First Look: 2009 and 2010 Triumph

What's the word? Thunderbird!

By Gabe Ets-Hokin

July 2008

2009 and 2010 Triumph Photo Gallery >>

The 2009 new-bike wars heated up on Sunday, July 20 at Triumph Motorcycles' dealer meeting in the U.K. At that event, the company showed a new big-bore parallel-Twin power cruiser, an updated 675 Daytona, an improved Street Triple and a limited-edition 50th anniversary Bonneville.

The big news is the confirmation of the largest parallel-Twin the company has yet built. We spotted it earlier this year and guessed it would be bigger than 1500cc and liquid-cooled. As it turns out, it's a 1594cc, liquid-cooled model that revives the Thunderbird name, which hasn't been used since 2004. It has a six-speed transmission with belt drive and will be in showrooms about a year from now, but there are no other details from Triumph. Looking at the pictures, though, we can see a tube frame, radial tires and dual-disc front brakes. The fork is a traditional unit, and styling has been described by the Internet blog-and-forum peanut gallery as bland, despite the sporty racing stripe down its centerline.

Street Triple R gets upgraded brakes and suspension. Expect it to have an equally upgraded pricetag compared to the $7999 2008 Street Triple.

My take is that it's a pretty standard cruiser built to a price point to compete with middleweights like the Honda VTX1300 and Star V-Star 1300. When the company does announce the price—probably not until next year—I'd expect it to be in the $12,000-14,000 range. Thanks to the belt drive and what will probably be a reasonable weight, it promises to be a decent-handling bike. And it won't be slow. Also expect a large range of accessories such as luggage, windscreens and, of course, plenty of chrome.

Triumph's middleweight 675 Daytona has garnered many awards since its 2006 introduction, and rightly so. It's fast, sweet-handling and a good value. It gets some improvements for 2009 to keep it on top, including a new cylinder head, a lighter exhaust system, new brakes and a hydraulic cam-chain tensioner. These changes, in addition to a restyled fairing, should shave a couple of pounds and add a few precious horsepower. Will that be enough to keep it on top in that hotly contested category? We'll see.

This limited-edition Bonneville T100 gets a two-tone paint scheme reminiscent of the 1959 Bonneville's. Only 650 will be produced.

The Daytona's younger brother, the Street Triple, has also received acclaim from most who have ridden it, but there are some complaints. The suspension and brakes are low-spec components selected to keep the bike's price down, but some owners would rather have the high-spec Daytona bits. Well, their wishes will be granted with the Street Triple R. It gets the adjustable suspension and radial-mount brake calipers from the 2008—not the 2009—675 Daytona. Again, Triumph America has not yet released pricing, but the bike is supposed to be available in January of 2009.

There are some interesting revelations on the Bonneville front, as well. The basic Bonnie gets new megaphone silencers and Lester-style mag wheels, with a 17-incher in the front. The seat is lower, and the handgrips are a little closer to the rider. There also is an upmarket SE version with higher-spec instruments and some cosmetic upgrades, and 650 lucky buyers will be able to purchase a 50th-anniversary edition T100. It will have the 1959 Bonneville's orange-and-blue paint scheme, spoked wheels and other cosmetic touches. It won't be in dealers for a year, but the SE and standard Bonneville will be in showrooms this coming January.

Sound Off! Will you be visiting a Triumph dealer in 2009?