Triumph has refreshed its entire Bonneville range for 2016, retaining the retro style, but adding contemporary features. The entire range was displayed at the 2016 Auto Expo.
The entry-level Bonneville is the Street Twin. Its styling is relatively contemporary for the Bonneville range, evident mainly in the 10-spoke alloys rims it rides on, the single-pod display instrument cluster and the well-designed seat. However, the round headlamp and classic tank design help retain its classic roots. Most of the lower portion of the motorcycle is finished in black, including the intricately-detailed engine, whereas the handlebars are chrome finished. The Street Twin gets a set of smoothly profiled brush-finished exhausts.
The engine on the 2016 Street Twin is all-new, now displacing 900cc, with a four-stroke, parallel-twin, four-valve per cylinder set-up, with a 270-degree firing order between cylinders that churns out 8.16kgm of max torque. Triumph claims that this torque is distributed evenly across the entire rev range, first available from an astonishingly low 3,200rpm. The new engine is controlled by a ride-by-wire throttle management, and is mated to a six-speed gearbox.
A lot of emphasis has been made on improving the ride and handling for the Street Twin – there is an improved riding saddle, a thoroughly reworked chassis geometry, a slimmer ‘waistline’ and increased travel for the suspension. The bike also gets a switchable traction control system, a slipper light action clutch and switchable ABS. Braking is provided by a single disc rotor up front and drum brakes at the rear. It also gets an engine immobiliser, gear indicator and a USB port.
The Street Twin is priced very competitively at Rs 6.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Triumph has also brought in hundreds of accessories to customise the Bonneville series, with the Street Twin getting a scrambler kit too.
Triumph also launched the Bonneville T120, and will be launching the Thruxton R in the first half of the year itself.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
