No, that isn't a Street Triple. Look closely and you'll see that's a single-cylinder motor, likely 250cc in capacity. This is the new Triumph entry-level street bike.

Photos By: Chris Doane Automotive LLC

A basic, steel tube frame holds the liquid-cooled motor, connected to a basic, box-section swingarm. Up front, those bug-eye headlights — the same as the 2013 Triumph Street Triple — provide a familial connection that's also provided in the large exhaust canister.

The rest is a much more generic, budget bike. A bulbous tank and plastic radiator shrouds lack any defined shape, as does the large seat unit. This will be a practical motorcycle — a one-piece seat creates adequate room for rider and passenger, while the latter also benefits from prominent grab rails.

Running gear is very basic. Thin, RWU forks hold a single brake disc and two-piston, sliding caliper. Tires appear to be the same IRC Road Winner bias ply items fitted to the Suzuki GW250, Honda CBR250R and Kawasaki Ninja 300. Those three bikes will be the Triumph's main rival in the U.S. and in Europe, but it will also target developing markets in Southeast Asia and South America.

It's likely that the majority of the bike’s parts will be manufactured in Triumph existing factory in Thailand, then assembled in its new facility located in Chennai, India. This arrangement helps avoid import tariffs in both countries, which are both massive motorcycle markets.

It’s been rumored that this bike could form a platform for multiple models, some as large as 350cc and form the lynchpin of Triumph’s efforts to it’s expand global sales volume to 250,000 units annually by 2016. The move will make it over twice the size of BMW, dwarfing Ducati and its current 44,000 annual unit volume. Both those companies are pursuing similar expansion in developing markets, just not as quickly as Triumph seems to be.

Stay tuned to RideApart for more on this story in the coming weeks and months.


New Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike

Spied: Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike Caught Testing

New Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike

Spied: Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike Caught Testing

New Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike

Spied: Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike Caught Testing

New Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike

Spied: Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike Caught Testing

New Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike

Spied: Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike Caught Testing

New Triumph Entry-Level Street Bike

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