Special Gold Line models for majority of Bonneville range and also special editions for Street Twin, Thruxton RS and Rocket 3. All incorporate cosmetic changes only and are available for a year from December 2021.

Triumph Goes All-Out on Special Edition Models

Launching a special edition of a model is a good - and cheap - way of offering something a little different on an existing and perhaps ageing line-up. In Triumph's case, it's not clear why they thought they might need to spice up an already up-to-date range of machines but seeing as how it has all been done in the best possible taste and with great style, we have to admit that it's a brilliant move.

Triumph has also bucked the trend by offering the enhanced models not in limited numbers but for a limited time period. All the new versions are available for 12 months from December 2021

First up is the Gold Line series of bikes, all on the Bonneville range. Under the skin, all the models now comply to latest Euro5 emissions legislation but it is the style additions to the exterior by highly skilled painters in Thailand and the UK that set the models apart from the standard models.

The name Gold Line comes from the thin gold pinstriping that has been applied to special two-tone colour schemes on the tank. The pinstriping has been applied by hand and this is not a skill that is learned overnight. Each artist who is working for Triumph has been perfecting the art for years and each bike is signed by the artist who applied the pinstriping.

The Bonneville T100 and Bonneville T120 Gold Lines get a silver and green colour way for tank, side panels and fenders, pinstriped in gold, with a script 'Gold Line' logo.

The Bonneville T120 Black Gold Line has a matt sapphire black tank, fenders and side panels with Silver Ice infills and each panel has gold pin striping.

Then there's the Street Scrambler which has a matt pacific blue tank with brushed aluminium knee pads, lined in gold. The side panels and fenders are jet black.

The Scrambler XC is striking in Carnival Red and Storm Grey fuel tank with a silver stripe around the brushed aluminium knee pads, again edged in gold pin stripe. The Scrambler XE gets the same tank design but in Baja Orange and Silver Ice.

The Bobber Gold Line has a Carnival Red fuel tank with twin black stripes and gold Triumph logo and brushed aluminium knee pads lined in gold.

Finally, the Speedmaster Gold Line gets a silver Ice fuel tank with twin black stripes and a brushed aluminium knee pad lined in gold, with black fenders and side panels.

You can expect the special paint jobs to add around $1000 to the price of the 'standard' models on which they are based.

Celebrating Places, Times and Numbers

The next batch of Triumph special editions are similarly available for a year from December 2021 but Triumph has chosen a distinct place, time and number for these.

The Street Twin, Thruxton RS and Rocket 3 R & GT each has its own story to tell.

The Street Twin EC1 is a little tenuous in that it celebrates a particular part of East London - the EC1 postcode - which is a bit of a hotbed for hipster biker culture, as evidenced by the success of the Bike Shed Motorcycle Club, a bar and events venue.

The Thruxton RS Ton Up celebrates the '60's Rockers who would try and squeeze the 'ton', or 100mph, out of their cafe racers. The cafe racer scene of the '60's involved home-built or modified bikes and it is ironic that a major manufacturer (or two, if you count Ducati) has taken the movement in-house.

The Rocket 3R and GT 221 Special Editions, the 221 referencing the 221Nm of torque the 2.5 litre triple cylinder engine produces.

So concludes a very busy year for Triumph, with not only brand new models - Speed Triple RR, Tiger Sport 660 and Tiger 1200 and the start of a foray into full-on off-road MX bikes - but the special edition Gold Line models. It's just possible that the Triumph stand will be the busiest at the EICMA show.