So initially we were due to go in June 2020 which was then postponed due to Covid to June 2021, Sep 2021 before actually happening Oct 2021. We'd booked the VIP tour as it was for Dad's birthday so that's £225 for 4 people Max rather than £20 each. I'd read you got more inc a book etc but didn't really know how much more before I went.
We got there at 9.30 and had to wait till 10 when the Cafe/factory tour open but no big deal and would rather be early. Our guide told us we'd skip the Cafe for now as we'd better get into the factory as the workers tend to slope off very early on a Fri as once they've finished their work load they could finish for the week. First part of the tour was a massive warehouse full of packing racks with loads of complete bikes on them, like a Toys R Us but for bikes
. There were also loads of parts as you'd expect and some complete test bikes which Triumph have to keep for market homologation purposes. Most were for China. Apparently they are sent to China for tests and once complete they get sent back but must be kept for X number of years before being crushed. We then moved onto where they make the crankshafts which was pretty cool seeing them being ground/finished etc. The guide said all the cranks are made in the UK then shipped to Thailand. Didn't look like anything other than cranks/cams were made in Hinkley engine wise. The quality control part was pretty through with various parts being taken off/out of packing cases and measured/tested to very exacting standards. The guide was really good as well explaining how everything worked and how important every minute saved is to each process.
A quick trip through R&D including seeing the 3d printed Trident 660 was followed by the paint shop. I loved this. I find people spraying bodywork very therapeutic. All the paint was done by hand in a separated booth with a running water system to take away all the over spray. There were some lovely finished tanks too including a new colour scheme for next year...which I can't now remember
Following that was the assembly line where no actual bikes were being made although there were about 15 completed bikes ready to go. There was also a line of factory specials like David Beckham's Scrambler and other famous Trumpets. The actual factory tour was over about 2 hours after it started. Overriding thoughts were it's a massive space with not much going on. Paint shop was the busiest.
We then had some lunch with a bacon/sausage bap and coffee free with the VIP package in the Triumph Cafe which was pretty cool. There were a few bikes to sit on in the cafe too. The Thruxton was nice but felt really narrow with nothing to grip onto with your legs and the bars were too low for me. The Bobber was awful to sit on, the most uncomfortable riding position I've ever felt with arms and legs forward and your body folded in the middle. Finally there was a Rocket 3. This surprised me a lot as out of all the bikes on the tour this probably impressed me most. It's not my thing but it's certainly a quality product. Every fitting is just really nice and things like rear footpegs and hangers that fold up so as to disappear into the subframe so you can't see them when folded at all I thought was pretty neat. The guide who was also having lunch was saying how good the Rocket 3 was to ride. To be fair to the guide he spent half his lunch chatting bikes with us and going through the bikes in the cafe.
Following lunch we went into the museum which was really good. There are a load of Bond bikes in there at the moment due to the new film so there were all the actual bikes from filming and Daniel Craig's personal bike. Again the guide was really good talking about every bike in the museum and telling us all about the move from Meriden, the big fire and the plans for next year. Personal highlights were the original Bonnies, Speed Triple, Guy Martin's record attempt bike and the Great Escape bike. By this point I was a bit biked out....But there was more upstairs! Lots of stuff on the design processes involved in the Rocket 3 with cut outs, clay models etc. Some specials which became the Bobber and Scrambler 1200 and then finally a line up of the current Triumph range. These all have 'Do not touch' signs but the guide let us jump on and off as we just generally chatted bikes and what each one was like. Personal favs were the Speed Triple and the Speed Twin. The Twin especially looked really good.
Finally we got to the shop at the end and we got a bag of stuff including a coffee table book of the history of Triumph, a wallet and a load of badges/patches etc.
By the time we were done it was gone 4pm! So gotta say I thought it was pretty good value for money as the guide was great and spent all day with us and there was more than enough to see, even if the factory itself doesn't have a whole lot going on in it. I did see the standard tour going round and that looked like you got the same factory tour but with less time and about 20 people to 1 guide. They also didn't get the guided tour of the museum which was probably the best bit, although you could go round on your own. Must say I couldn't believe how much the guide remembered about pretty much all of it, he certainly knew his stuff.
All in all a good day out.
So would I buy a Trumpet now....Hmmm. Must say I have been sneaking peeks at late model Speed Triples and Speed Twins over the weekend
I went on a Friday too as I was told the factory doesn't work at the weekend, but like you had, there wasn't much going on on the assembly lines, just 2 people on the line assembling 2 bikes, so that was a bit of a disappointment as I was expecting to see all sorts of things being assembled.
