If you haven’t sampled the Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR yet, you’re missing out. By combining the Speed Triple’s character-rich 1,160 cc triple-cylinder motor with classic café racer styling and sportbike ergonomics, Triumph has nailed the balance between modern and retro. And with a spec sheet that includes Öhlins semi-active electronically adjustable suspension, it means business.
Still, Jody Millhouse and his team at Thornton Hundred saw the potential for more. Based in Milton Keynes, UK, the shop has a habit of cranking Triumph’s modern classics up to eleven. Think Triumph Bobbers with superchargers and swathes of carbon fiber, and you’ll get the idea.
The Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR isn’t the sort of bike you’d typically see on Thornton Hundred’s bench, but that didn’t hold them back. Starting with a brand new donor bike, they turned it into a no-holds-barred drift and drag bike, complete with a supercharger, an active aero package, and more custom parts than you can shake a stick at.
Working from the inside out, the Speed Triple’s already punch engine was rebuilt with custom-forged pistons and rods. A Rotrex C30 supercharger sits on the right-hand side of the engine, fed by a K&N air filter on a 3D-printed inlet. Thornton Hundred used a smorgasbord of bespoke CNC-machined and 3D-printed parts to hook everything up.
One of the shop’s best creations is hiding under the bodywork; a custom intake plenum that could qualify as mechanical art. Gasses exit via a three-into-one titanium exhaust system with an Arrow muffler. Thornton Hundred also installed an Ecumaster engine management system and a Link G4X FuryX ECU, and doubled the amount of fuel injectors in play.
The entire wiring loom is new too, although Jody prefers to refer to it as a “neural network.” That’s because Thornton Hundred has installed an Ecumaster dash running proprietary software. Called THAI (Thornton Hundred A.I.), it controls and monitors the Speed Triple’s numerous systems, and even talks back via a speaker under the seat that’s loaded with cheeky audio memes.
Another impressive piece is the Speed Triple’s billet aluminum swingarm. The boxy single-sided unit not only extends the bike’s wheelbase, but also acts as a reservoir for the supercharger’s water-methanol injection system, via a pump mounted to the left-hand side of the engine. The design includes a tunnel for the chain, with 3D-printed roller guides keeping it in check.
Tuned to send 230 horsepower to the rear wheel, the Speed Triple needed its running gear upgraded to match its output. The biggest issue was the potential for overheating the front brakes. To mitigate this, the crew modified the Brembo calipers with vented titanium pistons from JP Brakes, installed ceramic pads, and added carbon fiber cooling ducts.
The Speed Triple 1200 RR’s OEM semi-active suspension is pretty trick—but Thornton Hundred needed more control over the suspension’s behavior. So they axed it and reverted to a manually adjustable setup. (The ABS was deleted too.)
Naturally, the bike also sports wall-to-wall carbon fiber. The front fender, fairing, tank, and tailpiece are all carbon, as are the gorgeous Rotobox wheels.
The bodywork mimics the Speed Triple’s original design—save for the additional aero package on the front fairing. Various 3D-printed winglets are mounted on CNC-machined brackets, with a pair of carbon fiber flaps that adjust their angle based on input from the bike’s brain. Working on data from the Triumph’s stock inertial measurement unit, they respond to acceleration, deceleration, pitch, yaw, and inputs from the throttle and brakes.
An air intake sits where a headlight traditionally would, directing cold air over the intake plenum and toward the bike’s key electronic components. Hiding under the front winglets are a pair of LED projectors and turn signals.
You’ll find the original Speed Triple taillight out back, along with tiny LED turn signals that are subtly integrated into the custom-made heel plates. Thoughtful details abound—like the 3D-printed bits that manage the wiring, the CNC Racing switches mounted to the clip-on bars, and the high-grade Earls brake and oil lines. It’s also worth mentioning that, despite everything that’s been added to the bike, it weighs 9 kilos [almost 20 pounds] less than before.
Resplendent in its raw carbon fiber finishes with just a smattering of sponsor logos, Thornton Hundred’s highly-tuned Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR not only looks the business but goes like stink too. Once they had buttoned it up, the crew took it straight to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Jody wowed crowds as he drifted it up the hill (and wrecked its rear tire).
Completely street legal and with just 250 miles on the odometer, this maniacal Speed Triple is currently for sale for a cool £55,000 [about $70,823]. That’s hardly spare change, but one thing’s for sure—there’s no other Speed Triple like it.
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