Amen, Brother!
I was cautious about buying a Triumph, because I am a pretty dyed-in-the-wool 600 rider. The TT600 got beat up pretty badly by the press, and rightly so. Triumph supported the bike, and now it works like it should. I finally bought one and have never looked back.
The local dealer has been excellent so far. I had one warranty issue and both the dealer and Triumph bent over backward to solve it. Furthermore, Triumph have contiunally upgraded the fuel injection mapping for ALL recent models, improving performance long after the sale. What other manufacturer regularly upgrades your bike for you at no cost to you? Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
I am not at all interested in cruisers, but the fact that Triumph is now making them shows how serious they are about being a "real" manufacturer. A Triumph dealer is very close to having something for every street rider. Product range like the range that Triumph is putting together ought to generate increased sales for the dealer network, and as a result, a stronger, better capitalized dealer network.
This 100th anniversary is only a promotional stunt, anyway. If it wakes people up to the fact that Triumph is there and making competitive machinery, then it is a good celebration.