[_raVan_]

Triumph opens their first showroom in Pune.

Triumph Motorcycles India Private Limited yesterday inaugurated the new Triumph Motorcycles Pune Dealership. This is the fourth dealership for Triumph Motorcycles in India, the first three being Bangalore and Hyderabad which were launched in January and Kochi which was launched in April this year.

The Pune dealership has an after-sales service facility integrated with the dealership. The design of the showroom is based upon the global signature Triumph Motorcycles layout with consultation lounge, sales and after sales desks all being close to the display area. The dealership also boasts of ‘Build your own Bike’, a novel concept in the premium and luxury motorcycle segment. The facility will have an array of Triumph merchandise which includes riding gear, accessories and memorabilia and will bring the same international standards of sales, service, spare parts and systems to the Indian market.

The iconic brand also announced that they have clocked 335 bookings across 5 model categories and 2 more showrooms will be set up by 3rd May in Mumbai and Ahmadabad as part of the 9 dealerships planned for this year.

Source: Here

[jaswant]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

I took a test drive of the Bonnie SE and Street Triple from Shaman Mercedes located at Kalina in Bombay. The Triumph people were occupying one bay in the service area.

Mr. Vivek Mallya (in charge of the dealership in Bombay) mobile number +91 96 19 890303 informed me the dealership in Bombay will be located in/near Goregaon and should be operational by 3rd May, 2014.

Cheers

I am thinking of buying one. Completely undecided between Bonnie T or Street Triple. And your experience on test ride is just what i need to start the decision process. I will be buying it from pune, where the dealer is just open so not ready right now for the test drive vehicle.
What was your impression of street Triple. On paper it looks the winner.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by jaswant

I am thinking of buying one. Completely undecided between Bonnie T or Street Triple. And your experience on test ride is just what i need to start the decision process. I will be buying it from pune, where the dealer is just open so not ready right now for the test drive vehicle.
What was your impression of street Triple. On paper it looks the winner.

Street Tripple is a completely different bike in terms of riding posture, power delivery and overall feel of the bike.

It has an urgency to it and is quite powerful whereas Bonnie is more relaxed, linear yet, has plenty of power that can scare the pants of a rider(if required)

Do ride both and decide which bike suits you

[Freewheelin_KD]

A week back, had a brief test ride of both the Bonneville and the Street Triple for a few kms in Mumbai traffic. Just thought I'd share my limited opinion with the forum. Also, kudos to Shaman for getting things going even before the official showroom opened.

Street Triple
First thing you notice about the Street Triple is how compact the motorcycle is. In terms of length, it would be similar to my Duke 390 and just a little bit wider which makes it very compact for a 100 bhp machine. Once it gets moving, the weight also falls off and the flick-ability is pretty decent. However, you need lots of revs for the motorcycle to feel it has 100 bhp on tap and in the city, I could only take it high in the rev range in the 2nd gear and had to immediately slow down due to traffic. Maybe, riding the Street on the highway will give a better picture of its performance. Also, I did not find the refinement at city speeds that great. There was this constant whine coming from the engine which was a bit irritating and this was the only thing I could hear and not the three cylinder burble. I asked the sales rep about this and he said that the whine is normal which I found a bit strange. Also, overall quality was okayish for a motorcycle costing this much and I found the meter console a bit tacky with those blue rpm lights. The riding position isn't that aggressive and requires you to only lean forward slightly to reach the handlebars with the pegs being slightly rear set. The operation of the levers was smooth but the gears were a bit clunky to shift, again signifying that it requires more revs to be enjoyable. IMHO, the motorcycle is similar in feel to the Duke 390 but its performance envelope ensures that you can only exploit it properly on an open road (my 2p).

Bonneville
What a motorcycle! You never expect it to be this enjoyable after looking at it. The refinement, the flick-ability, the performance, the braking all absolutely top notch for something which looks like this. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love retro British motorcycles but I never expected them to perform like a modern motorcycle. Enjoyed every bit of the few kms that I rode at speeds ranging from 20 to 80 kmph in the city. The torque just keeps on coming in 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th and then 5th. The riding position is very relaxed but the suspension is quite stiff as I could feel every crack and undulation on the road but it was not annoying. It may be just me or the settings on the two bikes, but I found the Street a bit more supple in terms of ride quality. The metal parts were finished brilliantly but the overall quality of the plastics was okayish. At idle, it has a distinct two cylinder burble but once you get moving and with the surrounding traffic noise, it does get difficult to hear the Bonneville as its quite silent on the move. However, I had an absolute blast riding the Bonneville and I can't say the same about the Street. On an open road or a highway, may be the situation would have been different. In fact, my brother also rode both these motorcycles and came to the same conclusion and yes, he is quite younger to me.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by jaswant

I am thinking of buying one. Completely undecided between Bonnie T or Street Triple. And your experience on test ride is just what i need to start the decision process. I will be buying it from pune, where the dealer is just open so not ready right now for the test drive vehicle.
What was your impression of street Triple. On paper it looks the winner.

Jaswant, both bikes are completely different in feel and behavior. My take on both is mentioned below:

Bonneville SE: Sitting position is straight forward and comfortable. This is an extremely deceptive looking bike, you would not think think it is so powerful just on looks. It has a creamy power delivery, oodles and oodles of almost never ending torque thru the gears. It is very rider friendly, within no time you are home on it.

Street Triple: Sitting position is slightly leaning forward but comfortable enough (not sure about long distance comfort). You have to rev this baby to enjoy it. Power delivery is explosive and the sound addictive. Sharp handling and decent ride quality.

The Triple is a lean, mean, killing machine while the Bonnie would be like a retired prizefighter.

It depends on what you are looking for in a bike. As Mobike008 has mentioned, take a back to back ride on both the bikes (maybe more than once) and make your decision.
Please do let us know your thoughts and decision after the ride.

Cheers

[jaswant]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Jaswant, both bikes are completely different in feel and behavior. My take on both is mentioned below:

Bonneville SE: Sitting position is straight forward and comfortable. This is an extremely deceptive looking bike, you would not think think it is so powerful just on looks. It has a creamy power delivery, oodles and oodles of almost never ending torque thru the gears. It is very rider friendly, within no time you are home on it.

Street Triple: Sitting position is slightly leaning forward but comfortable enough (not sure about long distance comfort). You have to rev this baby to enjoy it. Power delivery is explosive and the sound addictive. Sharp handling and decent ride quality.

The Triple is a lean, mean, killing machine while the Bonnie would be like a retired prizefighter.

It depends on what you are looking for in a bike. As Mobike008 has mentioned, take a back to back ride on both the bikes (maybe more than once) and make your decision.
Please do let us know your thoughts and decision after the ride.

Cheers

Thanks for sharing such a useful comparison. I think right now on my mind is just how much powerful and fast the bike is. But i am sure thats too little to base the decision upon. As you rightly said things will be clear only after taking back to back ride.
But sure these pointers by both of you will help a lot during the test. Will post once i get to do that. Any idea about the availability of these two, any waiting period?
I hope its not very long. Trying to call the dealer since morning & he's not answering. Will keep updated.

I agree with Cyborgs comments on both the bikes. It just depends on what you like and how you are going to ride it.

@Jaswant -- Not sure about the waiting period for the Bonneville. It's been over a month now since I have booked my ST and looks like its going to take more than full ninety days of waiting period for delivery.

I believe early birds are getting them delivered sooner from the initial lot assigned to the dealer.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by DipantS

@Jaswant -- Not sure about the waiting period for the Bonneville. It's been over a month now since I have booked my ST and looks like its going to take more than full ninety days of waiting period for delivery

I think the problem is Hyderabad dealership hasnt sold even a single Street Tripple and due to which they may have not ordered it in advance

Whereas in case of Bonnie, its available off the shelf and dealership has been smart in pre ordering it as they know its demand exceeds all other variants

Let me know if you need any help in expediting your delivery?

