Photo: Triumph
It's a time when the eyes of the world are looking toward Tokyo, where the local auto show is about to kick off with a bang. As if trying to get people's minds off cars, a number of global bike makers have released into the wild new two-wheelers meant to balance things off.
We've already seen the retro feel the Yamaha XSR900 GP will soon bring to the table, but now it's time for something a bit (a lot, actually) more British. And you can rarely go more British than Triumph.
At the center of the company's efforts this week is the Bonneville range, one of the icons of motorcycle making on the island, and with us in various forms from as far back as 1959.
Presently sold as part of Triumph's modern classic lineup, the Bonnevilles are held in such high regard by both customers and the people making them that they've just become the focus of perhaps one of the most impressive special edition releases in a very long time. In terms of volume, at least.
No less than eight Bonneville variants will be offered for the 2024 model year (and for that model year alone) in a special guise that will be known as the Stealth Edition.
Judging by the name alone you'd be inclined to believe we're to expect some kind of paint job that will make the bikes fade into the background, or even the opposite if you're thinking the Brits are deliberately deceiving with the name.
But the reality is the bikes are not at all stealth. They will, in turn, be capable of changing their color depending on the way in which light hits their bodies. Maybe a more appropriate name for the release would have been the… Chameleon Edition.
That's because all eight motorcycle got a special paint treatment on their fuel tanks. Applied by hand, the finish is meant to intensify and change its color when exposed to light or looked at from different angles.
The make the two-wheelers capable of doing that, Triumph went for a Silver Ice base layer, which adds a touch of mirror finish to each paint job. Then, a Sapphire Black graphite vignette was applied, and ultimately tinted lacquer in multiple layers. The lacquer is different for all models, and that should make each bike unique.
The Bonneville Bobber Purple Stealth Edition, for instance, bets on purple to make it look apart. The Bonneville T100 goes for blue, and so does the Bonneville T120. This latter bike is also offered in black.
The Speed Twin 1200 goes for a more daring approach in red, just like the Bonneville Speedmaster, while its smaller sibling, the Speed Twin 900, was treated to a tank paint cover in green. Last but not least, a daring orange is reserved for the Scrambler 900.
Triumph did not go out of its way to make the Stealth Edition bikes more exquisite than that, so they all still rely on their respective and standard mechanical components.
The company is already accepting orders for the motorcycles through its dealers, but won't start delivering them until February of next year. The bikes are not yet listed on the official website in full, but there is a mention that pricing starts at $10,645.
At the center of the company's efforts this week is the Bonneville range, one of the icons of motorcycle making on the island, and with us in various forms from as far back as 1959.
Presently sold as part of Triumph's modern classic lineup, the Bonnevilles are held in such high regard by both customers and the people making them that they've just become the focus of perhaps one of the most impressive special edition releases in a very long time. In terms of volume, at least.
No less than eight Bonneville variants will be offered for the 2024 model year (and for that model year alone) in a special guise that will be known as the Stealth Edition.
Judging by the name alone you'd be inclined to believe we're to expect some kind of paint job that will make the bikes fade into the background, or even the opposite if you're thinking the Brits are deliberately deceiving with the name.
But the reality is the bikes are not at all stealth. They will, in turn, be capable of changing their color depending on the way in which light hits their bodies. Maybe a more appropriate name for the release would have been the… Chameleon Edition.
That's because all eight motorcycle got a special paint treatment on their fuel tanks. Applied by hand, the finish is meant to intensify and change its color when exposed to light or looked at from different angles.
The make the two-wheelers capable of doing that, Triumph went for a Silver Ice base layer, which adds a touch of mirror finish to each paint job. Then, a Sapphire Black graphite vignette was applied, and ultimately tinted lacquer in multiple layers. The lacquer is different for all models, and that should make each bike unique.
The Bonneville Bobber Purple Stealth Edition, for instance, bets on purple to make it look apart. The Bonneville T100 goes for blue, and so does the Bonneville T120. This latter bike is also offered in black.
The Speed Twin 1200 goes for a more daring approach in red, just like the Bonneville Speedmaster, while its smaller sibling, the Speed Twin 900, was treated to a tank paint cover in green. Last but not least, a daring orange is reserved for the Scrambler 900.
Triumph did not go out of its way to make the Stealth Edition bikes more exquisite than that, so they all still rely on their respective and standard mechanical components.
The company is already accepting orders for the motorcycles through its dealers, but won't start delivering them until February of next year. The bikes are not yet listed on the official website in full, but there is a mention that pricing starts at $10,645.
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