Triumph is best-known for the sporty machines in their lineup, but they build cruisers too. Now, spy photos seem to indicate they’re going up against Harley-Davidson’s biggest, baddest touring bikes.
Check out the shots that were published in the Motorcycle News. At first glance, the machine appears to be an Electra Glide, but that’s actually a parallel twin from Hinkley hidden under all that bodywork. MCN claims this bike is kitted out with Harley bits for testing purposes.
Of course, if Triumph really is working on a fully-loaded touring cruiser to compete with the MoCo, they would have their own proprietary bags and fairing.
MCN is also claiming Harley-Davidson is working on a Road King competitor as well.
Triumph has built touring cruisers before; there’s a bagger version of their Rocket III which has been on the market for a few years, with hard panniers and a fork-mounted fairing. But if these spy shots are accurate, it would seem Triumph is planning a much more direct assault on Harley-Davidson’s market.
This move shouldn’t come as a surprise, though; the bigwigs in Milwaukee should have seen the writing on the wall when Triumph released their America cruiser a while back, which was strangely reminiscent of Japan’s initial forays into the low-rider scene in the early 1980s.
Since the company’s resurgence in the last couple decades, they’ve established a history of entering new segments of the motorcycle world and building bikes that offer touch competition to their entrenched rivals – bikes like the Tiger adventure machines, or the Daytona sport bikes. Maybe touring cruisers are the next market they plan to enter?
If you build this i will buy it
If Triumph is not currently working on a full touring bike based on the new 2014 thunderbird someone has a loose screw. Give the consumer what they want. A bike that has the fit and finish of a Harley. A bike that has the sound a of a Harley. Add in the features of power and performance, and now fit and finish like the Thunderbird. Add some other neat features like power windshields. Triumph-“BUILD THIS BIKE NOW”
I’m hoping that Triumph will keep using that big twin of theirs. The mufflers in the photos better than what’s on the models being sold. I do really like the Thunderbirds, just not a fan of the current tank’s proportions. Plus the mufflers have a weird flaring out look on the current models too. Still I would be happy for anything that will keep HD sharp, and focused on their game. Competition for our hard earned dollars is a good thing.
Come on guys, this clearly a Photoshop job. The bike is an Electra Glide, complete with Harley components, and even the Bar and Shield visible in one of the pics from the rear of the fairing lower (on MCN).
MCN claims these are Electra Glide parts on a Triumph for testing purposes …
Well then, if Triumph is in the practice of using existing parts from other manufacturers to build test mules and design bikes, it kind of explains the styling of the Trophy.
After reading over the linked article. Seems believable.