If you were a cool guy in the 60's, you possibly owned a Triumph Bonneville. If you are a cool guy today, you should own one of these. The Bonnie has been an icon of sorts for more than half a century. What makes it so special is its timeless design and a simple approach to riding.
So, after 15 years of the current generation bike, Triumph has treated us with its new Bonnie range. We recently rode the T120 Black, which comes finished in, umm... black. This colour option, however, won’t be on sale in India and is reserved for international markets only. Apart from that, it’s the same retro-styled Bonnie with a bigger engine and some clever tech.
We are in Lisbon, Portugal to sample the T120 that replaces the T100. There’s an all-new motor sitting neatly on the new cradle frame chassis. The 1,200cc liquid cooled, parallel-twin unit makes 79bhp and a healthy 105Nm of torque. Sure, the figures don’t sound very impressive on a modern bike, but for a Bonneville, those are impressive numbers. It’s all about ease of use when it comes to a Bonnie and the T120 impresses with its overall usability.
Max torque is available from 3100rpm, which translates to some effortless riding in the city. Add to that a light clutch and things get a lot easier in traffic. But that’s not the only thing that impresses us on the T120. Tipping the scales at 224 kg, we were a bit cynical of this Triumph’s agility. Sure, all that weight gives it the stability you need on open highways, but would it be able to handle corners enthusiastically? Seems like we were wrong.
Riding on the western-most part of Europe, next to the Atlantic Ocean, the T120 impresses us with its handling capabilities. There’s adequate torque on tap to take sweeping corners, and then just shoot off on the straights. You can do that without having to constantly change gears – the torque spread is that good. And unlike the older bike, which felt a bit front heavy, the T120 feels better balanced.
The T120’s upright riding position is something that works really well for us. Though windblast is a bit of a concern at higher speeds, we hardly got any opportunities to go past 100kph. And this is possibly the best thing about the Bonnie. It’s got the pace, you can ride it fast if you want to, but at the same time, it’s equally fun and comforting even while cruising at 60kph on the highway.
Another welcome change over the old Bonneville is the ride comfort. Though road conditions in this part of the world aren’t bad, we did come across some rough patches and the T120’s suspension soaked up bumps really well. However, we will reserve our final verdict on the new Bonnie’s ride once we test it on Indian soil.
The new Bonnie comes with traction control and ABS, and although we think a motorcycle like the Bonneville doesn’t really need TC, it brings an added level of safety into the equation. There are two modes for traction control – rain and road (default), which can be easily switched on the go. Though we didn’t encounter any rain showers and riding conditions were near perfect, we still switched to the ‘rain’ mode to get a feel of it. The throttle response feels subdued and the torque boost you get every time you shift up was missing.
The easily accessible power throughout the rev range means rideability on the new Bonneville is supreme. But keep it around 4000rpm and the bike feels the most rewarding. The Bonnie’s simple approach to riding is what makes the bike so loveable. It’s not the sharpest or the fasted 1200cc motorcycle around, and it’s not trying to be one either. The new Triumph Bonneville may carry retro styling, but offers all the modern riding aid, without really hampering the joy of riding. It is for people who like riding regularly. And we love it for that.
Specs
Liquid cooled, in-line twin, 1200cc, 79bhp, 105Nm, 6M, 224kg, Rs 8.7 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Verdict
A timeless classic gets modern tech but continues to let the rider be in full control of its ride. A tried and tested formula that’s made the Bonneville extremely likeable for decades.
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