Triumphrat

Scooter Paul · 11-28-2012, 11:24 AM

For those of you that haven't seen MCN this week (it's a Brit weekly motorcycle paper) the pictures show what appears to be a factory test mule snapped by a professional photographer. The bike has all the hallmarks of a bike in a far from finished state. It appears to have an adjustable steering head and cobbled together tinware suggesting that geometry and styling are still being worked on. Much in the article is speculation (engine displacement etc) but in this raw state it would not disappoint Bonnie purists. It still looks like a 'classic' even with upside down front forks etc. Should it ever reach production stage it would be interesting to see if it is a hyper Thruxton or a new incarnation altogether ie a street orientated dirt tracker.

sprouty115 · 11-28-2012, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scooter Paul

For those of you that haven't seen MCN this week (it's a Brit weekly motorcycle paper) the pictures show what appears to be a factory test mule snapped by a professional photographer. The bike has all the hallmarks of a bike in a far from finished state. It appears to have an adjustable steering head and cobbled together tinware suggesting that geometry and styling are still being worked on. Much in the article is speculation (engine displacement etc) but in this raw state it would not disappoint Bonnie purists. It still looks like a 'classic' even with upside down front forks etc. Should it ever reach production stage it would be interesting to see if it is a hyper Thruxton or a new incarnation altogether ie a street orientated dirt tracker.

I don't suppose MCN offers an electronic subscription?

denbow · 11-28-2012, 02:22 PM

Also in the same issue is an excellent article by the senior editor Marc Abbott titled "The Best Bike in the World," his impressions of a Bonneville he's had on long term test. it's worth buying MCN this week for that alone.

meloman · 11-28-2012, 03:57 PM

A Thruxton "R" with a big bore boost to 904cc (an inexpensive mod the factory can do), keep the stock cams for EPA (let the owner opt for aftermarket cams because they're easier to install than a big bore kit), an Arrow exhaust, good suspension, maybe not the expensive Ohlins but some good USD forks and equivalent rear shocks, keep the same ergonomics, shave some weight off (lighter wheels and suspension) and add a bitchin' paint job.

This might add $1500 or so to the price but I think they would sell all they could make.

Then they can start on a Scrambler "lite" model with all the same mods as above.

tridentt150v · 11-28-2012, 04:28 PM

Did Harley lose its appeal because it went from 74 to 96 cubes......essentially no, they are still a Harley.
Did Honda wreck the mold when they produced 350 through to 1100 inline fours that basically looked similar, not really.
Did Ducati, did any motorcycle manufacturer????
No, no, no. So upgrading the power and 'cc's of a motor is a well trodden progression path for all makers.
I see it as being no different for the Bonnie. I've always lamented the low power [torque and hp] of the Bonnie. Give me twin discs, +1000cc and adjustable suspension in a Bonnie package and I'll buy it.
Don't keep gilding the lily with stupid paint jobs/different pipes/handlebar changes/cosmetic fairy floss and calling it a new model - thats something any owner can do with a can of spraypaint and a few bits of pipe with a welder, its not a NEW model.
So I'm all for an upgrade in a classic package.
And don't tell me to buy a Sprint or some other Jappo/Euro look alike, they may perform but they look like sh!t to me. Plus they are as removed from a classic bike style as you could get.

capoanj · 11-28-2012, 04:46 PM

A Trident standard based on the Tiger 800 triple motor. And a Speed Twin performance variant based on the Bonnie. That's what I want!

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Sheepdog · 11-28-2012, 05:19 PM

I'd like a traveling bike. A six gallon tank, dual discs, comfy seat, better suspenson, and a 1000cc motor would do for a start. Both the Norton Interstate and the later BSA A65 Spitfires had beautiful big tanks that could be the basis for such an endeavor.

agro · 11-28-2012, 07:42 PM

A friend has just been over to the Triumph factory in the UK, seems that the aircooled twin will be killed off when euro5 emmisions come into effect.

Triumph is probably going to offer and end of the era special, as they have done in the past.

Here's hope for the future.....1000 -1200cc, 270deg parallel twin, stacked gearbox, water cooled hot rod....yeehaaa!!

Aussiematt · 11-28-2012, 08:03 PM

Like anyone I like and chase more HP however adding cubes because "bigger is better" along with a material increase in the price is not the direction a manufacturer should automatically take. Did HD make their big twins more sought after because they went from 88 to 95 cubic inches? Now, if a new engine is needed because of stricter emissions standards then it makes sense to build in optionality to increase the engine size. I still believe some appeal will be lost if our classic twins become more complicated (water cooled, ABS, USD forks, etc). I like the simplicity that these models offer in an increasingly technical motorcycle market. Once the twins get "modernised" and prices increase, there will be a lot of competition in the $10,000 plus price range. The again its probably inevitable...

Sheepdog · 11-28-2012, 10:10 PM

Aren't we glad to have experienced this special bike when it was available? Truly a neo-classic...