For those who know a thing or two about motorcycles, they’ll probably know that Steve McQueen, the King of Cool and one of cinema’s great screen icons, was very much a bike enthusiast. And while he owned many bikes from different manufacturers over the years, he had an affinity for Triumphs, riding and racing them – notably the TR6 Trophy – in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Most famously, the incredible barbed wire fence-jumping stunt from the McQueen-starring WWII epic The Great Escape was performed by his good friend Bud Ekins on a TR6 Trophy (made up to look like a German WWII-era motorcycle, the BMW R75).

In 2021, Triumph is celebrating its connection to the movie star legend by launching a Steve McQueen Limited Edition version of its new Scrambler 1200 bike – two versions of which, the XC and XE, have been updated for 2021.

Developed in partnership with McQueen’s family, the limited-edition bike is based on that XE model and just 1000 of the limited-edition models are to be built, each of which will come with a certificate of authenticity stating the bike’s VIN number, and carrying the signatures of Triumph’s CEO, Nick Bloor, and Chad McQueen, Steve’s son.

The Scrambler is powered by the latest evolution of Triumph’s 1200cc 8-valve parallel twin engine generating 110Nm at 4,500rpm, with peak power of 66kW arriving at 7,250rpm. It’s fitted with Öhlins long-travel fully adjustable RSUs and long-travel Showa forks; twin Brembo M50 radial monobloc calipers; long-travel aluminium swingarm; full-colour TFT instruments with illuminated switches; has up to 6 riding modes – including Off-Road Pro; has optimised cornering ABS and cornering traction control; and keyless ignition, single button cruise control and USB charging socket.

The Scrambler 1200 Steve McQueen edition is also pre-enabled for the My Triumph connectivity system that allows the rider to access phone calls, operate music, use turn-by-turn navigation and manage a Go-Pro through the intuitive handlebar controls and TFT interface.

A unique paint scheme features a Competition Green tank with brushed foil knee pads, hand-painted gold lining, gold heritage Triumph logos, dedicated Steve McQueen tank graphic, brushed aluminium Monza cap and brushed stainless steel tank strap. Also featured is the aluminium high-level front mudguard, which, along with the rear mudguard, is also painted in Competition Green; engine protection dresser bars; and an aluminium radiator guard with laser etched Triumph branding.

With a selection of accessories also available, Triumph says the Steve McQueen Edition is the highest specification Scrambler ever.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (May 2021)

26 May 2021