Spied! Another look at the new Triumph bobber

For a while now, we’ve known Triumph was working on a bobber. Now, new photos of the bike have surfaced that show Hinkley’s plans for the retro special are pretty bold.

You can get a sneak peek at the photos above, and you can see the whole lineup of spy snaps here at Motorcyclist. They’re shot by BMH Images;  how they managed to infiltrate what appears to be a factory test will likely remain a mystery …

Triumph appears to be headed in the same direction Harley-Davidson went with their Softail back in 1984, but with much more panache. Softail models tend to look fairly similar to a modern bike, with the exception of the rear suspension. This Triumph looks like an edgy cut-down from the ’50s, except for the glimpse of that rear monoshock assembly visible under that tractor-style seat.

To go with the edgy old-fashioned look (definitely the boldest retro from Triumph in many years), they’ve even trimmed down parts like the radiator, which has been changed to a smaller unit nestled discreetly in front of the engine.

Given that we’ve been seeing spy shots of this bike for several months now, it seems fairly certain we’ll see it in production. That version will likely have a few key differences — expect a front fender, for one.

Considering the North American custom market’s obsession with Harley-Davidson, it will be interesting to chart the progress of the Triumph. Moneyed buyers want customized Hogs, and the more frugal often tend towards Japanese machines. Some Triumphs get turned into cafe racers or similar retros, but there isn’t as much attention for the Brit bikes. It’s almost as if people forgot that 50 years ago, the British chopper was A Thing. Triumphs, BSAs, and the like were a legit bad-boy bike in the days before the CB750 came along, shooting the Japanese atop the power rankings. Maybe this bobber will help people remember those days?