Nothing screams classic like the English-born Triumph Bonneville. In 1959, it kicked off the cafe racer movement and became even more famous when Marlon Brando straddled his own Bonneville in The Wild One.
The Triumph Bonneville’s parallel-twin four-stroke engine, well known for its power and speed, was famously combined with Norton featherbed frames to create the elusive Triton. In 2008, fuel injection replaced the need for the dual carbs, but throttle bodies were redesigned as dummy carbs to maintain the original look of the engine.
The Triumph Bonneville has retained its stylish, quintessentially British looks through several generations: production started in Hinckley in 2001 and continues today.
The current ‘Modern Classics’ range was launched in 2016 with the Street Twin, Street Cup and Street Scrambler at the lower end of the range. The Bonneville roadster is available in the traditional T100 and T120 variants, and the Thruxton and Thruxton R are modern day cafe racers. A ‘factory’ 1200cc Bobber completes the range.
Triumph’s current modern classics are wonderfully designed machines that recall the marque’s history, while offering contemporary performance. But their complex electronics and liquid-cooled, fuel injected motors make them notoriously hard to customize. Superficial changes are a walk in the park, but going deep requires a master’s degree in engineering. The thing is, Triumph’s retro range…
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There’s something to be said for using the right tool for the job. But there’s an almost defiant joy to choosing a motorcycle that’s completely inappropriate for the ride at hand—especially if you’ve been told you can’t. Case in point: this 2005 Triumph Bonneville T100 scrambler. It belongs to Maria Motorcycles founder, Luis Correia—and even…
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The alt-moto scene is full of enthusiasts that have a measure of good taste, but don’t have the means to build or commission a full-bore custom. So for every top-shelf bike you see here, there’s dozens on the street running a smattering of similar mods—often purchased and installed incrementally. Because of this, some custom builders…
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Classic Triumph bobbers tend to be commissioned by riders with many years and miles under their belts. After all, it usually takes time to appreciate the elegance and understated style of a hardtail build. This spectacular Bonneville from Rob Chappell of Origin8or Cycles has a very different backstory, though. “The owner is a new rider…
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Read more »There’s something about a classic Triumph dirt bike: the appealing proportions, the chunky rubber, the swept-back bars and the plush seat. Put…
Read more »We’re all for extreme machines that draw a crowd when parked up, but we also love ‘sleeper’ customs—those that keep their performance…
Read more »From cafe racers to scooters, we’re covering interesting ground this week. From the UK we’ve got a stunning Guzzi and a sensible…
Read more »The motorcycle industry is replete with modern replicas of classic machines. These days, you can buy bikes that mimic the style of…
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