All Tests – Triumph Bonneville T120 Test: Bonnie to do it all! – Static: visual crush

Posted on by admin

Triumph Bonneville T120 test: Bonnie to do it all !

All Tests - Triumph Bonneville T120 Test: Bonnie to do it all! - Static: visual crush

A true icon of British motorcycle production, the Triumph Bonneville is still evolving … for our greatest pleasure! Chassis, suspension, engine, equipment … Everything is revisited while taking care to preserve the essential: the pleasure of driving. Test.

Static: visual crush

by discovering the Bonneville T120 vintage 2016, this rich and glorious past of the English brand is as if thrown in the head. More than a shock: a crush! The lineage with previous generations is obvious and the line, a superb blend of elegance and classicism, immediately arouses sympathy as well as an irresistible desire to ride it. !

Two versions are available for this 2016 vintage: the T120, available in solid black or red and biton black / white or red / silver, and the T120 Black, available in black or mat graphite, also recognizable by the mat black finish of the its components (engine, rims, exhaust, mirrors, etc.) and its pretty dark brown saddle.

Despite its preserved look, this new Bonneville is completely different from the previous Bonneville T100 (read our). Despite its well-known look, it is an unprecedented motorcycle, equipped with a large number of chassis, suspension and engine upgrades, also radically different from the small Street Twin discovered at the beginning of the year (read our).

The engine remains a parallel twin with single camshaft and 4-valve cylinder heads, as compact as the previous 900 cc despite its additional 300 cc (1200 cc). More modern, it mainly incorporates a liquid cooling system generalized on the entire Bonneville 2016 range. Compliance with standards and the desire to increase performance required it: the Bonnie had to get into the water !

The maximum power thus increases to 80 horses with a maximum torque of 105 Nm at 3,100 rpm, i.e. a power increase of +12 hp and + 54% of torque compared to the T100, according to Triumph engine manufacturers. By the way, fuel consumption drops by 13%.

Still practical: the service interval is extended from 10,000 to 15,000 km and the gearbox adopts a sixth gear. Finally, the engine timing is now at 270 ° (like the, for example), a technical choice which generates more "punchy" and less vibrating acceleration than the previous 360 ° setting..

Visually, the integration of the liquid cooling system is particularly discreet, as is that of the catalytic converter under the engine, the exhaust line seeming to go directly from the engine to the typical "sausage" mufflers. The finish of the block is just superb and differs from one version to another, with brushed aluminum engine cases and bronze details on the T120, black cases with aluminum details on the T120 Black.

Classic, this Bonneville nevertheless enters straight into the modern era: electronic ride-by-wire accelerator, anti-skid system (disconnectable), anti-dribble clutch and two driving modes (Rain and Road). Amusing to note that Triumph equips its retro motorcycle with a lot of "up to date" equipment which its angry and sporty, for example, does not have !

Well equipped, the T120 also has standard ABS braking, heated grips (three levels), a headlight with additional LED daytime running lights (you manually choose between the LED light or the low beam), a transponder anti-theft immobilizer, a center stand, a passenger grab bar and knee locks on the tank.

The instrumentation is not to be outdone with a very complete console mixing analog counter and tachometer with small multifunction digital dials (see the list of accessories). There is even a USB socket under the saddle while cruise control is available as an option. Steve McQueen would definitely lose his American…

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *