The 2016 Triumph Bonneville lineup comprises of 5 models that have been comprehensively upgraded with new styling, chassis and engines ranging from 900cc to 1200cc.
Triumph first launched the Bonneville in 1959 and now five and a half decades later, the 2016 edition of the Bonneville range has been officially revealed with five comprehensively upgraded models part of the lineup. The new range gets completely revised chassis, styling, tyres added to the entire package, while the engines have been upgraded with more power and added tech to keep the retro cool bikes future ready.
Street Twin – Starting with the new entry-level Triumph Bonneville, the 2016 Street Twin will be the most affordable of the lot and certainly the most popular model on roads. The automaker has kept the styling decidedly retro across the lineup and can be differentiated by the new 10-spoke alloy wheels, contrasting lower black section and brush finished exhausts. Underneath, a lot has changed on the Street Twin with the model being lighter than the outgoing version in an attempt to attract younger riders to the brand. The seat height is lower and the tank seat interface is narrower for easier wading through city traffic.
In terms of power, the Triumph Bonneville Street Twin uses a heavily revised 900cc parallel twin motor that now gets liquid-cooling. Power output is under wraps while torque is rated at 80 Nm (18% more) available right from 3200 RPM. The Street Twin comes paired to a 6-speed gearbox with ride-by-wire throttle management and will be easier to ride due to the lower weight, better geometry and longer travel suspension over its predecessor. The Street Twin also gets a slip assisted slipper clutch, switchable ABS and Traction Control as standard along with gear indicator, USB socket and engine immobiliser.
Bonneville T120 – The closer replacement to the outgoing Bonneville, the 2016 Triumph Bonneville T120 retains its modern classic aesthetics which has now grown to the next level with new spoked wheels, traditional paint job with detailing coming from the 1956 model, twin pod instrument cluster, LED DRLs, an abundant amount of chrome splashed all over and new bright peashooter exhausts. Furthermore, the chassis on the T120 is new and lighter while the bike is more ergonomically sound for a better riding position.
In terms of performance, the 2016 Triumph Bonneville T120 takes giant leap with power coming from a 1200cc 8-valve, 4-stroke, parallel-twin motor that makes 105 Nm of torque, 54 percent more than the current model and is available at a surprisingly low 3100 RPM. The firing order is revised 270-degrees from the outgoing 360-degrees. In addition to the tech seen on the Street Twin, the T120 comes with two riding modes – Road and Rain that don’t change the power output but control the bike’s response using the ride-by-wire throttle. The T120 also comes with three-level heated grips and cruise control as optional.
Bonneville T120 Black – As the name suggests, the 2016 Triumph Bonneville T120 Black is the tricked out darker edition for those who are not particularly happy with the chrome overload. The T120 Black comes with a completely blacked out engine as well as exhaust and is contrasted by the dark brown seat and matte graphite shade. The engine, electronics and chassis are all carried over from the standard Bonneville T120.
Thruxton – The 2016 edition of the Triumph Thruxton cafe racer gets generously updated with better performance and more goodies on offer to live up to the racer badge. Retaining the old school charm, the new and responsive chassis is carried over from the 2016 Bonnevilles but the swingarm is different. The model gets higher rear-set foot-pegs, lowered clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors, all new Monza style fuel filler cap and 17-inch alloy wheels. The fuel tank is now sleeker in appearance and the single seat is also restyled on the new Thruxton.
In terms of power, the 2016 Triumph Thruxton uses the same 1200cc parallel-twin motor from the T120 but is tuned for more performance and power delivery. Called as the the ‘High-power Thruxton spec’ tune, the new Thruxton gets a lighter crank, higher compression and a high flow airbox that help produce around 108 Nm of torque at 5000 RPM, while paired to a 6-speed gearbox with a torque assisted clutch. Upgrading from the T120, the cafe racer comes with three instead of two riding modes – Road, Rain and ‘Sport’. All other aids including ABS, traction control, ride-by-wire throttle control are present on the bike along with new and grippier set of tyres complimenting the entire package.
Thruxton R – While the 2016 Thruxton definitely looks the part of being fast and retro, the 2016 Triumph Thruxton R takes it a notch higher by extracting more performance. All kitted up for a full blown track day, the Thruxton R can be differentiated with a colour matched seat cowl, buffed steering headstock and an anodised swingarm. The suspension setup is upgraded to Showa USD forks at the front and Ohlins twin gas charged dampers at the rear, both of which are fully adjustable.
Moreover, braking performance comes from Brembo sourced discs with Monobloc callipers while the wheels are lighter and get wrapped in stickier Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa rubber. Lastly, the 2016 Thruxton R gets stainless steel exhausts without catalytic converters and an aggressive hot-cam and washable air-filters.
The Bonneville range has certainly been given massive upgrades for MY2016 that will help Triumph maintain its strong position in the niche classic retro space. The British automaker has confirmed that some out of the five new Bonnevilles will be coming to Indian shores as early as at the next Auto Expo scheduled in February 2016 with the new entry-level Street Twin to be the first model to go on sale. Expect prices to see a marginal increase over the current models and will surely attract a larger customer base.
