#TriumphMotorcycle

The Thruxton namesake is one that has described Triumph’s racing efforts throughout the middle of the past century. Now, the name designates a model that harkens back to those days that’s thoroughly modern while being meticulously designed to look the part of cafe racers from the 1960s. This new Thruxton RS continues to refine and develop Triumph’s factory cafe racer into a machine that will properly haul the mail and look smashing while doing so.

I’ve found myself riding in the King of Cool’s tracks more often than I’d realized lately. First, in November while participating in the 50th running of the Lake Elsinore GP, a southern California event McQueen raced in the early ’70s under the alias Harvey Mushman and again, as I jumped the 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE on the motocross track at Wim Motors Academy this past weekend in southern Portugal. Sure, Steve McQueen may not have jumped the fence in The Great Escape, but there’s no shortage of proof that the actor competed in many off-road races and had an affinity for motorcycles, including the Triumph TR6, a bike many may view as the original scrambler. The latest iteration of Scrambler to hit the market is the new Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC & XE and it will haul the mail, on-road or off, all the while looking the part of a premium modern classic.

Just over a week ago, I was fortunate enough to spend some time aboard Triumph’s new Bonneville Speedmaster during a day of riding near Carlsbad, CA. This was the first of Triumph’s revised Modern Classics that I had a chance to ride.

Here we have an unmistakably British satirical video about the making of the Triumph Rocket III. The video appears to have been commissioned by  Triumph back in 2007, and it’s sure to raise a smile on the face of gearheads who appreciate dry English humor. Witness how engineers added its center of gravity, an engine grown from an embryo, and power being dropped in by the spoonful to create Triumph’s XL  cruiser.