Re: Triumph Street Twin & Bonneville T120 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. |