Faults:

Oil leak when new. Seal replaced under warranty.

Head light bulbs and instrument bulbs have been replaced.

Carburetors plugged up once, my own fault; left it parked all winter.

General Comments:

I should probably want a new motorcycle, but I don't. I have so much fun on this thing every time I ride it.

I had a DynoJet carburetor kit and some Micron slip-ons installed a few years ago with impressive results. The motor has a great personality, the power is easily accessible with no four cylinder buzz.

Everyone says these bikes are top heavy, it's only noticeable when not moving or at extremely slow speeds, I don't consider it a problem.

Very stable at high speeds. Big sweeping curves are lots of fun. Even though it's not considered a real sport bike, it does pretty well against the repli-racers on a curvy road.

I could get a serious sport bike, but then I'd have to give up some comfort and I'm not old enough for a cruiser, so, I think I'll keep it.

Faults:

The ignition coils failed after about 8 years, as did the ignition pickup coil. Very common with T3 Triumphs.

At about 12,000, clogged carburetors caused running failure.

General Comments:

A beautiful-looking bike that draws attention everywhere.

Quite top-heavy, which makes slow handling difficult.

Very tall - if you're short it's tough to get your feet on the ground. However, the bike can be lowered 1-2 inches by rotating the rear axle 180 degrees and slipping the fork tubes up.

Lovely on the highway.

Bulletproof motor.

Faults:

Really nothing has gone wrong. The only thing not working is the tachometer, but that was from a collision with some livestock (see below).

General Comments:

I bought this bike as a wreck, the previous owner hit a 9-point buck (about 200 lbs of deer) at 50 MPH and laid the bike down on the right side. I had the front end rebuilt with new fork tubes and pieced the rest of it together from parts on eBay. Once the forks were back on, the bike rode like an absolute arrow.

These are well built, sturdy and heavy bikes. Perhaps a bit over-engineered, but Triumph was concerned for quality more than the average bike-builder at the time. I have spoken to guys who have hit guardrails at 70 MPH with these early Hinckley Triumphs like this one, and have been able to ride them another 400 miles. I think I may keep this bike forever, it's been so reliable.