PEAKLIFE

The British thoroughbred makes a bold statement with the launch of the new Bonneville Bobber.

Classic bike aficionados with a hankering for those old school looks of the ‘60s and ‘70s had reasons to rejoice as Triumph India recently launched the newest addition to its Bonneville range, the Bonneville Bobber. The Bobber sits in between the T120 and the range-topping Thruxton R which was introduced last year. The Bobber has been designed while keeping the concept of ‘factory-custom’ in mind,which is evident from its styling, taking the viewer back to the chopped-up bob-jobs that made their debut in the American motorcycle customisation scene back in the 1930s and reached their maximum fame in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The Bobber derives its heart in the form of the same liquid-cooled 1,200cc parallel-twin engine in the High Torque (HT) guise as that in the Bonneville T120, and the bike is also equipped with a host of rider focussed features, which include Ride-by-Wire throttle, ABS, multiple riding modes and switchable traction control. This engine is mated to the same six-speed gearbox we find on the T120 and also keeps the slip-assist clutch that helps prevents the rear-wheel from locking up during hard downshifting.

Stripping the Bonneville T120 back to its purest essence it delivers all the hallmarks of a real bobber, with clean lines and low stance, single seat, wide flat bars, minimal bodywork and headlight, sculpted tank, wire spoked wheels with wide rear wheel and that all-important hard tail look.The Bobber’s stunning features include an authentic battery box with stainless steel strap, bar end mirrors, rear mudguard loop, carb styled twin throttle bodies, broad adjustable levers, traditional rubber gaiters, classic rear ‘drum brake’ inspired hub, new side panel and sprocket cover with removable inspection cap.

What Triumph have achieved in terms of uniqueness with this model is the use of a unique twin-airbox setup with two filters and short slash-cut twin exhaust pipes, which makes the experience all the more worthwhile. To complete that classic bob-job look, this Bobber rides on a 19-inch front wheel and a 16-inch rear wheel fitted with unique Avon Cobra tyres which have been specially designed for the bike.

Triumph is also providing potential customers with a whole lot of options for customising their Bobbers by letting them select custom accessories from an arsenal of nearly 150 of them, which can be brought from the showroom. These include LED indicators, different handlebar styles, bags, Vance & Hines exhaust pipes and custom suspension units from Fox.

The new Triumph Bonneville Bobber has been launched in India at a price of Rs 9.09 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and will be available in four colour blends – Morello Red, Jet Black, Stunning Competition Green with Frozen Silver (a British racing inspired paint scheme) and to top off, a matte finish called Iron Stone.