CARB Certifies 2019 Triumph Speed Twin

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

The California Air Resources Board has issued an executive order certifying the 2019 Triumph Bonneville 1200 engine, revealing an as-yet-unannounced brand new Speed Twin model for 2019.

The executive order almost slipped past us, getting released by CARB late on Friday, confirming the new 2019 Triumph Speed Twin. At first, we were expecting the certification document to be for the Scrambler 1200, which Triumph has already confirmed will be getting the high power tuning version of the 1200cc parallel-Twin Bonneville engine.

Instead, we were pleasantly surprised to see the Speed Twin listed in the certified models alongside the Bonneville T120, Bonneville T120 Black, Thruxton and Thruxton R. Those four models had previously been CARB-certified for 2019 in an executive order dated March 20. The new executive order, dated Sept. 20, supersedes that earlier document, with the addition of the Speed Twin being the only change.

So, what can we expect from the 2019 Triumph Speed Twin? Lacking any other clues, we can only assume a bike that looks similar to the 900cc Street Twin but with the larger engine. That would mean cast aluminum wheels, a shorter, more modern-looking seat, a smaller front fender, a shorter wheelbase, a smaller tank and lighter weight than the Bonneville T120.

At the very least, we can expect the Speed Twin to be similar to the Street Twin pictured here, but with a bigger engine. That would make it the first bike in Triumph’s 1200cc Bonneville family with cast wheels.

Triumph has already promised us the Scrambler 1200 on Oct. 24, but we may see the 2019 Speed Twin break cover earlier at Intermot or November at EICMA. We’ll have the latest information as it becomes available, right here on Motorcycle.com.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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  • Jrgen Eriksson Jrgen Eriksson on Oct 20, 2018

    A Speed Twin with the HP engine and a more comfortable riding position than the Thruxton? Take my money!

  • Uncle O Uncle O on Nov 03, 2018

    Now I must disagree. I have a Thruxton R for a year now and put 8.000 km on it. I find it very comfortable, no pain at all, had a trip to France and rode about 500 km/day several days in a row, perfect! I weigh 83 kg. My friend has a T120 Bonneville Black and he weighs about 96 kg, and when I see him ride I Always think the suspension is too soft even in the 'hardest' position so I am very happy with my Thrux...

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