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-   -   Triumph Street Twin & Bonneville T120 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/172865-triumph-street-twin-bonneville-t120-10.html)

Congrats on the new buy :). My BIL has this bike and he just enjoys the ride especially long rides.

However, be cautious on the below:
1. City rides will make you tired and heat will be felt (I have seen myself when I drove from JP Nagar to EC via BTM layout traffic for 2 days)
2. Low ground clearance will hit and break the side stand if you drive inattentively(I do not use word careless specifically because, even if you are careful while driving and if your attention is somewhere else while crossing humps, the side stand gets hit and will break. This will hit heavily since parts are tooooo costly (Not just too costly)

In fact, my dream was to buy a used Triumph (Bonneville) but it was for daily office commute. But since I felt the heat during my 2 days office commute test drive, and due to low GC, I ended up going with Bajaj Dominar :)

Thank you so much. Things are slightly different in Bangalore. The "agents" are pretty much part of life, as per my experience. Sometimes it's just better to pay off the 2k, rather than take the headache of visiting and haggling with these guys.

I'm extremely happy I decided to go for Triumph. In fact, I'm mainly a car guy and after selling the 250hp 1.8 TSI, I wanted to save money for the BMW 328i (used one) and do it up. But just decided to cancel that and pay for the Street Twin.

On-road cost:
Street Twin: 9,70 change
Street Triple: 11,70 change

For the Triple, I was getting 70k worth of arrow exhaust free or accessories worth the equivalent amount. Additionally 0% interest on loan, if taken for 2 years for HDFC premium customers. So this was very interesting.

I will describe in detail why I did not choose the Triple in a later post.

Triple RS has Assist and slip clutch
Triple S has no such information on the website, but the SA told me it allows some form of slip assist during hard braking. Not sure on this at all.

The Twin has slip assist and TC.

Congrats on the same. I was about to buy the Triple 765 (2018), but backed out due to multiple reasons.

Thank you so much. The heat and GC i'm aware of. In fact, I first TD'd the Twin Scrambler... That is at another level compared to the Steet Twin. They do heat up.

On the GC front, I found it to be slightly better than Triple. And the stand, I'm planning to remove it on day 1 and replace with a RE stand (as suggested by other people on T-BHP)

The funniest part of MoRTH is, while they are encouraging everyone to eliminate middlemen when it comes to registration or special numbers, they do not allow you to sign up itself, if you are from KARNATAKA.

https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/fancy...c/signup.xhtml

Have a look at the state list, there is no Karnataka. How is anyone supposed to signup and block the numbers online?

They do however allow you to check if a number is available with any RTO in Karnataka.

https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/fancy...lability.xhtml

More sad news people.

MoRTH had banned registration for new vehicles across India, few days back. This was due the the manufacturers failing to provide number plates as per MoRTH specs.

Now, Triumph is saying that they cannot do anything before the 12th, as all dealers are meeting on that day to discuss how to take this forward. So add another 5-7 days after that, and we are talking about delivery only around 18th of this month at the earliest.

KEERTHI Triumph on the other hand is forcing its customers to register under KA-51 (instead of 01,02,03,04, or 05) if they want their vehicle. Else it's an endless waiting game now.

Apparently, CBU vehicles are having problems. CKDs are fine. Got my Duke in 2 days along with registration. So this is really frustrating. On top of that KEERTHI Triumph has the worst SR and CRs possible. No help whatsoever from their end. Can anyone confirm if Kawasaki and others are having the same issue?

My EMI starts in sometime. I'll be paying for a vehicle which is not even allotted to me, forget delivered.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

If KA51 works, i would suggest to get the ST registered and delivered at the earliest. The more time it spends at the dealership, the more painful it becomes!

I recently booked the new street twin and decided to go for the KA-51 registration as it seemed the obvious choice.

Just out of curiosity, did you book the ironstone colour? I saw this bike in the showroom last week which had the sold tag but yet to be registered due to the ongoing HSNP issues.

Hey! Although not keen on anything apart from KA01-05, I had no option but to go for KA51 since VAHAAN4 issues are going on and registrations for CBUs are halted indefinitely. Anyway, got a special number as well and took delivery today after another fiasco (delayed delivery, last minute information).

I picked up the matt ironstone color. What you saw parked there with sold tag is sitting there for at least more than a week now. Along with 2-3 Street Triple RS (sold tag as well). These are people who have refused KA51 and waiting for other options I guess. Not sure. But these are sitting there for a sometime.

I was issued a regular number plate, apparently HSNP only applies for KA01-05 for Bangalore. Electronic City, Mysore Road are exempted, and you can register here if you want immediate delivery.

I'll put up a detailed post on the delivery experience as well as the bike's review from my point of view on Sunday.

Thanks to everyone here, for their help and suggestions.

Hi everyone, bumping an old thread. Are there any known issues with historic era Bonnevilles (2015-2016)? I know about alloy wheel cracks, suspension bottoming out, low ground clearance, heavy clutch to name a few. Any long term owner would like to add anything? Also any information on major services would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I had the 2015 A3 for 3 years and 13k kms. In 2018 Bhpian Coriolis bought it from me and has added 10k more to it. We both have had no trouble with the bike.
It runs like clockwork.
Also I wouldn't say the issues that you mention are "issues" they may be limitations.
The bike lacks ABS which I feel is another important miss. You need to ride very carefully on highways due to this.
Regarding weak rims, I upgraded the tires to 120/60 front and 150/70 rear (tiger spec). Stock sizes are 110/70 and 130/80 which are anyway weird size. This gave some extra ground clearance and much needed buffer for the rims.
A senior pune rider has recently done 1.15 lac kms on his 2015 A3 Bonneville. He's super happy.
Other than service, brakes and tires he's not had to spend anything on it.
Most people i know have customized their bikes to something of their preference with performance as well as cosmetic upgrades.
I love the air cooled Bonnie. If you are planning to get one, couldn't be a better time than now.

I've been using the air-cooled Bonnie from 2015. Its got around 18K kms on it from the time I bought it new. I would say it is a pretty reliable bike and the main expenses coming in on consumables like oil, filters, brake pads, battery, tires etc. As mentioned, ABS is missing and would have been great to have. I'm super happy with it and you soon develop an emotional bond with it. Simple machine, sufficient grunt, classic retro looks, basically a no nonsense bike. Suspension is basic and does the job, but the bike could do with a better suspension setup front and back. Just sharing a photo of my Bonnie.

Thanks guys for your inputs. Bonnie is indeed a reliable bike and good for long term ownership. I will take a call soon, there are quite a few good bikes in market for sale with excellent pricing.

Hello folks,

I have had the privilege of owning the T120 since 2016.
Yes, Mine was a CBU model, one among the first lot that was imported into the country before it was assembled at the Triumph plant in Manesar. My bike also happens to be the 3rd bike to have been delivered in Tamil Nadu. Could’ve been the first, but I was not in the country to take delivery.

Over the last 6 years, I have modified my bike to my preferences. Following have been done.
1. Philips Ultinon LED Bulb for the headlight.
2. All 4 turn indicators are now LED units (Triumph OE)
3. The Wheel Rims, Hub, the inner section of the rear shock absorbers, and headlight rim have been painted Diamond Black (the one with sparkles which shine in the light).
4. D-Cat/ X-pipe done. But retained stock exhaust. So the rumble increases. But doesn’t sound awkward. Sourced it from a friend from Thailand. Same spec and looks just like Tec X-Pipe. Just doesn’t have the brand name printed on it. Fit like a glove. Got it fitted at (now Defunct Harbour City Motors – Chennai).
5. Strobe Lamps under the rear seat grab rail. Turns on upon switching on Kill switch.
6. Fly Screen – OE Triumph.
7. Cruise Control – OE Triumph
8. King & Queen Seat – this is a must buy for anyone who wants to go on long rides. The seat is just what it is. Comfy enough for a King (and his Queen).
9. K&N Air Filters.
10. Triumph Triple Stripe Logo in Dark Colours (Not Chrome) on the tank.

