Prac tical Per formance

Aquick pre-ride walk-around of Triumph’s 1200cc Speed Twin proves the crew at the Hinckley, UK plant did all the proper research before building this modern Bonneville. The rounded lines of the 3.8 gallon fuel tank date back to the original late 1930s Speed Twin while the upright stance of the parallel twin motor is classic Triumph. There’s a small radiator for this watercooled machine, which makes the engine cooling fins an aesthetic exercise and even the fuel injector throttle bodies are crafted to resemble 1950s Amal GP carburetors, though this styling touch may be lost on customers too young to remember something called carburetors.

Look further forward and it’s clear that the Speed Twin is a fully 21st century motorcycle. The inverted 43mm Marzocchi forks could easily work on a Street Triple naked sportbike and the left handlebar switch has more buttons than your average cable TV remote. As its looks suggest, this hybrid roadster perfectly straddles the retro factory cafe racer world while keeping a boot firmly in the performance naked camp, a rare feat for any motorcycle.

Triumph have had plenty of practice designing bikes that evoke nostalgia while being fast enough to keep hooligans happy. Their early Speed Triples pleased both racers and rockers and while first-gen Bonnevilles weren’t exactly fast, after increasing capacity to