Recently Triumph North America partnered with Motoworks Chicago to host more than 350 Triumph fans at Revel Fulton Market. Why? To celebrate the launch of the all-new Bonneville line up for 2016 and beyond. Triumph is calling the tour Bonneville Reborn and that’s just the right title. The idea was to throw an invitation-only party just for Triumph fans and let them see the new Bonneville lineup long before the unwashed masses at trade events like the IMS.
The venue was Revel Fulton Market in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. A converted industrial space, it was perfect for events like this. The Triumph Bonneville Reborn semi truck rolled in day-of with the Bonneville T120 Black, Street Twin, and the new Thruxton R ready for their close up. All Rise Brewery supplied the beverages and the stage was set for a great night, light snowing be damned. Red Bull’s own DJ Boi Jeanius kept the positive vibes alive.
Turnout was fantastic, and we even took several deposits on new Bonnevilles right at the event. While the Thruxton R has been creating the most attention online, the Street Twin and T120 created a biggest buzz at the in-person event. I chatted with many of our guests to get their first impressions of the bikes and there was a common theme to that feedback. People consistently mentioned that Triumph got the small details right — that the bikes felt more “authentic” and “classic” than the models that they are replacing. I tend to agree. All of Triumph’s hard work in re-imagining the Modern Classic yet again has paid off, but it was nice to hear that from the crowd.
We had a blast chatting the night away. There’s something so automatic about motorcycles and connecting with people. When you already have that thing in common, the conversation is started for you. The ice is broken, and the shields come down. People find that common ground and it gets easy to connect. That’s the unspoken benefit of motorcycles, I think: they come with friends.
All in all, it was a stellar night. We’re super grateful for the efforts of Larry Fletcher and Triumph North America’s Jess Giesen in planning the event. It was a first class deal, and they busted their butts to put this together on such a tight timeline. As far as I was concerned, the event was a great success. Fun was had by all, folks saw old pals and made some new ones, and we celebrated not just motorcycling, but the next chapter in Triumph’s iconic Modern Classic lineup. So cheers to the Bonneville, and to all of you who came out.
Gallery: Bonneville Reborn Tour — Chicago
Photo credits: Juan Hernandez and Triumph North America