Originally Posted by Freewheelin_KD

Bonneville
What a motorcycle!

You have echoed exactly the same feeling I mentioned in my comparison report thread when I had first test rode the Bonnie & Street Tripple.

ST needs more revving to feel all its horses whereas Bonnie rides on the torque wave real early so you can feel the difference of power in initial gears.

Originally Posted by mobike008

I think the problem is Hyderabad dealership hasnt sold even a single Street Tripple and due to which they may have not ordered it in advance

Let me know if you need any help in expediting your delivery?

I have been told that both the street triple what they had in display were sold last month. The green one is delivered and white one was waiting for delivery. Not sure if its true or utter lie from the dealership.

Help with delivery? Sure why not. I will be glad to have it ASAP.

I am looking forward to ride it at least for a month before monsoon begins. But, The impression I have been given from the dealership is that the Triumph do not have a single kit to assemble for ST and the deliveries will be smoothed only by the end of June.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by jaswant

I think right now on my mind is just how much powerful and fast the bike is. But i am sure thats too little to base the decision upon. Any idea about the availability of these two, any waiting period?
I hope its not very long. Trying to call the dealer since morning & he's not answering. Will keep updated.

If your mind is on how powerful and fast the bike is, then I feel the Street Triple could be the bike for you. You will have a silly grin on your face with every twist of your right wrist

Try both these numbers:
Vivek Mallaya - 96198 90303
Roald Dcosta - 96193 01525
Alternatively, I will check for you and revert regarding the waiting period for both bikes as am going for the Bombay launch party this evening.

A little off the Triumph topic, but within the subject of speed.
Have you checked out the Kawasaki Z800? A friend of mine picked one up from Poona for INR 8.5 lacs on road which cost wise should be in the ballpark of the Triple. Its a beautiful, sexy beast of a bike with exquisite attention to detail from the seat to the tail lamp. Very powerful and nimble too.

Cheers

[jaswant]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

If your mind is on how powerful and fast the bike is, then I feel the Street Triple could be the bike for you. You will have a silly grin on your face with every twist of your right wrist

Try both these numbers:
Vivek Mallaya - 96198 90303
Roald Dcosta - 96193 01525
Alternatively, I will check for you and revert regarding the waiting period for both bikes as am going for the Bombay launch party this evening.

A little off the Triumph topic, but within the subject of speed.
Have you checked out the Kawasaki Z800? A friend of mine picked one up from Poona for INR 8.5 lacs on road which cost wise should be in the ballpark of the Triple. Its a beautiful, sexy beast of a bike with exquisite attention to detail from the seat to the tail lamp. Very powerful and nimble too.

Cheers

Many Many Thanks for sharing the numbers. Do post your experience at the launch party. Kawasaki z800 is also i was looking at. I am little avert to heavier bikes, Thats the big reasons i am more inclined to The Street Triple. Thanks again.

[ranjitnair77]

I had kept an eye out for the Triumph Pune showroom launch for a few weeks now. I would ride by occasionally to see when they would open. Having got the news that they were finally open, I headed over to see the bikes.

The photos were taken using a Lumia 920.



The showroom is nicely located, right next to the VW showroom near Abhimanshree Society on Pashan Road and is owned by B.U. Bhandari. The showroom is not fully complete yet. While all the bikes except the Rocket III were on display, they were not stocked up on the apparel. The on-road prices of the motorcycles are not confirmed yet.

The staff was extremely friendly. They let me sit on every bike without interference. The test drive formalities were very relaxed. Just fill up a simple form, grab your helmet and take a ride. No insisting on apparel or anything (including boots). I saw folks in sandals taking a ride. Nobody to pilot you. They had a Daytona, a Street Triple and a Bonneville for test rides. I took two test rides of the Bonneville.





Mobike008 has comprehensively covered this bike from every angle and pretty much everything he says is spot on. This is a beautiful bike, especially in white and blue. It is extremely easy to ride: you could hop off a very basic bike and feel right at home in minutes. Two things stand out in particular.

