The Triumph Bobber is the fifth motorcycle from the new Bonneville lineup. It is one of the most popular motorcycles from the British manufacturer and perhaps the most niche model of all.
The Bobber, at first glance, left me in a state of awe when I saw it at the dealership. The motorcycle has been stripped off all the unnecessary parts to make it as light as possible and to keep it true to the Bobber tradition.
Though the bike has minimalistic bodywork, the Bonneville Bobber has a beautiful design overall. The one styling element that will grab your attention the most is the single floating saddle.
At the front, the bike features a retro-styled round headlight (with a halogen bulb) placed over the telescopic forks. However, the Bobber gets LED tail-lamps and indicators, which accentuates its modern nature.
Another attention grabbing thing is the hard-tail look, as the mono shock is neatly tucked below the saddle enhancing its retro appeal. Other highlights are the faux carburetors, battery cover with a stainless steel strap, chopped twin exhaust mufflers and bar-end mirrors.
The bike features a single-pod instrument cluster with a large analog speedometer and a small digital screen. The screen displays details like tachometer, gear-position indicator, trip meter, real time efficiency, range and power modes etc.
The motorcycle gets a short fender at the front and a chopped off mudguard at the rear, which further brings out the Bobber styling. The slim peanut shaped tank gets an impressive Morello Red paint job which, however, has a capacity of only 8.5-litres.
Powering the Bobber is the same 1,200cc high-torque (HT) parallel-twin engine which is seen on the Bonneville T120 and the Thruxton R. The engine produces 76 bhp and a peak torque of 106Nm which kicks in at just 4,000rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel via a smooth 6-speed gearbox.
There is one task you will have to do after you swing your leg over the saddle and that is finding the ignition keyhole, which, is located below the faux carburetor, next to the center panel.
Bring the engine to life and the grunty roar will leave a smile on your face. Despite its old-school attitude, the Bobber gets modern tech such as ride-by-wire technology, two power modes (road & rain) and switchable traction control. It also features ABS to always watch your back.
The clutch, on the other hand, is a torque-assist one and is really smooth which helps in stop and go traffic conditions. The HT engine helps to overtake quickly without even shifting a gear. The bike catapults from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds and goes all the way up to over 180 km/h (top-speed).
Speaking of the heating issues, the bike barely heats on the highway. The heat is only felt a bit in crawling city traffic but that too is not a really big issue. Overall, the bike does not heat too much!
The bike’s riding posture is slightly canted forward and the padding of the saddle is on the firmer side. The Bobber isn’t a motorcycle that you would like to go touring on. However, there is a plus point, i.e. the saddle is moveable (with tools) so the rider can adjust the riding posture based on his/her preference.
The bike weighs 228kgs and is not meant for cornering, but show the Bobber some tight corners and it will dip into it smoothly. If the bike is leaned too much then the pegs start scraping. The custom-made Avon Cobra tyres that provide a strong grip at high speeds.
The fuel efficiency tests were also surprising! The Bobber returned a fuel efficiency of 28 km/l on the highway and 21 km/l in the city. This was rather shocking to me because we did not expect a 1200cc bike to deliver such numbers.
Promeet Ghosh Thinks!
Overall, the fit and finish of the Bonneville Bobber is very good and not just that, but the bike has a unique character. But, all of this comes with a price tag of Rs 9.09 lakh ex-showroom, Delhi.
Yes, the bike has some flaws like a stiff suspension because of which one cannot travel long distances with it. But, if you’re looking for something that will turn heads and has a retro appeal to it, the Bonneville Bobber will be the perfect choice for such buyers in the premium motorcycle segment
[“Source-drivespark”]