The next phase of Triumph’s electric motorcycle project broke cover this week. Plus we look at a tasty Yamaha RD400 restomod, and original condition BSA Gold Star flat tracker, and a classy R18 from the BMW experts VTR Customs.

Triumph’s Electric Motorcycle Triumph’s been very covert about their electric motorcycle program, ‘Project TE-1.’ They announced the project two years ago, with help from a few outside partners and a dollop of government funding.
Then they went quiet… until earlier this week, when they announced that phase two of the four-phase project had just wrapped. It includes two big reveals: the battery and drivetrain prototype, and concept sketches of the motorcycle they’re building. And the fact that it basically looks like an electric Speed Triple has us giddy with excitement.
The keyword here is innovation, so everyone is going all-out. F1-assciated Williams Advanced Engineering is focusing on reducing battery mass, partially by integrating the control unit into the battery pack. Integral Powertrain Limited has worked on compacting the motor, and is claiming 130 kW (almost 180 hp) from a ten-kilo powerplant.

Triumph has said a lot about the tech, but not much about the final spec?which is to be expected this early on. What we do know is that the prototype frame has already been developed, along with most of the control systems and rider aids. So the Speed Triple-inspired design is probably close to what we&...