Triumph Street Tracker

It is sometimes quite refreshing to test just how much Ehinger motorcycle there is in a modern motorbike. We tried out a 2012 Triumph Bonneville, which indeed still breathes a lot of tradition and is at least visually reminiscent of the old-school ‘cafe racer’ style.

Despite an undying love for ‘Flatties’, ‘Knuckles’ and ‘Panheads’, trying to make a new-generation Triumph Bonneville into an Ehinger motorcycle presents a whole new range of challenges. Not least because of the dominance of electronics – from the fuel injection to the lambda sensor – any attempt at tinkering is frowned upon. Even with the electronics, only around 65% of the bike’s potential performance can be reached on the road after leaving the factory. This can be impressively adjusted by some expert retuning … 

A few parts lighter, a lower saddle, two Italian Kineo aluminium wheels with 90-degree spokes, Beringer brakes, a mini speedometer and classic Ehinger paintwork give it the perfect visual makeover. But all this would be silly if the Triumph, as with all our motorcycles, was not street legal or even really used out there on the roads. Uwe Ehinger has actually endorsed it as his ride for the city.