Triumph is Getting With The Times. The British-based motorcycle manufacturer (most of the company’s production is actually in Asia) announced a new e-bike earlier this week, which simultaneously moves the company forward, and back to its roots.
Triumph’s new e-bike is called the Trekker GT, which sounds an awful lot like an off-brand mountain bike you’d buy at Zellers in the ’90s. That likely won’t faze most buyers, as they’ll just see a clean-looking e-bike with a 145-km range, with the Triumph brand name.
The Trekker GT comes in small, medium and large frame sizes (450 mm, 500 mm, 550 mm).The medium version weighs 24 kg, including the battery. The frame is 6061 aluminum, and motor and battery are both from Shimano—a 250-watt DU-E6100 mid-drive motor and BT-8035 504Wh battery work with a Deore M6000 10-speed drivetrain. The pedal-assist system gives a maximum 44.25 lb-ft of torque.
The brakes and quick-release hubs are also sourced from Shimano. From the factory, the Trekker GT has Schwalbe Energizer Green Guard 27.5 x 2.0 tires and a Selle Royal Vivo saddle. The Trekker GT has no rear suspension, but there’s a set of RockShox Paragon forks up front. LED lighting is standard, along with full-length mudguards and a rear rack.
All very different specs than the usual Triumph two-wheeler, although this really is where the company got its start in vehicle manufacture. Triumph built bicycles for many decades, starting back in the 1880s, and this is kind of a full-circle move. There’s plenty of demand for e-bikes right now, and just about all the motorcycle OEMs are building them, so this is a very timely product as well.
But what about an electric motorcycle? Like most of the manufacturers, Triumph seems to be approaching this segment very cautiously. Most of the OEMs have some sort of electric scooter, or electric dirt bike project … but Triumph isn’t in either of those markets. We may be waiting a while yet for a full-sized Triumph battery bike. You’ll have to be satisfied with the e-bike for now, which still hasn’t appeared on Triumph’s Canadian website (American pricing is $3,750 for the medium-frame version).