I experimented with Aux Lights, but now I have taken them off, as I don’t see myself riding in darkness much.
Experimented with EBC Brake pads, but somehow I found stock brake pads better. To each his own. Am now looking at renewing the entire brake set up to the new Brembo ones which come with the new generation T120s.
Also looking at importing (time and budget permitting) Tubeless Spoked Wheels as the next major upgrade.
At the time of writing this, we (the bike and me) have 35000 kms on the ODO, including some great long trips: Chennai – Mumbai, Chennai – Kodaikanal, Chennai – Mysore, Chennai – Manjolai, Chennai – Alan Cholai, apart from the usual weekend jaunts to Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, ISRO (Sriharikota), Kanchipuram and Mudaliar kuppam among others.

The Good.
1. Classic – Timeless looks and endearing. This bike will never go out of style.
2. The fit and finish and the money spent by Triumph on the bike shows. Each and every part is made to specifications. No part of the Bonneville T120 can be found on any other Triumph bike. In a way its exclusive (Ok, some of the switchgear is shared)
3. The twin rumble is eargasmic. To say the Least.
4. The fact that it looks so simple that it doesn’t garner much attention is actually a boon in disguise. Many of my friends just shirked it away until they got on and I gave them a whiff of the torque available.
5. The Cinder Red Colour is no longer available. Again, that makes this a rarity. Hope I can maintain the paint finish like, for ever.
6. Kitna Deti Hai – The engine is not stressed. So, the mileage I get is pretty decent. Around 20kmpl in city and upto 25-28 kmpl highway (depending on how fast I ride).
7. 120kmph is easy peasy. I just go there, switch on Cruise control and just putter along.
8. Hitting the ton (100 mph) or 160 kmph is also easy. But post that the engine gets loud and you will reach 190+ kmph but you will probably run out of road but sometimes I wonder if really need to.

The Bad.
1. No Tubeless tires. So, basically the rims can accommodate tubeless tires, but the spokes are not designed as such. I have tried the tubeless conversion kit but found air leaking from one of the spoke joints.
So, I had to remove the tubeless conversion strip and am for now sticking to Tubed Tires. Its not much of a chore in retrospect. I have had punctures a total of 3 times (1 front and 2 rear tire punctures). Had earlier taken a list of the tools required for removal of tire and removed it myself and took the tire to a local puncture shop and just replaced the tube with a spare one I always keep.
2. Related to the above, the fact that one has to remove both the silencers for removing the rear wheel is also a bummer. This can be done away with if you install a predator exhaust from British customs (or any similar short exhaust).
3. The Chrome part on the bike do get rusted after a while. I have painted over some of the parts of the bike with Sparkling Black (done by a professional painter friend of mine).
4. I don’t know if it’s a bad thing, but some people may say, the bike doesn’t go fast enough for a 1200 cc engine. Does not bother me though.

The Ugly : only one major problem I faced. After the bike went out of warranty (miles and years both), the Stator motor got burnt and due to this the battery wouldn’t charge. I had to renew the stator motor which cost me Rs30K.
No other worries from the bike.
It a perfect bike imho. Looks like a proper bike. Rides very comfortably and has more than enough grunt to do everything. The timeless design the biggest attribute if you ask me, as is also the hard as rock engine. Take it to the beach, off roading, highway rides, or just to the local supermarket to buy eggs/tomatoes. Do it all bike.

Jack of all trades. Master of … well you’re the Master. You decide.

A Few Photos to go with the post above.

Hello Gents,

I need an advice from Street Twin owners regarding tyre change. With the current scenario, tyre availability is a real pain. Is there anyone here in Delhi NCR who has changed tyres recently, if so, from where and what did you put.

What I am getting is

Front

• Ceat zoom cruz 100/90 r18
• Metzeler lasertec 100/90 r18
• Metzeler Roadtec 110/90 r18 (I am not sure of this one because of size)

Rear

• Vredestein Centauro ST 150/70 ZR17
• Apolo Alpha H1 150/70 R17

Any leads will be appreciated.

Though I am from Southern part of India and not from Delhi. I am stuck with the same dilemma. Stock tyres for street twin has been changed to Michellin Road Classic tyres. But cannot find any input on how it is performing so far. I have finalized on Continental Conti Road attack 3 but stocks are very difficult to find.