Triumph Motorcycles introduces new models, factory experience

Triumph Motorcycles announced it will open an immersive new visitor center that will allow fans to go behind-the-scenes and journey through a 115 years of motorcycling history. The company also unveiled two new 2018 models, including the Bonneville Speedmaster and Bonneville Bobber Black, at the Triumph Factory Visitor Experience center.

Based at the brand’s headquarters and UK manufacturing facilities in Hinckley, Leicestershire, it is set to open on November 1. The Triumph Factory Experience is free to visit and will showcase an exclusive collection of never-before-seen exhibits centered around the design, engineering and manufacture of Triumph’s most iconic models.

Among the most exciting exhibits will be the Triumph Bonneville on which Steve McQueen attempted to jump the border fence in “The Great Escape,” which has been lovingly restored to working order.

Elsewhere, the two-wheeled stars from road, track and screen include the very first Triumph No. 1 from 1902, the Speed Triple ridden by Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible 2” and the latest race engine prototype for the 2019 Moto2tm championship.

Visitors will be able to book a guided tour of the Hinckley factory. This extensive behind-the-scenes tour of the engineering and manufacturing facilities will give an unprecedented insight into Triumph’s unique and leading approach to designing and building motorcycles.

Paul Stroud, chief commercial officer, Triumph Motorcycles, said: “We are very proud and excited to be able to invite Triumph and motorcycling fans from around the world to come and experience our brand first-hand, here at the factory where every Triumph starts its life.

With so many important and rare bikes on display, the Visitor Experience will be a must for motorcycle and movie fans alike, but also an opportunity to help us celebrate our proud heritage and our passion for building great motorcycles. We hope this rewards and inspires every fan of the brand, and ignites a love for Triumph in a whole new generation.’’

In addition to the first model ever made, visitors to the experience will also find a host of rare and unique models including a 1919 Triumph ‘Trusty” Model H used during the First World War, the 1959 Bonneville that shook the world and all of the brand’s legends with the Hurricane X75, T595 Trident and original ‘94 Speed Triple.

Visitors to the new center can also sample the Triumph 1902 café and the Triumph Shop is also on-hand for those looking to mark their visit with a unique range of high-quality branded merchandise, clothing and limited-edition Visitor Experience souvenirs.

Admission to the Visitor Center is free of charge, while the 90-minute factory tour can be booked online in advance for £15 per person. The experience is open to the public beginning November 1. 

2018 Bonneville Speedmaster

The new Speedmaster features the iconic character and design DNA of the Bonneville with a sculpted Bonneville tank, machined engine fins, carb-styled twin throttle bodies, a ‘clean line’ header pipe run, finned exhaust clamps and rubber fork gaiters. The signature features of the Bonneville Bobber and elegant hard tail look have also been incorporated, including the minimal bodywork, single clock, classic rear ‘drum brake’ inspired hub, heritage-inspired battery box, and central mudguard ridges.

A whole host of additional elegant design touches have been considered for an authentic classic custom attitude and laid back riding style, like the classic ‘nacelle’ headlight detailing, swept back beach bars, forward pegs, fixed rear mudguard and 16-inch wire spoked wheels.

The Bonneville Speedmaster also has a larger 3.2-gal (12-liter) fuel tank for increased range and comes with easily interchangeable twin and single seat set ups for added versatility. Constructed in a deep, sculpted foam for maximum rider and passenger comfort, both seats have been finished with a premium contrast piping.

Three classic color options are available for the Bonneville Speedmaster:

• Jet Black
• Cranberry Red and Jet Black
• Fusion White and Phantom Black with a twin hand painted coach line

The Bonneville Speedmaster’s comfortable riding ergonomics deliver Triumph’s signature neutral and intuitive handling with swept back beach bars, forward pegs, and confidence-inspiring high specification brakes:

• 310mm twin disc front brakes with two twin piston Brembo calipers
• 255mm single disc rear brake with single piston Nissin caliper

For unrivalled rider and pillion comfort, the Bonneville Speedmaster is fitted with a deep foam comfort seat and removable pillion seat pad, together with high specification adjustable suspension for the smoothest ride:

• 41mm cartridge front forks with 90mm travel
• Hidden monoshock RSU with linkage, 73mm rear wheel travel and stepped preload adjuster

Completing the authentic hard-tail look is the Speedmaster’s inspired black powder-coated ‘cage’ swinging arm with paddock stand bobbin mounts.

The new Bonneville Speedmaster takes Triumph’s critically acclaimed 1200cc High Torque parallel-twin engine and adds the even higher torque engine tune of the Bobber. Delivering category-leading peak torque of 78 ft-lb at 4,000rpm – a massive 42 percent more peak torque than the 2015 Triumph Speedmaster and up to 10 percent more than the current generation Bonneville T120. Smooth, linear power is delivered low down in the rev range through the slick six-speed gearbox with peak power output at 77 hp, 25 percent up on the 2015 Speedmaster and 10 percent up on the Bonneville T120.

Unique to the Bonneville Speedmaster is the distinctive raw exhaust note, evolved from the Bonneville T120 but now an even deeper and richer sound. The bright chromed stainless steel exhaust is twin skinned for a seamless hidden cat box run and finished with unique bright chrome silencers. It also has a twin air box with twin filter design, packaged for optimized volume.

2018 Bonneville Bobber Black

With imposing poise, distinguished presence and the iconic Bobber silhouette, the Bobber Black shares the Bobber’s low, muscular and minimalist stance – purposeful, distinctive, and stripped back. Featuring all the classic hallmarks of a Bobber, the Bobber Black’s single seat and hard tail look are teamed with wide flat bars for intuitive handling, minimal bodywork and sculpted Bonneville tank, minimal fenders with center ridge, and authentic wire spoked wheels.

The Bobber Black features a host of fully blacked out details and finishes. These include:

• Black painted exhaust (silencers, headers and upper finned casting)
• Black anodized brake pedal and footrests
• Black anodized gear lever
• Zinc nickel plated gear linkage
• Black anodized brake and clutch levers
• Black painted handlebars, with black anodized risers and clamps
• Black painted seat pan
• Black powder coated engine covers, cam cover and sprocket cover
• Black chrome plated headlight rim
• Black painted wheel hubs

The Bonneville Bobber Black is available in either classic gloss Jet Black or Matte Jet Black. 

The Bobber Black has category leading 310mm twin discs on the front with twin Brembo two-piston calipers and a single rear disc setup with single piston caliper. The suspension also sees an upgrade from the Bobber spec with chunky 47mm Showa cartridge front forks, offering 90mm front wheel travel for improved feel and feedback. The new “fat” 16-inch front wheel, still with classic wire spokes, black rims, and the specially-developed Avon Cobra tires, gives the Bobber Black its meaner and more muscular stance.

As well as the considerable specification upgrades, the Bobber Black retains the elegant engineering innovations now synonymous with the Bobber – like the beautiful and distinctive floating aluminum seat pan with cantilever support, the adjustable riding position, the elegant mono-shock RSU with linkage, the distinctive ‘swing cage’ for that hard-tail look and the clean line hidden technology packaging.

Accessible for any size of rider, the Bobber Black has a low seat height of just 688mm providing excellent ergonomics and a confidence-inspiring low center of gravity.

The front end of the Bobber Black is transformed with the new 5-inch full-LED headlight with unique LED daytime running light pattern (DRL) and Triumph maker’s mark triangle branding integrated within the headlight cluster. Longer distance cruising is also easier on the Bobber Black, thanks to cruise control as standard, easily accessible as a single button elegantly moulded into the left-hand switch cube.