In Memory of the Triumph Bonneville
Photo Credit: Triumph Motorcycles Australia
Triumph seems to have finally woken up to the calls of modernity. After years of sheer reluctance and disinterest towards making any structural changes to their iconic Bonneville, Triumph apparently have finally realized that they’re going to have to rely on more than just old school charm and nostalgia to compete against the best in the business. While we all loved the history associated with the brand Bonneville, both performance wise and in terms of practicality, the Bonneville were starting to fall behind their modern counterparts such as the Ducati’s Scrambler and the BMW’s expected new Scrambler style motorcycle.
About a year ago, Marlon uploaded his review of the Triumph Bonneville on Youtube.
Evidently, Marlon had quite a lot to say about the Bonneville and much of it might not please the die hard Bonnie fans. It appears that someone at Triumph watched this video and realized that there was a lot to change.
Lo and behold, as we now ready ourselves to welcome an entire new lineup of Triumph’s Bonneville and Thruxton models, we were eager to find out just how much has changed ever since our last encounter with the famed Bonneville, and whether it was yet another case of ‘Old wine in the New Bottle.’ Here’s what we found:
Photo Credit: Triumph Bonneville
- A Brand new liquid cooled engine with increased power output and upto 62% of enhanced torque.
- A completely revamped braking system with modern amenities such as the ABS and Traction control, and the introduction of ride mode on the Thruxton models.
- An much improved fuel economy
- A brand new Ride-by-wire system for controlling the fuel injection and engine management.
- Slipper clutch to mitigate the effects of engine braking during deceleration.
- An entire range of over 150 fascinating dealer fitted customization options, and a much needed tie - up with Vance & Hines.
- Brand new front and rear LED lights, which means now you can actually see the roads, and be seen too.
- Classier, and modern control gauges and better control switches.
Photo Credit: Triumph Motorcycles Australia
Apart from these, there are many minute design modifications too, which truly make the Bonnie a delight to look at. It’s obvious that Triumph have laid heavy emphasis on taking the performance of the Bonneville several notches higher, and so far it looks good.
Take a look at the new Bonnies being unveiled at a Bike Shed in London recently:
Given such a massive scale refurbishment, one might be inclined to make an assertion that this is a case of ‘New wine in the Old bottle,’ and a very tasty and classy wine indeed.
It is important to remember that the original ’59 Bonneville was all about speed, and was named after the methanol burning Thunderbird that tore across the Bonneville Salt Flats at a record speed of over 342 Kmph. And while none of these new machines are expected to set any land speed record, Triumphs efforts to massively enhance the bike’s performance only bring it closer to the true spirits of Bonneville motorcycles.
And despite all the modifications and refurbishments in the Bonneville platform, the overall look and feel of the bike remains the same. What that means, is that riding a Bonneville still feels like riding a legacy and riding through history and time.
It might just prove to be the best thing to come out of the U.K since the English Bulldog.
Take a look at the promotional video of the entire Bonneville lineup and let us know which one is your pick:
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