[dZired]

Triumph appears to be working on a new cruiser motorcycle based on the Bonneville Bobber. A test mule of the said bike has recently been spotted in Spain, near the company's test facility.

The regular Bonneville Bobber comes with a single seat setup. However, the spotted model clearly gets an additional pillion seat with a backrest as well. The Bobber's quintessential design cues like the rear swing cage and monoshock have been retained on the cruiser version, though the bike gets some significant tweaks in order to suit its cruising characteristics.

The spotted model gets a revised rear sub-frame that houses a new rear fender, pillion seat and luggage carrier. The rider foot pegs appear to have been moved forward to provide a laidback riding posture. The handlebars are set higher as compared to the flat-type units found on the regular model. The 19-inch front wheel of the Bobber has given way for a more practical 16-inch unit. Multiple chrome inserts have been added throughout the bike to complete the cruiser look.

Powering the Bobber Cruiser will likely be the same T-120 engine that is found on the regular model. This 1,200 cc parallel twin unit is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and develops 76 BHP and 106 Nm.

Source: Motorcycle News

Link to Team-BHP News

[mobike008]

Triumph is now getting plain greedy by exploiting the existing platform and engines to get into the cruiser category

They are known for their British heritage and a unique design theme that gelled with most people looking for motorcycles with different lineage which coupled with their smooth engines give a unique experience to buyers.

They should know that cruisers is not their forte (Thunderbird Storm is not burning the sales charts anywhere in the world despite being a better bike than most Harley's) and if they really wanted to get into this category, why not improve the same bike or extend on that platform instead of introducing this hideous contraption?

IMO, Looks ugly like hell and sad to say; like a Harley rip-off!

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by mobike008

IMO, Looks ugly like hell and sad to say; like a Harley rip-off!

Saw the bobber over the weekend and it is one of the best looking bikes currently available. And this "cruiser" looks like terrible amateur effort. A really low energy effort from Triumph to slap a back seat and butterfly handles and call it a cruiser.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

Saw the bobber over the weekend and it is one of the best looking bikes currently available. And this "cruiser" looks like terrible amateur effort. A really low energy effort from Triumph to slap a back seat and butterfly handles and call it a cruiser.

Absolutely agree with regards to Triumph Bobber being a looker

But, the fact remains they will get low sales on these new design themes as Harley rules the roost and it would be hard to displace them in these categories.

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Triumph is now getting plain greedy by exploiting the existing platform and engines to get into the cruiser category

They are known for their British heritage and a unique design theme that gelled with most people looking for motorcycles with different lineage which coupled with their smooth engines give a unique experience to buyers.

They should know that cruisers is not their forte (Thunderbird Storm is not burning the sales charts anywhere in the world despite being a better bike than most Harley's) and if they really wanted to get into this category, why not improve the same bike or extend on that platform instead of introducing this hideous contraption?

IMO, Looks ugly like hell and sad to say; like a Harley rip-off!

I fully echo your above views Avi, esp given the fact I am myself in the midst of a lot of research/work for a chopper project with a Sportster.

I think Triumph wanted to experiment with the factory Bobber and Chopper concepts as they saw worldwide many private customizers generally prefer the older Sportster, Bonneville, Yamaha XS650 or Honda VLX platforms due to a variety of form & function reasons and probably Triumph thinks people will be happy with a Chopper or Bobber with warranty and what not just coz the new Bonnevilles are ticking their cash registers. On a separate small side note personally I would have preferred they made the wonderful new T100 & T120 with tubeless spoke wheels rather than going behind the Chopper & Bobber!

For me a Bonneville (new, classic or vintage) is a super smooth, functional, well handling bike and I would any day prefer it as what an original motorcycle was meant to be, ie., regular fun-riding, commuting, touring and to some extent the sporty cafe racer bike for some spirited riding. Whereas sculpting that bike to be something that it is not, (also meaning poser duty) is not something I would want to see Triumph do. Infact some attempts from Moto-Guzzi, BMW, Ducati and even the Triumph Thunderbird to enter into the cruiser market (rather Harley market!), creating their own distinct cruisers have not met with super success eating into the Harley pie, unlike the Japanese who basically cloned the Harley bikes model for model, but made them more reliable and affordable mainly for the US market and with some success in western Europe as well.

For me the basic character or heart of a classic Chopper or Bobber is an American air-cooled V-Twin engine (in spite of all its shortfalls or limitations) while the Bonneville epitomizes a legendary bike that stays true to its character in almost every aspect of the term riding.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Haroon

On a separate small side note personally I would have preferred they made the wonderful new T100 & T120 with tubeless spoke wheels rather than going behind the Chopper & Bobber!

Oh Yeah! That would have been an awesome move. Also they have not really succeeded in pushing the cafe racer culture outside of Britain and that would be a purposeful direction for Triumph to introduce that culture across the world and invest in its success

Originally Posted by Haroon

For me a Bonneville (new, classic or vintage) is a super smooth, functional, well handling bike and I would any day prefer it as what an original motorcycle was meant to be, ie., regular fun-riding, commuting, touring and to some extent the sporty cafe racer bike for some spirited riding. Whereas sculpting that bike to be something that it is not, (also meaning poser duty) is not something I would want to see Triumph do. Infact some attempts from Moto-Guzzi, BMW, Ducati and even the Triumph Thunderbird to enter into the cruiser market (rather Harley market!), creating their own distinct cruisers have not met with super success eating into the Harley pie, unlike the Japanese who basically cloned the Harley bikes model for model, but made them more reliable and affordable mainly for the US market and with some success in western Europe as well.

Absolutely, I still miss the Bonnie feel and it's a great bike for some fun riding (found a better bike for long distance touring) and it's meant for keeping it forever as they have a real special characteristic about them that is hard to describe

Originally Posted by Haroon

For me the basic character or heart of a classic Chopper or Bobber is an American air-cooled V-Twin engine (in spite of all its shortfalls or limitations) while the Bonneville epitomizes a legendary bike that stays true to its character in almost every aspect of the term riding.

True that! Harley's rule the Cruiser and customization market and it's hard to beat them. Triumph is just wasting it's energies in tapping a market it cannot win into