Triumph Bonneville T100 Review
Bike Tested: Triumph Bonneville T100; Road Test No. 825
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 10,32,138/-
The T100 brings retro styling and modern technology together in a brilliant package
As we leap into 2017, a lot of new genre of bikes are gaining popularity. Amongst those genres is this, the modern classic that Triumph always supported with their Bonneville range of motorcycles that date all the way back to 1959. For the year 2017, Triumph has brought its whole range to India (except for the standard Thruxton). The Bonneville range starts off with the simple but modern retro classic Street Twin and goes up all the way to the Thruxton R, between this lies the T100 which is trying to achieve a balance between both sides of the spectrum. The Triumph Bonneville T100 is Rs. 78,000/- more expensive than the Street Twin and about Rs. 3 lakhs less expensive than the top of the range Thruxton R. What does it bring for that extra asking price over the Street Twin?
Motor Quest: The Bonneville gets its name from the year 1956 when a Triumph engined Texas Ceegar streamliner set the new land speed record of 311 km/hr on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States.
The Triumph Bonneville T100 looks classy with bucketloads of chrome
Styling – The Triumph Bonneville T100 isn’t one of those bikes that is trying too hard. The whole design theme is a pure classic with the dual-tone colour, single circular headlamp, sculpted tank and the engine looking like it is air-cooled (even though it’s liquid cooled). The T100 takes most of its design from the T120. The motorcycle has a lot of chrome engine details and two full chrome exhausts along with a few subtle bits and pieces like the Triumph logo in the headlamp, bullet styled LED indicators (optional) and tail-lamp. The seats are large and thick adding to that retro look. The T100 comes with wire 32-spoke wheels (18″ in the front and 17″ in the rear).
The analogue instrument console has twin LCD displays with loads of info
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The twin analogue gauges are finished in polished chrome bezels and have a white backlight to them, each having their own digital screen giving you information about real-time mileage, distance to empty and two trip metres. The bike also gets a USB charging point under the seat. The buttons are of good quality and feel solid to use. In terms of electronics, this motorcycle is pretty up-to-date. It comes with traction control, ABS, engine immobiliser and the tell-tale lights for the same are placed neatly in the cluster.
The comfortable ergos make the T100 easy to ride on the highway
Ergonomics – The Triumph Bonneville T100 is a very comfortable machine. It feels like you’re riding a cloud. With the thick and wide seat (our test bike came with the optional pillion backrest) and the soft but compliant suspension set-up, makes it a joy to ride in the city. The ground clearance is a little towards the lower side as the pegs have been set for comfort in mind. Though it looks like a pretty tall motorcycle, the seat height is low making it easy to ride for shorter riders and it has enough legroom to comfortably accommodate a taller rider in the saddle too.
So much torque that the T100 lifts with ease (we shut TCS of course!)
Performance – The Triumph Bonneville T100 is powered by a 900cc parallel-twin engine that puts out a peak power of 54 BHP and peak torque of 80 Nm, matched to a 5-speed transmission that shifts very smoothly but a sixth gear is sorely missed. The motor is extremely refined and very smooth even through stop-go traffic or when covering miles on the highway. The bike makes its power very early on and it just pulls seamlessly till about 5000 RPM after which the vibrations start to crawl up-to-the handlebar, redline coming in at 6000 RPM. We touched 160 km/hr on our test motorcycle beyond which the T100 didn’t feel like it was in its element anymore. Off the line, the T100 is quick, taking just 5.37 seconds to reach the ton as per our VBOX tests. The ideal cruising speed is 120 km/hr as one has to deal with a lot of windblast post that due to the lack of a visor on this retro classic which is meant for cruising (that’s why Triumph offers cruise control as an accessory) and not touching top speeds.
This motor is butter smooth in the low and mid range of the rev band
The T100 is very torquey and smooth, it accelerates with eagerness and sounds even better than it looks
The T100 truly feels at ease when ridden with an easy wrist. At about 3000 RPM doing 100 km/hr in top gear, the motorcycle just glides ahead. From as low as 2000 RPM, the powerplant just tugs forward and pulls with so much torque, the feeling is almost addictive. The exhaust note from the twin exhausts is loud and it sounds glorious with the exhaust backfiring with pops and crackles, making this a real joy to ride. In city traffic, this engine is very smooth and lively from low RPMs, making it easy to handle in the city with the ride-by-wire throttle giving it smooth on and off throttle transitions. The motor didn’t overheat and that’s a very good sign. The T100 comes with a 14.5-litre fuel tank which gives it a good riding range thanks to the mileage being a good 20 km/l, resulting in a tank range of 290 kms.
This British bike has a good balance between ride and handling
Riding Dynamics – The Triumph T100 doesn’t feel like a motorcycle that weighs 230 kgs as it does a very good job of masking its weight. It feels very light at low speeds and is composed through fast corners. Thanks to the tyres and traction control, this motorbike glides through corners without ever feeling too heavy. Because of the footpegs being so low, the T100 doesn’t allow you to achieve low leans but let’s face it, that’s not what this bike is meant for. Though the suspension is on the softer side, the British cruiser never feels out of composure through corners, that partly may have to do with its weight but it all works in its favour when summed up. The ride quality does get bouncy as you up the speed but when ridden under 100 km/hr, it does a good job of absorbing bad patches on the road. The brakes have good bite and drop anchor to stop the Bonneville without any hassle which makes them quite confidence inspiring on spirited riding.
While it is pricey, the Bonneville T100 has no direct competition
Verdict – The 2017 Triumph Bonneville is a very good all round motorbike for those who want to experience the feel of riding a retro classic yet not wanting to compromise on technology and quality. Compared to the previous generation model, it has really come a long way in terms of electronics and ergonomics and proves to do everything it was meant to from its modern classic theme. With a comfortable ride quality, teamed with a torquey engine, this is one of those all-round motorcycles, just how old bikes were meant to be. Old Bonnevilles didn’t just do one thing well but multiple things and the T100 is no different.
The pseudo air vents give the T100’s engine the retro air-cooled look
What’s Cool
* Lots and lots of torque
* Comfortable riding position
* Good ride quality
* Strong brakes
* Sounds good, very good
What’s Not So Cool
* Front feels too light
* Vibrations on the handlebar post 4900 RPM
* Costs upwards of Rs. 10 lakhs, even though it’s an entry-level Triumph
Some of the parts on our test bike are optional extras, like the backrest
2017 Triumph Bonneville T100 Specifications
* Engine: 900cc, 8-Valve, Liquid-Cooled, SOHC, Parallel-Twin
* Power: 55 PS @ 5900 RPM
* Torque: 80 Nm @ 3230 RPM
* Transmission: 5-speed
* 0-100 km/hr: 5.37 seconds
* Top Speed: 160 km/hr
* Fuel Consumption: 19-24 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Frame: Steel Twin-Tubular Cradle with Twin Sided Tubular Steel Swingarm
* Suspension: 41 mm KYB (Front), KYB Twin Shocks With Adjustable Preload (Rear), 120 mm Travel
* Tyres: 110/90/18 (Front), 150/70/17 (Rear), Pirelli SportsComp
* Brakes: 310 mm Floating Disc (Front), 255 Disc (Rear), Nissin 2-Piston Floating Caliper, ABS
2017 Triumph Bonneville T100 Dimensions
* Length x Width x Height: NA x 715 mm x 1100 mm
* Wheelbase: 1450 mm
* Ground Clearance: 160 mm (est.)
* Seat Height: 780 mm (est.)
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 14.5-litres
* Kerb weight: 230 kgs
You can have fun too but the T100 is for cruising and not spirited riding
Testers’ Note: