The movie Nerve (2016) is a techno-thriller starring Dave Franco and Emma Roberts. The plot revolves around a truth-or-dare reality game, wherein “players” accept dares from “watchers,” earning money for their antics. Not surprisingly, such a game has both comic and dark consequences — both of which are portrayed in the film.
In the movie, Dave Franco’s character, Ian, rides a motorcycle — at one point, he accepts a dare to ride blindfolded through NYC at 60 mph with Emma Roberts’s character, Vee, steering with her body. Below is the scene.
Nerve Motorcycle Scene
The Motorcycle in Nerve
Franco’s motorcycle in Nerve is a 2015 Triumph Bonneville outfitted with blue neon underlights and a couple of Scrambler accents, including a mesh headlight guard and knobby tires. However, the low exhaust and mag wheels indicate the bike is not a Triumph Scrambler — a fact verified by various online sources. The Scrambler, on the other hand, has a high-mount exhaust and spoke wheels.
Triumph Bonneville
The Triumph Bonneville is often classified as a modern retro — a contemporary machine with old-school flair. The 2015 Bonneville offered an air-cooled, 865cc, 68-hp parallel twin with a 5-speed transmission, twin rear shocks, and 7-spoke cast aluminum mag wheels. The bike has been lauded by professional moto-journalists and amateur riders alike. Says The National:
“The current Bonneville will leave classic owners cold, with its decent brakes, electronic ignition and the ability to keep its oil on the inside. It even has an on-board trip computer, cleverly hidden in the main gauge. But one of the biggest advantages of the Bonneville is that it was designed in an era when handlebars were wide and people sat upright on the bike. Triumph has stuck to that design – and that makes it perfect for a new rider or someone returning to bikes after a long break. It’s as easy to ride as a 125cc training bike, but without the terrible looks and total lack of power.”
In a world of high-power Transformer lookalikes, the Triumph’s combination of nostalgic styling, modern engineering, and practical ergonomics is hard to beat.
Triumph Custom Motorcycles
Below is a selection of custom Triumph builds we’ve featured from around the world.
’49 Big Bear Scrambler: Triumph TR5 Trophy - A Spring-Frame, Square-Barrel TR5 Trophy from Ton Up Classics… In the 1950s, Triumph dealer Bill Martin designed a spring frame for desert racing in Southern California. Production began in 1952, while Triumph wouldn’t offer […]
Triumph “Bluegrass Scrambler” - From Alan Cross: A Scrambler for a Bluegrass Mandolin Player… At the 2024 Handbuilt Show, we spied a bold and burly modern Triumph Street Scrambler from a builder named Alan Cross and set out to […]
Preunit Bobber: 1960 Triumph Bonneville 650 - Karl Ardo’s Preunit Bonnie Bobber… The original twin-carb pre-unit Bonneville 650 was a sales success, but Triumph had hurried the bike to market. The biggest deficiency was the single-downtube frame, which wasn’t quite strong […]
Blown Bobber: Supercharged Triumph “Terminator” - A British Bulldog from New York’s A&J Cycles… In 2017, Triumph unveiled the Bonneville Bobber, a modern production take on the British and American bobbers of the post-WWII era. The Bobber boasted the same […]
City Sled: ’71 Triumph TR6R Tiger “Black Bike” - From Freeland Motorcycles: “The clean cut brother of a desert sled”… The Triumph TR6R “Tiger 650” was the single-carb version of the mighty Bonneville twin — a bike that had become synonymous with power […]
Desert Bonnie: Triumph Bonneville Black - A “Bonnie Desert Sled” from Old Tops Garage x Atlantic Custom Studio… For many of us, the golden days of 1960s California desert racing remain one of the most romantic and defining periods of motorcycling […]
Winner, Winner: Aluminum-Clad Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS - Classic Custom Winner…and Beyond: Thruxton RS by Jake Apiata x Triumph Annecy… Triumph is one of the brands that’s readily embraced the custom world, inviting and commissioning various dealers and bike-builders to transform production machines […]
Master Class: 1970 Triumph TR6 Bobber - Heiwa Motorcycle’s Triumph TR6 “Parrot Star”… The Triumph TR6 was the single-carb version of Triumph’s 650 twin, originally known as the Trophy and then as the Tiger from 1969 onwards. While the dual-carb Bonneville received […]
Tamarit Thunderbird: Thruxton 900 Café Racer - Thunderbird 1: Built for an RAF veteran… Introduced in 2003, the Triumph Thruxton 900 was a modern café racer, a “neo classic” with a big-twin engine, clip-on bars, sporty suspension, and a racy riding position. […]
Hinckley Howler: Triumph Trident Bobber - Triumph T300 “Tri-Bird” from Chris Forward… The early Hinckley Triumphs of the 1990s are quickly becoming modern classics. These “T300” machines brought the great British marque back from the shadows and spearheaded the brand’s many […]
All About The Bends: Triumph Trident 955 Café Racer - Hinckley Howler: Trident 955 from Chris Forward… In 1991, the Triumph brand reemerged into the global motorcycle market, offering a stable of new machines developed in their new Hinckley factory. The Trident 900 would be […]
“Thundersprint” Triumph 955 Street Tracker - Triumph Triple Street Tracker from Chris Forward… Back in 1991, Triumph returned to market with a quiver of brand-new models designed and built in their new Hinckley factory. These early Triumphs would make a strong […]
“R” Treatment: Triumph Daytona 900 Café Racer - Hinckley Hero: Joe Pitman’s Triumph 900 Triple “CR2″… At the 1990 Cologne Motorcycle Show, Triumph Motorcycles returned with a bang, revealing a six-strong range of modern multi-cylinder machines built out of a new state-of-the-art factory […]
Gulf RS: Triumph 1050 Café Racer - Speed Triple Café Racer from ETTO Motorcycles… Back in 2005, Triumph introduced the Speed Triple 1050, a factory streetfighter that packed a 128-bhp, three-cylinder gobsmacker of an engine. Here was a hooligan’s dream, just as […]
Like a Bear with a Shotgun: Triumph Tiger 900 Scrambler - “Dead End” Triumph Tiger from Cool Kid Customs… In 1993, Triumph entered the adventure bike market with the Tiger 900, powered by a re-tuned version of the same 885cc liquid-cooled triple as their Daytona and […]
Back to the Days: Triumph Scrambler 865 - Roy Welton’s Custom Triumph Scrambler… In 2006, Triumph introduced the 865 Scrambler, which took inspiration from the machines of the 1960s ISDT (International Six Days Trial) — a time when competitors like Steve McQueen rode […]
High-Power Roadster: Triumph Thruxton RS - Thruxton 1200 RS “Classic Roadster” from FCR Original… Introduced in 2020, the Thruxton RS pushed the performance envelope of Triumph’s production café racer even farther, boasting 104 horsepower from the 1200cc “High Power” parallel-twin […]
GRMTO Street Tracker: Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE - Triumph 1200 Street Tracker from Gas&Retro… The Triumph Scrambler 1200 was the first modern production scrambler to nail both ends of the spectrum: form and function. Here was a scrambler that could boast true off-road […]
Urban Fox: Triumph T120 Roadster - 130 Fox: T120 Bonneville from Tamarit Motorcycles… In late 2015, Triumph introduced their new liquid-cooled lineup, including the 1200cc T120 Bonneville. While some purists may scoff at the radiator, the big Bonnie has been continually […]
Retro Roadsters: Triumph “Ride and Chrome” Twins - FCR Original’s Triumph Speed Twin and T120 Bonneville… These days, the café racers and scramblers of the world seem to get the lion’s share of the limelight, but the roadster remains one of the most […]
Race Report: Helsington Classic Scramble 2023 - Graham Watson follows his father’s tire tracks at the 2023 Helsington Scramble! Back in 2021, we featured the unique Cheney / Triumph “Cantilever Cub” of Graham Watson. In the 1970s, Graham’s father wanted to build […]
Steeplechaser: Triumph 1200 XE Street Tracker - Tamarit Motorcycles transforms a Scrambler 1200 XE… It’s always interesting when the custom world influences the major manufacturers. A few years ago, the factories reacted to the resurgence of the scrambler style in custom culture […]
Classic Meets Off-Road: Triumph T100 Bonneville “Sigma” - A Hybrid-Style Triumph from Tamarit Motorcycles… The Triumph Bonneville T100 combines the retro style and character of the 1200cc T120 with the lighter weight and quicker-revving engine of the 900cc Street Twin. As the old […]
Go Time: 1969 Triumph T120 Trackmaster - Vintage Flat Tracker from Caleb Grisson of Storagebuilt… In 1967, Triumph enlisted renowned race tuner Ray Hensley to create a series of lightweight frames purpose-built for flat track racing. These streamlined Trackmaster frames featured race-specific […]
Functional Muscle: “Yellow Edition” Triumph 1200 Bobber - FCR Original unleashes a new Bonneville Bobber… When Triumph introduced the Bonneville Bobber in 2017, everyone wondered how well a production bike could replicate the style and substance of a hand-built custom bike. However, the […]
