Triumph Bobber-based cruiser spied testing

Triumph launched its latest Bonneville Bobber in India earlier this year and we absolutely loved it (you can read our review here). But there are some riders who would’ve preferred it if the bike was available with a pillion seat. Well, it seems that Triumph has taken that into consideration (sort of), and recent spy images taken by British motorcycle publication MCN show a cruiser motorcycle based on the Bobber.

Caught testing near the company’s test facility in Spain, the images reveal that this upcoming bike will keep the cleverly designed hard-tail resembling a swing-cage and monoshock combination that gave the Bobber such a unique look. But this bike sports a new subframe that incorporates a different rear fender along with a pillion seat (with backrest) as well as a luggage carrier at the back. The rider’s seat also seems to have been drastically altered to fit the whole cruiser motif.

Other big changes include new, tall handlebars (much like the optional “ape hangers” from the Bobber) and a new foot peg position for the rider which has moved from a mid-orientation to a far-forward orientation. The Bobber’s small flat headlight has made way for a more cruiser-style, elongated unit while the slash-cut twin exhausts get an end piece now. Also, the 19-inch front wheel from the Bobber seems to have been swapped with a smaller 16-inch unit. And again, to keep with the whole cruiser aesthetic, there’s lots of chrome used everywhere, as well as a large, chromed crash guard.

Apart from that, the bike clearly has all the other bits from the Bobber, including its 1200cc “high-torque” parallel twin motor as well as its carburettor-lookalike throttle bodies. From the images, the bike appears to be very close to a production-ready version, indicating that an international launch might just happen by the end of this year. This new cruiser will basically be replacing the older Bonneville America and Speedmaster, which have now been discontinued internationally as they don’t meet Euro IV emissions norms.

No word yet on whether Triumph will bring this bike to India, but considering the love for cruisers that we see in our country, it might just make perfect sense to get it down soon. It will also allow Triumph to have a cruiser priced in the Rs 10-11 lakh range, rather than the Rs 14-15 lakh bracket where the Thunderbird models play. This sort of pricing would help Triumph take on bikes like the Harley-Davidson Street Bob here in India.

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