Speed Twin 1200 gets an official cafe racer makeover for 2026
Limited to 800 units worldwide, the Speed Twin 1200 Cafe Racer Edition combines modern suspension and brakes with styling inspired by Britain’s 1960s cafe racer scene.
Triumph has added another limited-run model to its modern classic range with the launch of the Speed Twin 1200 Cafe Racer Edition, a bike built in a run of just 800 units worldwide.
You may also like to read our Triumph Speed Twin 1200 review.
Based on the Speed Twin 1200 RS, the Cafe Racer Edition takes the standard bike and leans harder into its heritage roots. The headline changes are clip-on handlebars in place of the RS’s flat bars, a single-seat setup with a brown bullet seat and removable cowl, and the removal of the pillion pegs as standard. If you want to carry a passenger, you’ll need to bolt on the supplied pegs.
Each bike comes with a numbered certificate, underlining Triumph’s intention to pitch this as something more exclusive than a paint-and-badge job - despite the mechanical package remaining unchanged from the RS.
The good news is that means fully adjustable Marzocchi forks up front, twin Öhlins shocks at the rear and Brembo Stylema calipers gripping 320mm discs - all of which on the Speed Twin, work faultlessly. Metzeler Racetec RR K3 tyres are also fitted as standard, and again, that’s no bad thing. The riding position is lower and more committed thanks to the clip-ons, pushing the rider forward, reinforcing the cafe racer brief, and putting more of th eriders weight over the front end.
Power comes from Triumph’s tried and tested 1200cc Bonneville parallel twin, producing 105PS (103.5 bhp) at 7,750 rpm and 112Nm (82.6 lb ft) of torque. The 270-degree crank gives the engine its familiar off-beat feel, and performance is carried over unchanged from the RS.
Electronics include Road, Rain and Sport riding modes, cornering ABS and traction control, plus Triumph’s Shift Assist for clutchless upshifts and downshifts. The dash combines LCD and TFT screens housed within a traditional circular clock, offering phone connectivity, navigation and a USB-C charging port without straying too far from the bike’s classic look.
Visually, the Cafe Racer Edition is finished in a Competition Green and Aluminium Silver paint scheme, with matching wheels and a colour-coded headlight bowl. Bar-end mirrors, knee pads, ribbed engine badges and blacked-out fasteners complete the look, while brushed aluminium mudguards add some contrast.
Triumph says the bike draws inspiration from the British cafe racer scene of the 1960s, with styling cues that nod to the era without drifting into full-on hipster territory, which is nice.
UK pricing is set at £15,995 on the road. Bikes are due to arrive in dealerships from March 2026, with Triumph’s new “Reserve My Triumph” system allowing customers to secure one in advance. With just 800 being built globally, availability is likely to be limited from the outset.
Triumph Speed Twin 1200 Cafe Racer Edition spec
| ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION | |
| Type | Liquid-cooled parallel twin, 8 valve, SOHC, 2700 firing order |
| Capacity | 1200 cc |
| Bore | 97.6 mm |
| Stroke | 80.0 mm |
| Compression | 12.1:1 |
| Maximum Power | 105 PS / 103.5 bhp (77.2 kW) @ 7,750 rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 112 Nm @ 4,250 rpm |
| Fuel System | Multipoint fuel injection with electronic throttle control. Three rider modes (Sport, Road, Rain). |
| Exhaust | Brushed stainless steel 2 into 2 exhaust system with twin brushed stainless steel silencers |
| Final Drive | X-ring chain |
| Clutch | Wet, multi-plate, slip & assist |
| Gearbox | 6-speed, Triumph Shift Assist |
| CHASSIS | |
| Frame | Tubular steel, with steel cradles |
| Swingarm | Twin sided, fabricated aluminium |
| Front Wheel | Cast aluminium alloy, 7-spoke, 17 x 3.5 in |
| Rear Wheel | Cast aluminium alloy, 7-spoke, 17 x 5.0 in |
| Front Tyre | 120/70 R17 |
| Rear Tyre | 160/60 R17 |
| Front Suspension | Ø 43mm Marzocchi upside-down forks, adjustable for pre-load, compression and rebound damping. 120 mm wheel travel |
| Rear Suspension | Öhlins twin RSUs with external reservoirs, adjustable for pre-load, compression and rebound damping. 123 mm wheel travel |
| Front Brakes | Twin Ø 320mm floating discs, Brembo Stylema M4.30 radial calipers, Brembo MCS lever, OCABS |
| Rear Brakes | Single Ø 220mm fixed disc, Nissin 2-piston floating caliper, OCABS |
| Instruments | LCD multi-function instruments with integrated colour TFT screen |
| DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS | |
| Length | 2073 mm |
| Width (Handlebars) | 795 mm |
| Height Without Mirrors | 1055 mm |
| Seat Height | 810 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1414 mm |
| Rake | 22.6° |
| Trail | 92 mm |
| Wet weight | 217 kg |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 14.5 litres |
| SERVICE | |
| Service Interval | 10,000 miles (16,000km) / 12 months |
Find out more about the new bike on the official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!