Performance and comfort could make this the best Bonnie
Way back in May 2016 we revealed Triumph’s plans to launch a 1200cc Bonneville-based Speed Twin model after it applied for new trademark rights on the name. We said the bike was likely to be a scaled-up version of the Street Twin formula; less retro than the Bonnie and wearing cast-alloy wheels. Now Triumph has matched our predictions exactly with its new 2019 Speed Twin.
It’s a simple formula, but one that might be the most tempting of all Triumph’s 1200cc Bonneville-based parallel twins.
Power comes from the highest-performance ‘Thruxton’-spec version of the 1200cc water-cooled twin, with 71.5kW at 6750rpm and 112Nm at 4950rpm. But the Speed Twin is 10kg lighter than the Thruxton at 196kg dry. A magnesium cam cover, revised clutch and modified engine covers help cut 2.5kg from the engine alone.
There’s a selection of riding modes on offer from the fly-by-wire throttle, and tech kit includes LED lighting for everything apart from the headlight itself, gear position indicator, trip computer and even the option of tyre pressure monitors.
While early prototypes were seen testing with Thruxton R-spec suspension of an upside-down fork and Öhlins shocks, the initial production version of the Speed Twin has a conventional cartridge fork and unnamed rear shocks, adjustable only for preload. As with the rest of Triumph’s 2019 Modern Classic line-up, front brakes are four-pot Brembos, with twin 305mm discs while the rear is a rear two-piston Nissin caliper and 220mm rotor.
The Speed Twin foregoes the self-consciously retro style of the Bonneville T120 or Thruxton, and is more subtle than the Scrambler 1200, Speedmaster or Bobber. The result is a handsomely-shaped machine that’s very much in the traditional roadster mould with sturdy British bulldog styling.
By sidestepping the period-correct trappings of its siblings, the Speed Twin also promises to benefit in terms of performance and handling.
Eighty years ago the Speed Twin was a sensation for Triumph
The wheel deal
Modern alloy wheels help save weight while their 17in diameter allows resolutely modern tyres: 120/70ZR17 front and 160/60ZR17 rear.
Finishing touches
Styling might be more subdued than its stablemates but still includes bar-end mirrors and brushed alloy mudguards, plus a flip-up Monza fuel cap.
Famous name
The original Speed Twin of 1937 changed motorcycling by providing twin-cylinder performance in a package with the same dimensions as current single-cylinder roadbikes.
By Ben Purvis