Triumph Bonneville Bobber test: the butter and the money of the beau-bber !
Beautiful, chic and charismatic, the Triumph Bonneville Bobber daringly dust off a genre captured by Harley-Davidson. But the Englishwoman goes far beyond the exercise of style: her dynamic behavior is also in unison with her inspired line.. Well done! First try.
Page 2 – Dynamics: the Bobber is not a big hoax !
As mentioned in, the accessibility of the Bonneville Bobber reaches new heights: the saddle is so low that you could almost put your knees on the ground when stopped! Thanks to the very low capacity of its tank (9.1 l), the bike is also pleasantly narrow between the thighs, unlike the overweight of some customs.
Compact, the English Bobber offers a rather comfortable position because it lacks the radicalism sometimes retained in the name of the look. Here, the hands naturally take place on the well-designed handlebars, not too wide nor overly fixed on the front. The bust is barely tilted to catch the controls ideally placed, and moreover adjustable at the level of the two levers – another rarity in the category.
As surprising as it may seem, the single-seater saddle maintains correct support despite its spartan appearance. Comfort is not its first quality, due to a lack of padding thickness, but a certain form of pleasure is preserved thanks to the consistent position as well as the surprising work of the rear suspension on small impacts.
Despite its rikiki travel (77mm!), This spring has remarkable absorption capacity, far from the dry treatment that its kinematics initially suggested. MNC feared the worst of this combination "fine saddle + short-stroke shock absorber" but it is not, even if the damping obviously does not equal the smoothness of the Explorer 1200. Its fine and sensitive calibration allows to ride well on degraded asphalt, without fear of torpedoing your lower back !
The 1930s-inspired rear buckle doesn’t twitch on shocks and even shows unexpected progress thanks to the connecting rods that connect it to the monoshock. Of course, the limits appear when the big obstacles follow one another, with treatment bouncing off the harsh shocks. The fork, set fairly firm, also plays in this register: it excels on smooth asphalt but ends up shaking the arms when the road manifests bumps..
The compromise found by Triumph between dynamism and comfort, however, remains largely above the competition. For a custom, the Bobber is incredibly agile and precise, with its obvious and neutral steering. Barely weighed down by its wheel in 19, the front axle turns with ease. The rear follows the movement without resistance, firmly planted on its unique radial tire developed specifically (all the details on the chassis on page 3).
Admittedly, maneuvering at low speed requires a little effort: with 228 kg dry and 1510 mm of wheelbase, to hope the opposite would amount to believing that the public authorities will one day become aware of … But never the Triumph n ‘amplifies the order given, not more than it resists it. There are few customs not to engage: the Hinkley Bobber is one of them, aided by its low center of gravity and its carefully considered geometry to accommodate its "customesque" measurements..
Stability is also there: no sway or movement of the chassis is to be deplored, including at very high speed. Here again, what a contrast with some of the competitors! Braking and low ground clearance ultimately pose the only limits to this exciting handling. The single front disc is sometimes a bit tight to bring the whole thing to a halt, and the lever feel is quite spongy. Nothing illogical with a disc less and 4 kg more than the Bonnie T120 !
The rear saves the furniture with a welcome power and progressiveness to correct an excess of optimism easily overcome due to the general balance. ABS – uncoupled – is transparent and very effective in all circumstances, as is traction control which can be deactivated when stationary (read the "Electronics" section on page 3). In this, the classic style is perfectly combined with the progress of the present, for our greatest pleasure..
Despite very tricky driving conditions due to downpours, the grip of the Avon Cobra tires was also excellent. Motricity beyond criticism, reasonable heating time, focus on the progressive and predictable angle: this original assembly returns an excellent echo to all the qualities of the cycle part. And the challenge was by no means obvious given the many strengths of the Hinkley Bobber !
A beautiful engine, powerful and singing
MNC repeats it every time we test the Bonneville T120 and its sleeker versions Thruxton and: Triumph’s new discreetly water-cooled twin is a real success, both visual and dynamic. With the Bobber, this in-line twin finds a perfectly cut case to highlight its qualities, starting with its super neat appearance to its polished fins and elegant red parasitic suppressors..
Thanks to modifications relating to the injection, the exhaust and the admission, it delivers three horsepower less than the T120 (77 instead of 80 hp) and a bit of additional torque (106 instead of 105 Nm). The tone of the reminders wins, as does the sound which becomes rougher, even villainous, when the gas is cut, with discreet backfiring (see our technical point and our).
