Triumph has always kept in touch with its nostalgic side, and this new range of Modern classics is the live proof!
The all-new Triumph Street Twin
The Next generation Bonneville is here, and the folks at Triumph have really pulled all the strings on this range! The most affordable and accessible bike in the new range is the brand new Triumph Street Twin. It’s a fun and capable motorcycle that replaces the previous generation standard Bonneville. It’s powered by a brand new 900cc high torque engine that delivers 18% more peak torque than the previous generation bike but is down on power, producing a modest 55 HP. With the Street Twin, its engine to horsepower ratio isn’t a matter of dumbing down a beast. A big twin allows the creation and manipulation of a crafted powerband, that is broad and smooth from bottom to top, making the most of the plateau of torque rather than chasing the peak of horsepower. The new Street twin is a great all-round street classic and embodies all of Triumph’s principles! The Street Twin is priced at Rs. 6.9 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi) and will go on sale from March 2016.
Triumph T120 and Thruxton R
Now if you want a powerful classic motorcycle, Triumph will redirect you to their new 1200cc motorcycles. We are talking about the new Thruxton R and T120. Make no mistake though, the old Thruxton and T100 will remain in the market, these new bikes are simply being added to the existing portfolio.
Let’s have a look at the new Bonneville T120 first, which is the most retro in this class. The timeless style of the original Bonneville is reborn in this new T120. Triumph is pitching the T120 as their latest take on the original Bonneville, also rekindling the T120 designation first used in 1959, while also making a big deal of the quality, fit and finish – and the modern performance on offer from the 1199cc ‘high-torque’ variant of the all-new water-cooled parallel-twin. The new 1200cc may feature a small radiator at the front but Triumph has tried to hide any signs of its modern soul- the motor has fins that give it an old school air-cooled look and even the throttle bodies have been designed to look like twin carbs. The T120 Black (which hasn’t been launched in India yet) is essentially a completely blacked out bike! The exhaust system, fuel tank, engine casing all painted in Jet black. The 2016 Triumph Bonneville T120 will empty your pocket by Rs. 8.7 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi) and will hit the stores in April.
Now, let’s finally come to Triumph’s own Cafe Racer! The Thruxton R gets some serious upgrades from the standard bike, both cosmetically and functionally. The new bike has a huge 1200cc twin that is similar to the T120’s engine, but has lower compression ratios and a lighter crankshaft that aids in additional horsepower. The top triple clamp is polished, gleaming aluminum, with soft rounded edges that looks as if it came right off from a classic machine. For improved suspension performance, a Showa Big Piston inverted fork was fitted at the front and Triumph-unique Öhlins shocks at the rear. Braking at the front is by Brembo monoblock calipers acted on by a Brembo master cylinder, and while the tire sizes are the same as the standard Thruxton (120/70-17 and 160/60-17 front and rear, respectively), the R receives extra-sticky Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tires. The Thruxton R will go on sale from July, although its price is yet to be revealed.
The entire modern classic project’s styling focus was set as the 1968 Bonneville, the most iconic of the classic British twins . And that made one part of the project really tough. The original 650 Bonneville had grown from a 500cc engine design. To achieve the performance desired of the new machines was going to take much larger displacements: 900cc for the base model and 1,200cc for the Bonnevilles and Thruxtons. These bikes will have a great appeal in the Indian market especially, because we are suckers for classic British Motorcycles!
Leave a Comment