#bonneville

No matter where you are in the world, it’s practically impossible not to have noticed the yearly trend of dapper looking people riding their motorcycles. What started out as a local event in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa in 2012 to bring people together, wear nice clothes, and raise awareness for men’s health, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride has grown to become one of the world’s largest road riding charity events. Today the DGR’s global reach spans over 800 cities, 90,000 riders, and has raised over $37.5 million for prostate cancer research and men’s mental health.  

For the past 10 years, Triumph Motorcycles has partnered with the DGR to not only provide financial support and resources, but to also help raise the profile of the event to a global audience. The partnership has spawned clothing collections and unique one-off builds, but now, Triumph has announced that, in celebration of its 10-year partnership, it’s launching the Limited Edition Bonneville T120 Black DGR. 

Only 250 of these DGR Bonnies will be made, with number 001 reserved for the highest fundraiser of the 2023 ride. Each of the bikes will come with a certificate of authenticity hand signed by Mark Hawwa and Nick Bloor, each with a unique number and VIN. As for the bike itself, it stands out from a standard T120 with a custom DGR paint scheme featuring two-tone metallic Phantom Black over Crystal White, which draws its inspiration from dress suits – appropriate for the DGR. Accenting the fuel tank and side panels are hand-painted gold pinstriping to mimic the gold accessories you’d wear along with your dapper clothing. Capping it off are the classy brown seat and official DGR branding. 

To get all the details about the Bonneville T120 Black DGR Limited Edition, see the press release below.

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Nobody does modern classics quite like Triumph, and today, the famed British marque is taking full advantage of its position within the modern classic space by unveiling its new, 10-bike strong limited edition Chrome collection of motorcycles. How limited? Each bike will only be available for one year.

Not quite a mid-year refresh, the Chrome collection is simply a stunning change to the visual appearance of each motorcycle without any mechanical differences or changes. And with the collection of bikes getting the chrome treatment, go-fast updates really aren’t important anyway. After the popular response Triumph received for its Gold Line of limited edition motorcycles in 2022, the Hinckley marque carried that momentum forward with the Chrome line for the 2023 model year (with strong hints that more special collections will come in the years to follow). The Chrome collection includes eight models from the Bonneville family and two from the Rocket 3 family.

Triumph announced updated color options for its Bonneville “Modern Classics” range, as well as new names for the Street Scrambler and Street Twin.

The 2023 paint schemes are generally more vibrant than the 2022 colors, a change brought about in part from the popularity of last year’s Gold Line edition models.

Confirming the news we first reported in May, the Street Scrambler has been renamed the Scrambler 900, while the Street Twin will now be called the Speed Twin. Apart from the two new names and the colors, the entire range is otherwise unchanged from 2022.

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Following the introduction of the limited edition Street Twin Gold Line model, Triumph announced it is giving the rest of its modern classics the same treatment. Unlike the Street Twin, of which only 1,000 units were produced and promptly sold, the new Gold Line Edition models will be produced only for the 2022 model year and will not be limited to a specific number.

The eight models receiving a special edition Gold Line Edition are:

It’s understandable if you aren’t familiar with Brixton Motorcycles. An Austrian-owned brand with a British-sounding name and similarly British-looking bikes manufactured in China, Brixton is best known for its 125cc and 250cc bikes currently marketed in Europe and Asia, but as yet, does not much of a presence in North America.

Back in 2019, Brixton presented its initial forays into larger displacements with a pair of 500cc models and a 1200cc concept that looks to be a direct rival to the Triumph Bonneville. At the time, Brixton’s parent company, the KSR Group, said it intended to put the concept into production, but provided no timeline, saying it wants to “take its time in creating a technically mature vehicle that exceeds the high quality standards in these displacement classes.”

Following the reveal of the 2021 Triumph Speed Triple RS last week, we couldn’t help but notice that Triumph’s 2021 model lineup looked a little sparse. We’ve now entered the second month of the year, and Triumph still has yet to announce the Bonneville or any of its “Modern Classics” for the 2021 model year.

Thanks to certification data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Motorcycle.com can now confirm that several Triumph Modern Classics are skipping the 2021 model year and going straight to 2022. The emissions data suggests the Parallel-Twin engines powering these models have all received updates, which should help them clear Euro 5 emissions requirements.

Specifically, the U.S. EPA has certified the 2022 Bonneville T100, Street Twin, Bonneville Bobber, Bonneville Speedmaster and Street Scrambler. Noticeably absent is the Bonneville T120; that doesn’t necessarily mean the T120 won’t be returning, as certification data can be updated at any time. In fact, we can confirm that a new Bonneville T120 has been certified in Australia.

As for the Bonneville T100, the EPA certification confirms it will share the same engine as the Street Twin as well as a new Street Twin Goldline variant. The Parallel-Twin engine remains at the same 900cc displacement as the 2020 models, but the EPA cites a jump in power output, going from the 2020 engine’s claimed 61.7 hp at 6900 rpm to a claimed 64.0 hp at 7500 rpm.

The Street Scrambler will also stay at a 900cc displacement, with the 2022 model certification claiming 64.1 hp at 7250 rpm compared to the 2020 model’s claimed 62.1 hp at 7400 rpm. For 2022, Triumph will add a new Street Scrambler Sandstorm variant.

The 2022 Bonneville Bobber and Speedmaster will share the same 1200cc Parallel-Twin, with the EPA claiming 77.8 hp at 6000 rpm compared to the 2020 models’ claimed 75.9 hp at 6100 rpm. Not mentioned is the Bonneville Bobber Black, but that may come in a later update.

