In 2014, images of a new twin-cylinder motorcycle with Triumph-badging surfaced on the internet, all spotted abroad. The bike was equipped with premium bits such as the upside down front suspension, Brembo-made radial-mounted twin disc brakes up front and a large radiator to cool its engine that was rumoured to be of a higher capacity than the outgoing 865cc model. The rear of the bike had gas-filled shock absorbers as well.
A lot has changed since then, newer spy images of twin-cylinder motorcycles have surfaced the internet, which seem worthy of the Bonneville badge. The newer photos although paint a different picture. The bike is spied in two avatars — one which seems like a Bonneville and the other like the new Thruxton, Triumph's café racer-styled motorcycle. This motorcycle is now spied and equipped with dual disc brakes up front. The calipers join a pair of conventionally mounted telescopic forks upfront. For the café racer-styled bike, the brand provides handle- mounted rear-view mirrors staying true to its retro theme.
Good news is that Triumph has sold more than 1,600 motorcycles in India, midway through its second operational year here. Celebrating this fact, Triumph offers the Bonneville here via an EMI scheme of Rs 9,990 per month, for a down payment of Rs 2.35 lakh only.
In any case, this does raise the question of Triumph planning to introduce a new Bonneville soon globally. The motorcycle has been around for 14 years now and an upgrade wouldn't be a bad idea. When we spoke to Triumph though, they said the company had no plans to bring in a new motorcycle model to replace the Bonneville. Only time will tell if we will get to see a liquid-cooled Bonneville in the future. More on the subject when we hear from Triumph.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
