The July ride, starting in front of the clubrooms that are shared with the Wanganui Motor Boat Club.
The July ride, starting in front of the clubrooms that are shared with the Wanganui Motor Boat Club.
Triumph motorcycle owners in Whanganui are well-catered for, with a social club that holds monthly rides all year round, based on the Wanganui Motor Boat Club rooms.
Tim Fraser, who co-ordinates the Whanganui chapter of the Triumph Owners Motor Cycle Club New Zealand, says the owners don’t buy Triumphs just because of nostalgia; they’re a really good bike to ride.
“We travel to places in Taranaki, Manawatu and Southern Hawke’s Bay, varying the rides between 200 – 300km, there were 10 riders on the last run, and we have up to 20 in the summer,” he said.
Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club (TOMCC) Whanganui club members Neil and Suhair Pedley on their Triumph Rocket 3, the world's largest capacity production motorcycle.
“If the weather doesn’t co-operate, the numbers can fall off dramatically. The rides start at 10am on the last Sunday of each month outside the Wanganui Motor Boat Club rooms in Anzac Parade.
“There is a social gathering every Saturday from 4pm - 8pm at the clubrooms. Anyone with an interest in motorcycles (particularly Triumphs) can come along – on rides you can sometimes see a Can-Am Spyder or in winter even a car joining in!
“There is an annual rally, held in February/March, and usually alternating between the North Island one year and South Island the next. The coming rally will be held at Blenheim,” Fraser said.
At one point, New Zealand was Triumph’s largest per capita market outside Britain. “New Zealand riders are very enthusiastic about Triumphs, Whanganui is no different, there are a lot here,” said Fraser. “Triumph was at the forefront of parallel twin development back in the day. It was so good, a common hybrid used a Triumph motor in a Norton frame [Triton].
“The original Meriden factory closed in 1983 and the new Hinckley factory opened in 1989 as a brand-new factory. Triumph did a really good job, with John Bloor at the helm,” said Fraser.
Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club (TOMCC) Whanganui co-ordinator Tim Fraser during a ride to the 2021 TOMCC rally in the South Island.
His first bike was a Japanese Suzuki, but a search for a comfortable bike that could handle gravel and still be good on the road led him to buy a brand new Triumph Scrambler 865cc bike in 2014. He has since added a Triumph 675 Street Triple to his stable.
“These days Triumph is doing a good job of making really good bikes,” said Fraser. “At 2500cc, the largest production motorcycle in the world is the Triumph Rocket 3. It’s a superb bike – they’re amazing, a remarkable piece of kit. And I’ve managed to ride a few of them.
“The smallest Triumph is their latest release, the 400cc single, made in India for around $8000,” he said.
Anyone wanting to join in can come along to one of the rides or meet at the clubrooms on a Saturday.
