Full Chat podcast: The Stranglers’ JJ Burnel reveals his epic Triumph motorcycle collection

JJ Burnel

The Stranglers’ JJ Burnel is the latest guest on the motorcycling podcast Full Chat. 

Burnel is best known for being the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist of British punk rock band The Stranglers, who have amassed 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 albums in the top 40 albums chart.   

He is the sixth guest on Bikesure’s new podcast, hosted by former Olympic sprinter Iwan Thomas and footballer-turned-presenter David Prutton, after Michelin star chef Paul Ainsworth, former athlete and television personality Kriss Akabusi, Isle of Man TT racer Peter Hickman, Olympic hero James Cracknell and presenter Billy Ward.

JJ Burnel reveals his 40-year obsession with UK motorcycle brand 

During the episode, Burnel discussed the plethora of bikes he has owned over the decades since passing his test. After ditching his “impractical” Harley-Davidson WLC, he began a love affair with Triumph as he explained. 

“After the impracticalities of the WLC, as soon as I had my first royalty cheque I got a Triumph, I think it was the T160, which was a Trident and then I got a series of Bonnevilles”, Burnel said. 

“Apart from a five-year period where I got a Sportster Harley, when they started getting a bit better, I’ve stuck to Triumph for 40-odd years.

“Now I’ve got three Triumphs. I’ve got a 1960 Trident which is a T120 in a featherbed frame, then I’ve got an RS Sprint and it’s a brute of a machine, in 2004 they discontinued that particular model. It’s 130 horsepower, got no ABS, got no traction control, it’s scary, but it’s great!

“Then I got a Thruxton R about six years ago, which is a lovely ‘torquey’ nice sounding machine.”     

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More episodes of Full Chat to come

There’s extra episodes to come from our motorcycling podcast as series one continues at pace.. What celebrity guests will detail their history of bikes, along with some funny anecdotes before the season is out?  

You can listen to Full Chat on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or various other platforms if you want to see what all the fuss is about.