Motorcyclist has published spy shots of what appears to be a Triumph Speed Twin prototype undergoing road testing.
It’s a simple concept: Take the liquid-cooled parallel twin from the T120 lineup, and build a streetfighter around it with styling from the 1990s.
This shouldn’t be hard, as much of the bike’s design is similar to the Thruxton cafe racer, and for the visual cues, Triumph just has to flip through its back catalogue. With those big, googly headlights, this machine looks like one of the motorcycles that popularized the whole naked bike scene. We’re thinking Speed Triple, but you could make an argument for the Buell XB-9, or even the Ducati Monster, which featured a prominent solo round headlamp instead of the chiseled lights so popular on today’s Transformeresque streetfighters.
However, just guessing (particularly in view of those twin shocks in back), this bike is not likely to deliver quite the same handling and performance as its more high-spec counterparts within the Triumph lineup, or outside.
But it’s proof that Triumph’s designers are killing it these days. The new Triumph Bobber, the Street 100 lineup, the Street Scrambler, and the Street Cup are all very desirable motorcycles, at least in the visual department. Could the good workers of Hinkley be the team that saves us from a future of motorcycles that universally look plucked from the pages of anime? Maybe!
For more photos of the Speed Twin prototype, check out Motorcyclist.
Oh, that’s yummy. Something “just right” about that.
I know, right? At least from the front. The rear looks a bit pedestrian, but I’m sure that will be fixed up. I’m just glad that someone is bringing back the big beams.