According to Triumph, the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE appears throughout Matchbox The Movie and takes center stage in one of its climactic action scenes. The film started streaming on Apple TV on October 9. That is a bigger role than a cameo, and the bike has the hardware to carry it.
The film is a PG-13 action movie inspired by the Mattel toy brand, directed by Sam Hargrave. In Apple’s description, John Cena plays Sean, an undercover CIA agent who returns to his small town and pulls his childhood friends into a mission to save the world.
Why the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE Works as a Stunt Bike
I think the case is better than it sounds. The 2024 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE has 250 mm (9.8 inches) of travel at both ends from fully adjustable Marzocchi suspension, a 21-inch front wheel and twin Brembo M4.30 radial calipers up front. The 1200cc twin makes 89 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 110 Nm, about 81 lb-ft, at 4,250 rpm, so the pull arrives low in the rev range, right where a rider working over rough ground wants it.
The trade-off is size. The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE weighs 230 kg wet, roughly 507 pounds, and the seat sits at 870 mm, about 34.3 inches. That is a lot of motorcycle to throw around.
The Bond films have already tried it. The stunt team on No Time to Die needed high-performance bikes for key action sequences, and the film featured the Scrambler 1200 and the Tiger 900. A limited-edition Scrambler 1200 Bond Edition followed.
What the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE Inherits From Triumph’s Stunt History
The company has been putting its bikes in front of stunt riders for a long time. In The Great Escape, Steve McQueen’s character had to jump a motorcycle over barbed wire. The film’s insurers kept McQueen off the bike, so Bud Ekins, a California off-road racer, North Hollywood Triumph dealer and McQueen’s friend, made the jump on a TR6 Trophy.
He and McQueen worked out the jump with small practice runs and calculated an 80 mph run-up to clear a raised twelve-foot fence and land about 60 feet away. A 1962 Trophy made around 42 bhp. The XE makes 89, which gives a stunt team a lot more to work with.
That is the tradition Matchbox The Movie is stepping into. The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE is a different machine from a 1960s Trophy, but the pitch is the same: put a Triumph in the hands of someone who can ride, point a camera at it, and let people see what it does.
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