I noticed yesterday that Foothills BMW (not my normal dealership) has become a Triumph dealership as well. "Cool", I thought, and when I saw that they had a 1999 Triumph Trophy on sale for $5k, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Even though I love my '95 K1100RS, I'm always willing to try something new if it represents an improvement (a very tall order, reinforced by my bike's awesome performance on my recent four-day tour).

I headed out to the dealership around 11:00 this morning, on what has to be one of the most perfect riding days ever. Riding to the dealership was made even more pleasant by the fact that I'd replaced the year-old scratched-up shield on my Schuberth Concept helmet with my pristine back-up shield (now to spend another $50 for a new backup).

Once at the dealership, I sat on a few Triumphs, including a brand-new Trophy. I also sat on a 1996 BMW K1100RS because it had a Corbin seat installed (I'll stick with my BMW stock seat, thanks). As I moved from bike to bike, I was approached by a salesperson and took the opportunity to inquire about the used Trophy. Turns out the used one was gone, but he was more than willing to set me up on their demo bike.

The salesman gave me a quick overview of the bike's controls, after which I attempted to fire it up. Easier said than done, even with the choke advanced. I tried unsuccessfully three times to get the bike to start until the salesman told me to crank on the throttle while starting the bike. With this, the Trophy was off to a bad start for sure (pardon the pun), since I'm used to my KRS leaping immediately to life with just one push of the starter switch.

Once underway on the dealership's "preferred route" (a black mark against them, compared to BMW of Denver, which has no such thing), I immediately noticed the softness of the Trophy's suspension, which I didn't like (note that I've had heavier fork oil put in my bike, and have the rear preload cranked to the next-to-highest setting, so I probably like a stiffer suspension than most), and the cheapness of the controls. Everything felt a little more wiggly and light on the Triumph, which did not fill me with confidence in its abilities. The brake lever was adjusted too close for my taste, and when I tried to adjust it at a stop light, I couldn't get the adjustment wheel to turn -- another black mark (unless there was an adjustment lock, or trick to it that I don't know about). These qualities combined to make me feel as though I was riding an old, used bike, not a brand-new one.

After a couple of stop lights, the Trophy was idling very fast, so I backed off the choke. Underway again, I noticed that I loved the seating position on the bike. It had plenty of leg room, and the bar reach seemed about midway between my K1100RS and an R1100RT. The bike's power curve is quite a bit different than my bike's -- it liked to be wound out pretty hard, something I didn't feel comfortable enough on the bike to really do very much. The power curve on the KRS, in contrast, is linear -- almost like an electric motor.

While I was stopped at the last turn before returning to the dealership, the bike died on me. I tried to start it a couple of times, then realized that the choke had been advanced again somehow. I backed it off, and started the bike with some throttle. I felt that I had to ride the throttle a bit while pulling back into the dealership to keep the bike running. All in all, not a confidence/lust-inspiring ride.

On a final note, I must say that I noticed a few things about the Trophy's appearance that aren't my cup of tea (to each his own, of course). The bike has a few chrome details that are a bit precious. The instrument cluster has chrome surrounds, and the dual headlights are also surrounded by chrome. These details were either cheap, or gave the appearance of cheapness, in my opinion. After my K1100RS' teutonically spartan (how's that for mixing cultural metaphors?) presentation, the Trophy seemed kind of tarty. I don't think my KRS has one piece of chrome on it, and that's fine by me. It's all business, mister, in typical German style.

It's always a relief when I'm happy to return to my nearly nine-year-old (but low mileage, at 12,500 miles) KRS after having ridden something newer. In this case, I was re-dedicated to my bike, as I have been a few times before. It truly feels more new than the essentially brand-new Trophy, which says a lot for German engineering (or little for British engineering).

It's getting to the point where I'm becoming somewhat untemptable. I've ridden almost every BMW, and would consider trading only to a couple of newer models that are out of my price range. The other bikes that I would consider are from brands that don't offer test rides (the Yamaha FJ1300, for example). Therefore, they have no way to convince me that their bike is better than my current ride. I still don't understand how those manufacturers manage to sell $13k bikes to people without a single test ride. Maybe this is a good thing -- it'll keep me on my current bike for a while.