Triumph Bonneville Bobber: A bike that stands out

It doesn't really matter where you take this motorcycle, heads are bound to turn, says Joshua David Luther.

The Bonneville Bobber is long and low slung; it has a neat and minimalistic design, keeping in line with bobber heritage. That said, a lot of technology has also been tucked into this motorcycle.

A bare bone look with a diagonally sweeping line from the steering head to rear axle personifies the side profile of the bike.

The rear gets a fat 150/80 R16 tyre that adds to the bike's butch appeal.

The spoked rims also house a drum brake inspired rear wheel hub.

The bike has an adjustable monoshock, neatly tucked under a fancy looking floating aluminum seat pan.

Other traditional bobber fitments are the rear mudguard loop, rubber gaiters and a horizontally placed ignition barrel on the right hand panel.

To add a touch of modern appeal, the makers have also included bar-end mirrors, handlebar risers, gloss black bullet indicators, retro-looking throttle bodies with the latest fuel injector technology and other optional add-ons such as a gauge for temperature and time.

Powering the new Bonneville Bobber is a 1200cc, liquid cooled, parallel twin-cylinder engine.

The distinctly British motor is good for a little over 75 horses and belts of a solid 106Nm of torque.

The power delivery is punchy and can catch you off guard. The engine has been mated to a 6-speed gear box with decently tall and crunchy shifts

The motorcycle is truly delightful to ride.

A ride-by-wire setup ensures a smooth response to throttle inputs and Triumph's torque assist clutch ensures comfortable clutch operation.

Other rider aides include switchable traction control, ABS and different riding modes for road and rain.

The bike rides on 41mm telescopic forks in the front with a monoshock in the rear. The suspension leans towards the stiffer side with the front forks getting 90mm of travel and the rear monoshock getting 76.9mm.

Though the motorcycle is quite comfortable on smooth roads, one needs to be extremely careful over bumps and breakers because of its low ground clearance.

The rider seat height has been set at 690mm and the bike weighs is at 228kg.

It doesn't really matter where you take this motorcycle, heads are bound to turn.

Images: Kind courtesy www.triumphmotorcycles.in