Always present but never disturbing, this soundtrack is a real auditory feast and savoring it with each rotation of the right wrist reinforces its differences with the Bonneville T120, less rumbling and more "timorous" from all points of view. Because the twin does not only sing well: it propels the Bobber with significantly more vigor than on the standard "Bonnie".
As on the T120, the threshold of flexibility is located at 1300 in third, just above 30 km / h. Maintaining 1500 revs is however preferable on higher gears to avoid "coughing" the twin. Stalled at 2300 rpm at 90 km / h in 6th gear (3300 rpm at 130 km / h), the twin cylinder regulates smoothly at 6900 rpm. The injection, which can be configured by driving in two modes (Rain and Road), is precise and well calibrated.
Controlled by a ride-by-wire, it is however slightly rough when opening the throttle, a phenomenon already pointed out by MNC on the T120. The slight jerks sometimes generated are attenuated, however, on the "Rain" map, which is softer and does not restrict power. The power, in fact, flows discreetly and linearly up to 3000 rpm, before a first peak is felt.
The Bobber then enters an acceleration zone with much more marked accents, with a solid swig of torque which makes the revivals almost sporty (for a custom, eh!). The bike rushes forward without weakening until around 6000 rpm, where the thrust tends to settle. The engine brake present without excess enriches this very voluntary character, including in the second half of the tachometer.
The pleasure is just disturbed by crackling under the saddle at 4000 rpm, which then spreads to the feet and in the inefficient mirrors. The intensity and frequency of these vibrations appear slightly too high to be categorized as "Good Vibe": perhaps a matter of taste, but the mellow thrills of the Milwaukee production sound more pleasing to MNC.
Another small downside: the very long gearbox staging, which results among other things by a top speed hooked from the fourth (!) To 185 km / h (an electronic limiter then clamps the motorcycle). The sixth acts as an overdrive, even if the mid-revs are sufficiently punchy to overtake. Below this threshold, on the other hand, it is better to summon the clutch of exquisite softness and the effective selection to drop a gear.
This phenomenon is more disturbing in second gear, which catches 165 km / h (!!): the bike gallops a bit too quickly at idle, which sometimes means that the clutch must be used when maneuvering below 30 km / h. Revised gear ratios and a shortened gear ratio would solve this aspect, while enriching the engine response: exciting beyond 3000 rpm, it could indeed be more "fat" and consistent at the bottom of the tachometer.
Verdict: already a very great classic !
In the category of custom motorcycles, few motorcycles can boast of having revolutionized the genre: recently, only Ducati upset all conventions with its Diavel, the most expressive "Power Cruiser" on the market. The production of the Polaris group (Indian and Victory) also breathes a breath of freshness thanks to its modern approach, without however completely breaking with the traditions in force …
The Triumph Bonneville Bobber can boast of being truly disruptive: it marks a clear break with everything that has been done previously, and with style not to spoil anything! Because ultra-stylish Bobbers and well equipped mechanically, this is not a rarity in itself. But to manage to attribute to it a dynamic behavior of this quality in addition, that is totally new..
So of course, some faults are all the same to attribute to this Bobber imagined across the Channel: its strictly single-seater nature on the one hand, fatally crippling for the person concerned who disapproves of solitary pleasures. On the other hand, its final chain transmission and its high steering angle are also worth mentioning..
Finally, its ground clearance also enters the negative column although it evolves in the norms of the genre: a cast pipe is enough to avoid too repeated contact with the toe clips, then with the sumptuous exhausts. But a few extra centimeters in curves would not displease as the bike shows itself at ease. Yes, a Bobber at ease in the corners: when we tell you that Triumph is revolutionizing the genre !
Remember that this very successful Bonnneville Bobber will arrive in dealerships in February 2017, at a price of 12,700 euros for orders placed before January 1, then 12,900 euros. More than 150 optional equipment and accessories will be offered to future owners, including the "Old school Bobber" kit with in particular an "Ape Hanger" raised handlebar.
In MNC’s opinion, these happy Bobberists seduced by the beauty of Hickley will probably be quite numerous, because the proposed alternative does more than consolidate the existing offer: it develops it by following its own path, without ape the American references. as, for example, Japanese customs do too often. The butter and the money of (beautiful) butter, in short !
Asked by MNC, Triumph France prefers to kick in touch with regard to sales targets: "All I can say is that demand is high, so availability may be limited at first," reveals its door. – speech, Eric Pecoraro In view of the qualities interviewed during this first test, Site bet that this success is left to last !
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