Triumph eyes entry-level market?

According to Aussie magazine Australian Motorcycle News - and a host of motorcycle websites and online forums - Triumph is currently hard at work developing an entry-level model, and has been spotted testing a range of single-cylinder machines in the UK.

Triumph's model range has steadily expanded since British property developer John Bloor relaunched the marque with six new models at the 1990 Cologne Show, its current line-up now comprising sportsbikes, sportstourers, cruisers, tourers, streetfighters, retro bikes, and adventure tourers. With its smallest engine currently being the 675cc in-line triple found in the Daytona 675 and Street Triple, the lack of a small-capacity, entry-level machine represents something a major gap in the Triumph family.

According to a recent news report in AMCN, Triumph was recently seen putting a number of smaller, single-cylinder bikes through their paces at England's Motor Industry Research Association test facility, the bikes including both existing models from rival manufacturers, and unidentified bikes - bikes that could possibly be Triumph prototypes.

Such a model would serve to attract an entirely new breed of customer to Triumph's door - potentially also imparting a sense of brand loyalty at the very beginning of a rider's motorcycling career - along with giving the marque an entry into the massive Asian market for cheap and cheerful commuters.

Triumph opened a third production facility in Thailand in 2007 and now employs some 800 workers across its three Thai plants, which produce a wide range of motorcycle components and handle a variety of manufacturing processes. With its Thai factories it's believed Triumph now has an annual manufacturing capability of some 130,000 bikes - approaching three times its total 2009 output of just over 46,000 bikes.

The marque also recently announced its spearhead into India from 2012, with the appointment of Ashish Joshi, former head of Royal Enfield's European operations, as Managing Director of Triumph Motorcycles India.

With Honda's popular learner offering, the CBR250R, being produced at its own Thai facility, it's not a major leap to see Triumph also exploring the possibility of its own affordable, Thai-built entry-level model. Triumph currently has its hands full with a host of new 2012 models, but if the persistant rumours of its own tiddler do indeed prove to be true, we could be seeing it unveiled for the 2013 model year.

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