The Back In Black Triumph Tour 2018 Recap: It's Snowing Outside, It's Summer Inside

Introducing the 2018 line-up: Tiger 800, Tiger 1200, Bobber Black, Speedmaster and the North American premiere of the all new Speed Triple RS.

Nothing worse than the February blahs. To a rider, hell is cold, with nothing to do but wish for warmer times. Of wishing to reconnect with friends on-2 who have disappeared in individual wintry burrows. Wishing for any chance to swing a leg over, turn the ignition and go.

Last Friday, Toronto got a small respite. Behind a curtain of snow, Triumph blew into town to tout their latest and greatest motorcycles for 2018. Five new motorcycles were proffered for us, the ride-starved, to prod, peruse and even straddle. The Back In Black Tour was our chance to hang out, have a drink and commiserate.

And commiserate we did! Our gracious hosts provided food, drink and entertainment at the Danforth Music Hall. While the snow swirled outside, the crowd was cozy, milling about familiar Triumphs spaced around the hall – T-120s, Street Twins, Scramblers, Street Cups…

Hellos and hugs as riding buddies reunited. It was indeed, as MC Pat Gonsalves called it: ”It's snowing outside, it's summer inside”.

Locals Fast Times Magazine, Town Moto, Motoress and the Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival joined and the team from EatSleepRIDE were all on hand to add to the vibe.

First up was the unveiling of the 2018 Tiger 800 XR Adventure bike boasting a 95 horsepower triple, a shorter first gear, a lighter exhaust, a full colour instrument panel and 5 riding modes.

Following was its bigger sibling, the 141 horsepower Tiger 1200 XC, slimmed-down with its "Arrow" pipe, shift-assist and more upgrades than you can shake a lever at.

AC/DC's “Back In Black” introduced the new Bonneville Bobber Black, with its augmented front end providing better handling and stopping. A good bike just got better!

The Speedmaster is an all-new bike, based on the 1200cc Bonneville platform. Unveiled on stage, it’s a pretty cool retro-styled cruiser with forward controls, six-speed gearbox, traction control, ABS and two riding modes. The Speedmaster is more practical, but just as fun as the Bobber; added benefit: it’ll two-up across the country.

In its North American premiere, the Speed Triple RS has upped its horsepower and torque. More than Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, ABS and traction control. Triumph claims the RS is the best handling Speed triple ever; the 150 horsepower fuel injected three cylinder engine spins up quicker than ever before thanks to an engine comprising 105 new parts.

After the bikes were shown, the fun continued.

As the crowd queued for Tacos, Haircuts and Caricatures, Clayton Bellamy’s Congregation fired up and took us on a rock and roll road trip home.

And as I left for home, I’d noticed that the snow had stopped, and it had gotten warmer. Maybe it was just the glow of great friends, great bikes, and great times, but at the time it didn’t matter – maybe February wasn't that bad after all.

The Triumph Motorcycles Back in Black Tour is crisscrossing the country, offering dedicated supporters an exclusive look at the latest additions to the Triumph line-up.

More info on upcoming North American tour dates can be found here