The Triumph Thruxton RS was also certified by the EPA for 2022 as well as 2021 with no changes indicated. The Speed Twin and Scrambler 1200 was also certified for the 2021 model year and are expected to be certified for 2022 at some point.

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Has it really been 20 years since the world didn’t seize up at the stroke of midnight, as we feared it might? Yes. Every time I walk out into the garage, my 2000 R1 sitting dormant on its stand (the last year of the first-gen R1) reminds me of what a long time ago that was. Next to all the new bikes it sees come and go, the old girl is positively archaic. In a good, Ann-Margret way, but still. While we’re still quarantining seems like a good time to look back upon what bikes have moved the game forward the most since the millennium.

Stop us if you’ve heard the story about ’60s hearthrob Steve McQueen and his friendship with Hollywood Triumph dealer/racer Bud Ekins, who went on to be a great stunt rider/driver in a slew of McQueen moving pictures. Stop us even if you haven’t heard it, because it’s in Triumph’s press release below. These cool Bonnevilles are Bud’s payback.

The California Air Resources Board has published executive orders certifying a number of unannounced 2020 Triumph models. These include the Thruxton RS, which Triumph has already started teasing, a couple of Bud Ekins tribute Bonnevilles and two new versions of the Tiger 1200.

During the Southern California Timing Association’s Bonneville Speed Week, motels nearby are expensive and fully booked. Which leaves campgrounds. And I hate carrying camping gear on a motorcycle. When I see those BMW earth-roamer types with all the gear piled up over their heads I think, “Oh, Hell no! I’m cool as an ice cube, that’s not me.” Yet here I am. Here I am piling camping junk over my head like a Starbucks-sipping, Hi-Vis wearing, mid level manager-who-mistakenly-thinks-corporate-values-his-efforts, Beemer rider.

That’s not the worst of it. I just know the flimsy aluminum subframe on the Husqvarna is going to break. It has to. This bike was designed with two things in mind: to pop wheelies and flee from the Po-Po. I don’t have a running street bike. So, I’ve turned the Husky into a single cylinder Gold Wing. It burns me up, man.

The bike needed dramatically expanded luggage capacity, also known as saddlebags. To do bags I needed infrastructure in place that would prevent the bags from tangling in the rear wheel and melting against the high mount, noisy, life-saving, public opinion destroying Arrow exhaust can.

I chopped up some stainless tubing and took the sticks to Roy’s Welding (out by the mini-goat farm) where the fine crew stuck it all together. My Safety Exhaust on the Husqvarna is high and tight so I riveted a metal heat shield on the left side of the Super Mo-Tour. Since my buddy, Mike, loaned me his saddlebags, I didn’t want them to catch fire. All told, I’ve probably doubled the poundage of the featherweight Husky with this jungle gym hanging off the back.

The legendary Speed Twin is back, returning as the newest member of Triumph‘s 1200cc Bonneville lineup. The new 2019 Triumph Speed Twin slots into the line by combining the Thruxton‘s performance with the Bonneville T120‘s more comfortable riding position.

The original Speed Twin was introduced in 1938, helping establish the long tradition of British parallel-Twins, setting benchmarks with its lightweight chassis and an engine that out-powered the Singles of the era. The 2019 Triumph Speed Twin seeks to recapture the original’s glory as a modern, high-performance roadster.

In addition to a special Ace Cafe-themed edition Bonneville, Triumph announced a limited production Diamond Edition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the original Bonneville T120.

Every Triumph Bonneville produced traces back to the first model, introduced in 1959. The original model was the final motorcycle designed by Edward Turner during his tenure as Triumph’s chief designer. The bike got its name from the iconic Bonneville Salt Flats, home to many land speed records.

The 2019 Triumph Bonneville T120 Diamond Edition comes with an exclusive white and silver tank design with a Union Jack motif.

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.

Anything retro seems to be all the rage lately, and I’m okay with that because in a way, it pulls on our heartstrings. Technology is improving so quickly that it’s hard to keep up with all the latest and greatest. As soon as you think you have the best, something better comes along. But one thing that stays constant is the past, and this is where nostalgia comes into play.

Nostalgia is more than just a feeling or reaction to the past, it’s a warm and fuzzy, powerful emotion that we sense whenever we delve into fond memories from our yesteryears. It’s an homage to the way things used to be, and motorcycle manufacturers are taking advantage of it – as they should. Just about all the big companies have retro inspired bikes now – from Yamaha’s XSR700 and XSR900 and Kawi’s RS lines to Triumph’s Bonnevilles and Bobbers.

2017 Retro Roadster Shootout

These bikes have all the modern tech features that anyone would expect from the latest motorcycles, but styling cues reminiscent of the past. And I must say, designers are doing their homework when it comes to the nitty-gritty particulars that can easily go unnoticed and overlooked. The devil is in the details, though, and below are five things someone put a lot of thought into for which they may not be getting the credit they deserve.

As technology races towards the future, style is moving the opposite direction, regressing to the past. Fortunately for us motorcyclists, the two aren’t mutually exclusive, which means we can have it both ways. Take the 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black, for instance – it’s a juxtaposition between modern technology and post-WWII style. The bobber style, for those of you who aren’t familiar, harkens back to the 1940s when American riders would get rid of anything they could to shed weight by cutting and removing bodywork and ‘bobbing’ the fenders. The desired effect was to be able to keep up with the lighter, faster British and Japanese bikes that began to flood American shores.