Monday 11th January
Happy new year for Triumph
Triumph welcomes in 2016 in style
Triumph must be sorry to see the end of 2015 as the British firm's growth took a rather pleasing turn for the better.
They're busy boys at Triumph!
For those who still view Triumph as a small player, consider these numbers. The firm has an annual turnover of £341.3m and an impressive 85 per cent of the 53,272 bikes it manufactured in 2015 were sold abroad. However, buried within the press release on the company's financial fortunes was one very interesting line: "The coming year will see the launch of an unprecedented number of exciting new models across the company's range..."After a lacklustre few years, and the disaster of the 250cc single that was developed and then canned, Triumph appears to be back on form. For each of the last two years it has invested over £25m in R&D and, with the likes of the, we are seeing the fruits of this investment. What's next in the pipeline? There are clues.
Looking good for a parts bin special
Special Edition Street Triple Rx BlackTo liven up the financial stats Triumph also announced a new Special Edition of the Street Triple Rx. The Rx is essentially a Street Triple R with the back end of a Daytona 675 to give the bike a more aggressive look. Last year we all assumed this 'parts bin' new model was a case of Triumph trying to clear Street Triple stock ahead of a rumoured new model. But it never arrived.
That it's doing it again with a limited edition Black model only fans the flames of speculation relating to a new Street Triple. Last year we saw a plethora of special edition Bonneville and Speed Triple models before the revised versions were released for 2016 - will the same happed in late 2016 with the Street Triple?
Whispers continue about an increased capacity model to take on the Yamaha MT-09. The Tiger 800 has already demonstrated the 675 engine can happily go bigger in capacity - and with ride by wire and traction control. Whatever the reasons, the current Street Triple Rx is a brilliant bike and the Black model is in dealers now for £8,599. And while you are there...
February 11 could be busy for Triumph
Street Twin national launchTriumph has set a date for the national launch of the firm's new Street Twin. This water-cooled retro will be officially unveiled at Triumph dealers on February 11 with test rides, clothing offers and various competitions and prizes. The event kicks off in the evening with individual dealers organising their own activities and test rides. Go toto find your closest outlet. The fly in the ointment is that the bikes have already sold like hot cakes (Triumph has ramped up production to meet demand) and you might face a bit of a wait should you order one.