Prince William test rides Tiger 1200 at Triumph’s Hinckley HQ

The Prince is an ardent motorcyclist, having owned everything from dirt bikes to Ducatis

Prince William test rides Tiger 1200 at Triumph’s Hinckley HQ

PRINCE William said recently that he would be hanging up his riding boots, but it appears he couldn’t resist a quick spin on Triumph’s new Tiger 1200 during a visit to the manufacturer’s UK base yesterday.

Kensington Palace shared a series of tweets showing the Prince’s time at Triumph, including a clip of him riding the new Tiger 1200. Pulling up to a stop outside the Factory Visitor Experience, he exclaimed: ‘Not long enough! Give us a track!’

During the visit William viewed Triumph’s new £6million paint shop facility, took a tour of the factory and officially opened the Factory Visitor Experience, unveiling a commemorative fuel tank emblazoned with the Union Jack.

He even tried his hand at adding the finishing touches to a Tiger, affixing a badge to the engine casing.

While in the midlands, he also visited the MIRA automotive technology park in Warwickshire, on a day that Kensington Palace said would celebrate world-class British vehicular manufacture, research and development.

And with 900 employees in the UK alone and a worldwide output of around 67,000 bikes each year, Triumph is a prime example of that world class standard.

The manufacturer’s CEO, Nick Bloor, who hosted the Duke during his visit, commented: ‘It was a delight to welcome His Royal Highness to Hinckley.’

‘Thanks to the dedication and hard work of everyone at Triumph, our export business continues to grow and our outstanding design engineering team, in which we have invested heavily in recent years, is producing a stream of exciting motorcycles that captures the imagination of riders all over the world.’