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.
If you’re anything like us, you probably spend the odd moment fantasizing about your ideal garage. But after seeing the latest project from the French workshop FCR Original, we think the problem has been solved: it’s a custom Bonneville T100 and a classic Porsche 911. Led by founder Sébastien Guillemot, the crew from Chauvigny have…
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Working from an old barn in Idaho, Union Motorcycle Classics produce some of the nicest restomods and classic customs we’ve seen. But the shop has a softer side, too. Two years ago, they built and raffled a stunning Ducati Scrambler 250 to help ReActs—a charity that helps poor and distressed children in Southeast Asia. Now…
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There are bikes that look ‘busy,’ full of angles and ancillaries, pumped up like a bodybuilder on show day. Then there are those with a few deft lines, a little empty space here and there, as if a thumbnail sketch has been transformed into metal. Auto Fabrica’s bikes fall into the second category. As the…
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There’s something about a classic Triumph dirt bike: the appealing proportions, the chunky rubber, the swept-back bars and the plush seat. Put them all together, and you can almost hear a ‘click.’ Vintage off-roading Triumphs are variations on a formula—but like the songs of AC/DC, the formula works. And one of its greatest proponents is…
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…
Read more »Triumph are great at recalling the past via the design of their modern day classics. But there’s one element Hinckley hasn’t brought…
Read more »The 21st century motorcycle is a complex beast, crammed with electronics and trick engineering in the name of one-upmanship and regulatory approval.…
Read more »There’s something for everyone this week. We’ve got a Bonneville beach cruiser, a pair of high-performance Triumph Speed Triples, and a Ducati…
Read more »Ben Giese is a man of exceptional taste. As the creative director and editor-in-chief of the aesthetically superior motorcycle magazine, Meta, he…
Read more »Most manufacturers have at least a couple of retro-styled motorcycles on sale. But Triumph has more skin in that game than anyone…
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