Four men, four bikes, one quest - to bring home the firstbottle of Beaujolais Nouveau 2004 to British shores. The question isn't 'Why?', it's 'Why not?' Allez!
The Rocket III Touring is about as American as the English language; this Hinckley super-tourer is all set to give the US cruiser market a good old helping of British welly.
It’s Triumph best selling bike, a style icon, movie star and it’s still only 14 years old. Life is anything but dull with the Speed Triple as Jon Urry finds out on the roads of Lanzarote.
A revelation when it first appeared: here was a proper British effort at a big sportsbike. Over the years while the competition has got wilder, the Daytona has stayed milder which makes the mature Daytona a very solid road bike
Triumph's Tiger sheds the big trailie looks, sharpens its claws and goes for a more road-inspired image. Is this the right direction for Hinckley's big cat?
With £2,000 taken out of the Daytona 675's price tag is Triumph's Street Triple the bargain sportsbike of 2007? Or have the boys from Hinckley cut corners on their new middleweight triple...
The Daytona 600 has always had the legs; it's one of the best-handling 600s around. With an extra 47cc - and a load more mid-range - the Daytona 650 might nearly be the perfect middleweight.
Confusingly enough, this new Tiger is actually designated a 2005 model, even though it is already in the shops. Why? Supply and demand - the 2004 Tiger has sold out already!
So what's new?
The 2004 Rocket III has an engine larger than most family estates, so naturally Triumph launched this flagship model in the land where excess is the name of the game.
Picture the scene if you will. It's 2006, we're in the middle of a recession and another Government still ignores the benefits of motorcycles to the detriment of UK road users everywhere.
Feet stretched to way-out-front highway pegs. A single, fat, white-faced chrome-edged speedo dominating a chunky ally top-yoke. Heavyweight tank-mounted console for the basics and a nacelle headlight reflecting the whole world in its seamless perimeter.
With £2,000 taken out of the Daytona 675's price tag is Triumph's Street Triple the bargain sportsbike of 2007, or have the boys from Hinckley cut corners on their new middleweight triple?
For a Sunday morning or commuter bike it looks great but lacks a bit of the charm of the old bikes whose style it apes. However, what it loses in character it makes up for in the absence of oil leaks
There are still a few bulldogs out there, bearing
their teeth at the foreign hordes. Let's celebrate
all things British with a little help from two of
our own musical legends. Pip pip and tally ho!
The Rocket III is a fairly scary bike, face it. Trying to unleash 143bhp while sitting in a position similair to the one that labouring women use isn’t exactly the most relaxing way to begin a mid-life crisis. Sales have been strong but not as strong as expected in the US.