The Ride: So incredibly smooth. Having ridden a vibey Bullet 500 for years, this was like swimming in a tub of butter. The power is very manageable and the delivery is linear. The bike never felt snatchy. A few vibes crept in under hard acceleration but there was nothing alarming.

The handling: Just right. The bike is very easy to handle, Bulleteers will feel right at home with the riding position. The balance of the bike is just just fantastic. I was leaning into corners, carving through traffic and generally riding it like I had owned it for years by the time I was done with the test ride. Some of the folks have talked about a stiff suspension but It felt just fine to me. Perhaps years of riding my old bike which is practically a hard-tail has ruined me forever.

Having said that, there are a few things that bothered me slightly

The heat: I've never ridden a big bike before so I don't have a frame of reference but the Bonnie does heat up. Not fry-an-egg heat up but sufficient to be clearly felt near the calves. Around twice as hot as my 500. I was riding it in fairly sparse traffic. I guess a heat shield would be nice.

The turning radius A Pune phenomenon. You have to plan it on a Bonnie.

The exhaust/tuning I like the subtle burble of the stock exhaust. However it is restrictive and you can feel it when you accelerate hard. You could also hear very mild pops when you decelerate abruptly. All of this indicates that the bike will need an exhaust swap and a remap of some sort to reach its full potential. I know this feeling very well. I've seen a manifestation of the same issue in Bullets with their terrible factory fitted exhausts.

Built for shorter riders Without question. A friend who is 5' 4" was super comfy on the Bonnie. I'm 5' 7" and I was very comfortable too. Some of the taller guys who test drove were complaining. I can see my significant other riding the bike quite comfortably.

What a wonderful bike. Ticks all the boxes for me and I'll probably book one in a few months. It makes my Bullet feel like a water pump (but I'm a sentimental old fool so I'll keep it)

Other bikes spotted.





The utterly gorgeous Thruxton. Unquestionably the most beautiful bike in the lineup. Slightly taller than the Bonnie, aggressive riding position.




The beautiful cream and gold T100.





The Tiger.



The Thunderbird. There wasn't one available for test rides but I sat on it for a while. Super comfy and very well balanced once you lift the weight off the side stand.



The Daytona. I'm not a fan of faired sports bikes but I sat on it anyway and I started to complain about the riding position almost immediately. Not the bike's fault, just me being a grumpy old badger about sports bikes

The Street Triple was also on display and available for test rides.

The final OTR prices in Pune are not out yet but I've signed up for a notification when the prices are available. Will share that here when I get it.

All in all, there was no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

[ranjitnair77]

It's been a couple of days of deliberation after my test drive of the Bonneville and a few additional thoughts have cropped up in my mind which might be worth sharing.

The overall feeling I got about the Bonneville was that it was an easy, competent bike which would do everything well but nothing exceptionally well. The ride is easy, the acceleration was manageable, the handling was very good. It looks great in a subtle, understated way which suits a lot of people, including me.

However there is a part of you that wishes that it was a little more shouty, that it blew your socks off with its performance and thrilled the senses a bit more. You can get used to a bike very quickly and the things that you love at first sight might be the things that you take for granted with the passage of time. It is that unpredictability that keeps the love alive .

Is it possible that you will get bored of your Bonneville in a couple of years? It's worth thinking about.

Anyway, it is still a wonderful bike for the price and I will probably buy it.

[Aditya]

Triumph Motorcycles has opened a dealership in the Mumbai - Shaman Triumph. It is the company's sixth showroom in India and its 745th in the world. It is located at Hubtown Viva, Western Express Highway, Andheri East, Mumbai - 400060.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[GJ01]

Triumph also opened their showroom in Ahmedabad last Friday - 2nd May. For those in Abad, it is on SG highway right next to Rajpath Club. Its neighbor is another showroom (which I have rarely seen open) - that of DC Designs.