I.



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sounds like you all love your triumphs they are cool looking bikes. If they are as great driving as they look, its a awsome bike.