Triumph confirms development of motocross and enduro models

Triumph has confirmed it will enter the motocross and enduro markets in a move that will flip the off-road industry on its head.

The famous British manufacturer is set to offer a full range of motocross and enduro models for the first time in its modern history.

As speculated by bikesales last week, Ricky Carmichael and Ivan Cervantes have been enlisted by the brand to help promote and develop the new range of motorcycles.

Naturally, the brand will use the new bikes to start factory racing efforts in top-tier competitions around the world. This will likely include MXGP, AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross, the Enduro World Championship and the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. It is likely we’ll also see racing programs in Australian events too.

Triumph provided no further detail on the new models, but it indicated that more information will be released in the coming months.

Given that Carmichael and Cervantes have been working with Triumph for over 12 months, it is possible the bikes are finished and will be launched very soon.

It is likely that Triumph will initially focus on a single-cylinder four-stroke platform, which will possibly follow a similar formula to KTM – the British brand’s natural key competitor. It is not yet known whether the new engine will be developed in-house by Triumph or sourced from an external supplier but, if Triumph’s Moto2 engine involvement is anything to go by, we’re confident it will be born and bred in Hinckley.

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The range will almost certainly include 250cc and 450cc models in both motocross and enduro trim, while 350cc and 500cc enduro models are possible, as is a 350cc motocrosser.

It is unlikely Triumph will offer a full-size two-stroke model from the start, as this would require development of a completely separate engine. However, we can’t rule out a possible range of two-stroke mini bikes for junior competition.

Most current dirt bike brands are colour-coded, so it is likely Triumph will offer its own unique graphic design. While no detail has been provided, a predominantly black colour scheme would be an obvious choice given Triumph's branding.

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Triumph brand, which everyone at Triumph is incredibly excited to be part of,” said Triumph CEO, Nick Bloor. “We are committed to making a long-lasting impact, with a single-minded ambition to deliver a winning motorcycle line-up for a whole new generation of Triumph riders.”

Carmichael, who won a record seven AMA Motocross titles, was ‘honoured and humbled’ to be part of the new Triumph program. “This is an incredible opportunity for me to join this historic brand,” he said. “Not only are these exciting times for me, but it's an exciting time for the off-road industry.”

Cervantes, a five-time World Enduro champion, was equally excited by the prospect of a Triumph off-road range. “I’ve loved Triumph motorcycles since I was a small kid, seeing them in films and on television,” he said. “I cannot wait to see the bikes competing at a world level.”

While Triumph’s dramatic entry into the off-road world will come as a surprise to many, it is not a complete curveball, with the brand having strong roots in off-road racing.

Triumph models were popular in early trials and scrambles racing (the forbearers to enduro and motocross), at a time when dirt bikes were no more than modified road bikes.

Actor Steve McQueen was associated with Triumph and piloted a 650cc Triumph at the 1964 International Six Day Trial. He also famously rode a Triumph in The Great Escape, though it was stuntman Bud Ekins who performed the iconic fence jump. McQueen also competed in many American desert races on modified Triumphs.

Just as dirt bikes became more specialised in the 1970s and '80s, Triumph began to falter and eventually went into receivership in 1983. English businessman John Bloor purchased the rights to the company not long after and built a new facility in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Triumph eventually produced a range of popular adventure bikes with the ‘Tiger’ moniker and, in recent years, it has also focused on vintage-style road bikes dubbed ‘Modern Classics’.

The Triumph Scrambler was introduced in 2006 as a throwback to those early dirt-friendly models, but it was only an off-road machine in spirit. In 2019, Triumph took the Scrambler concept a step further with the 1200 Scrambler XE, which offered true off-road ability.

All that said, the development of a modern motocross and enduro platform is completely new territory for the British marque, and it will be the first major brand in a long time to start from scratch. But with its current Moto2 program proving successful, we have no doubt Triumph is capable of pulling off the impossible.