Triumph returns to the Chicago International Motorcycle Show

Last weekend, I attended the International Motorcycle Show in Chicago. Attendance on opening night was much greater than the previous couple of years – and significantly larger than the opening night crowd at the Detroit show which I attended last month. Adding to the excitement in Chicago was the appearance of Triumph after a seven-year absence from this venue. I was especially excited to see the new Tiger 800 and 800xc Adventure models and the newly updated Speed Triple. The Tiger 800 series enters Triumph into the growing adventure riding category competing directly with the very successful BMW 800GS and 1200GS series. The new Tigers have been getting generous reviews by both the European and North American press and they didn’t disappoint. The bikes on display were a huge draw throughout the night.

The other bike that I was really interested in seeing was the newly updated 2011 Speed Triple. I had always been drawn to the idea of the Speed Triple with its torqued out 1050 engine but I felt like the design had become too dated over the years. For the 2011 model, Triumph increased the torque by 7% and completely redesigned the chassis with a new aluminum twin spar frame. They also fitted a wider back tire and added twin headlamps making the new Speed Triple look even more aggressive than before, and in my opinion, more contemporary and appealing. I think we'll be seeing a lot more Triumphs on the road this year.