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Classic Triumph Motorcycles: from Bonneville to Scrambler

“The way motorcycles should be,” says the manufacturer’s website. “The authentic parallel twin.” Classic motorcycle design from the 50s, 60s and 70s but with the benefits of contemporary technology are on offer from the ‘Classics’ division of Triumph Motorcycles.

First established in 1902 and now based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, Triumph has been a quiet success story for British industry since the rights to the name were bought by entrepreneur John Bloor in 1983.

And with the retro models Scrambler, Bonneville and Thruxton, admirers of more traditional motorcycles can enjoy the style, sound and passion that made Triumph great in the first place – but with a modern twist.

The Scrambler was inspired by the 60s Triumph off-road sports motorcycles that were stripped down for racing, and the modern interpretation retains such classic styling details as gaiters, white seat piping and high-swept chromed side-pipes. Meanwhile the iconic Bonneville is – according to Triumph – the definitive ‘proper’ motorcycle, a symbol of rebellion and independence which in its current form boasts a low and narrow seat, clean and efficient fuel-injected engine and lightweight 17in alloy wheels “for even sharper handling”. And finally the Thruxton, named after the circuit where Triumph was so successful, a bike that is Triumph’s sportiest Modern Classic – an “authentic café racer” with low-rise bars, a sporting riding position, 18in spoked wheels, megaphone-style silencers and a race-inspired stripe from tank to tail “to evoke memories of the Ace Café”...

For more details, see www.triumphmotorcycles.com.

Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Triumph


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