In a departure for its normal line of business, an iconic motorcycle maker from Britain has just stuck its name on an ebike — but there’s still no word on an electric motorcycle.
Today, Triumph launched its Trekker GT , a surprisingly well-equipped ebike. I say surprisingly because car and motorbike makes have done this kind of thing in the past. Usually, they pick an off-the-shelf frame, throw on some off-the-peg parts, and slap their brand name on it. Triumph’s Trekker GT, though, appears very well-thought-out.
The Trekker GT comes with an alloy frame, with internal cable routing for a clean appearance and to keep the cables away from dirt. It has decent front suspension from RockShox, and tires from Schwalbe. I recently rode some heavy-duty commuting tires from Schwalbe on the Muto ebike , and was impressed by their speed and smoothness.
There’s also integrated front and rear lights and a rear-wheel lock from Abus. These kinds of locks are popular as they provide a quick and secure method of securing your bike — add another chain lock to double lock your bike, a strategy popular in places like Amsterdam.
But the icing on the cake is the Shimano, mid-mounted electric motor. Gears and brakes are also from the Japanese bicycle component giant. The motor can provide up to 250 watts of additional power, that’s like having a decent cyclist pushing you along.
Perhaps the only downside is the price: it’s $3,750. While that’s certainly not cheap, the price is inline with other similarly specified bikes.
It’s not uncommon for automakers to release bicycles . Usually the two-wheelers fall into one of two categories : cheap bicycle shaped objects to sell as branded merchandise, or exorbitantly expensive custom-developed machines designed to demonstrate engineering prowess.
Sometimes the creations are ugly as sin, take these for example . But sometimes the automakers just get it right, and I’d say Triumph has hit the nail on the head with its Trekker GT.
It’s now the perfect time for a fully electric motorcycle, if only Triumph would pull its finger out.
The British motorbike maker announced its electric TE-1 concept last year , but little seems to have happened since then. Hopefully the Trekker GT is just a two-wheeled stepping stone on the way to something a lot more Triumphy .
HT – TechCrunch
