As the strugglers try to catch the Japanese so the Japanese – in turn – just keep getting better

As the strugglers try to catch the Japanese, so the Japanese – in turn – just keep getting better.The best publicised study, on owner satisfaction and car quality, was done by the American consumer group JD Power in conjunction with Top Gear, the television programme and magazine. Instead, apart from one’s own past experience, style is now the number one factor when buying a car.
Yet as a recent plethora of consumer studies have just shown, the differences between the makers of the most reliable cars and the least reliable are still meaningful. All cars are reliable even if, like equality, some are more reliable than others. There’s just no room for the old BL excuses these days – which is why car reliability is no longer the main buying factor. The Japanese have given the world the assumption of mechanical reliability Everyone else has tried hard to match them In many cases, they’ve come close In all cases, they’ve improved If a car fails on the road, it fails in the showroom.

Back in the bad old days of BL, when British cars spent as much time on the hard shoulder as they did in the fast lane, reliability was crucial It’s one reason why BL sales crumbled It’s what gave the Japanese their foothold in Europe

Now, it’s changed. This is hardly surprising; after all, if the car failed to perform its primary duty – getting from A to B – then the fetching styling, the low price and the shiny red paint job wouldn’t really be of much use. Reliability was once the single most important factor when buying a new car. When you consider that 10 years ago the British bike industry’s total production was close to zero, even that would represent an amazing achievement.. In the near future Bloor plans to move to a larger factory on an adjacent site- although he says he won’t build more than 25,000 bikes, preferring to keep Triumph small and flexible.

Rumours are already circulating of others under development.This year’s production will total around 15,000 , the highest yet. At pounds 8,299 the Triple is considerably less expensive than the pounds 9,649 Daytona, and will not be the only model to benefit from technology developed for the sportster. The Daytona’s blend of light weight, rigid frame, taut suspension and well-chosen chassis geometry makes the triple slightly less manoeuvrable than the FireBlade, but correspondingly more able.The naked T509 Speed Triple, which combines the T595’s chassis with a detuned, 107bhp engine of the original 885cc capacity, is itself a quick and eye-catching machine. Only a slight flat-spot at 5000rpm and an occasionally notchy six-speed gearbox eam less than top marks.Handling is excellent, too. The engine is flexible, smooth and hugely powerful; the French-made fuel-injection system gives instant response to hurl the bike towards its 160mph top speed. Its riding position is unashamedly aggressive, with low handlebars and rearset footrests. The chassis is light, low and fitted with top-quality suspension and brakes.The result is sensational – a thrillingly fast machine with its own distinct character.