Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin Concept is What Two-Wheel Dreams are Made Of

Machines like the Bonneville and Sportster are inherently popular for their nostalgic looks, and die-hard fans are the first to cry foul when the bikes wander too far from the original recipe.

As the Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin Concept elegantly illustrates, that's a crying shame. As the brainchild of English designers Roy Norton and Tom Kasher, the Speed Twin is a modern take on the classic Bonneville. The two started with a Bonnie as a base platform and proceeded to update the machine's aesthetics accordingly.

The conceit began with the simple notion of what the Bonneville could have evolved into were it not so saddled with the nostalgia millstone. The two contacted Triumph while working for a design studio shortly after college, and Triumph Product Manager Simon Warburton gave the concept the go-ahead. The result is what you see here.

The concept uses a heavily modified Bonneville frame in conjunction with muscular-looking girder forks. Barbour cloth covers both the seats and the grips. With an 865cc engine, Thruxton brakes and unique gauges and levers, the Speed Twin is distilled awesome. Warburton is apparently pleased with the final result as well, and says some of the elements may make their way to future Triumph models.