I believe it’s safe to say that Triumph is turning into a master of the teaser if all the videos leading up to the new Scrambler 1200 are any indications. This time, despite a little dent in the road and by dent I really mean gash caused by the leaked pictures of the bike taken during the annual dealer meeting, Triumph is sticking to its plan and is trying to keep the ball rolling until the model’s official launch on December 4, 2018. What’s the plan? Teasers of course!
BURST BUBBLE
We can appreciate the effort being made here and though we already know what to expect, can at least humor the company trying really hard to overlook the fact that its model has been prematurely unveiled. A first, shorter teaser was launched on November 5, revealing the bike’s silhouette. This time, we’re getting more hints of the model which is an elegant mixed-breed obtained by combining genes from the Bonneville and from the Thruxton.
Triumph shared the new teaser on its Twitter account with the sentence “The beautiful new benchmark for how a custom roadster should ride and feel.” This could mean that the assumption that what we saw in the pictures from the dealers’ meeting were in fact a standard and a modified version of the Speed Twin was correct. It sounds like Triumph might be playing the customization card with its new model.
What we know…
So far, most people have agreed on the engine, the 97-horsepower, 1,200cc parallel twin mill borrowed from the Thruxton, though the Twin is expected to be lighter than its café racer parent. Design-wise, the bike takes more after the Bonneville with a straighter saddle and higher handlebar.
What remains to be seen and what we can hope to take away from the model’s introduction scheduled for next week, it’s what the name “Speed Twin” will bring to the table. The Scrambler 1200 was advertised as Triumph’s return to its off-roading roots, so aside from looking like a beefed-up Bonneville, what’s new with the Speed Twin?
