Triumph Bonneville T120 Black

"The timeless style and iconic character of the original 1959 model is reborn in the classy and authentic Bonneville T120..."

More beautiful, more powerful, more capable.

The timeless style and iconic character of the original 1959 model is reborn in the classy and authentic Bonneville T120 and effortless cool Bonneville T120 Black. Both crafted to the highest standard of detailing, quality and finish, and matched by the capability and performance of a truly modern classic. Powered by the all-new Bonneville 1200cc high torque engine, fed by beautiful, authentically styled, twin throttle bodies.

The new Triumph Bonneville T120 and T120 Black - Timeless icons, beautifully evolved

The timeless style and iconic character of the original Bonneville is reborn in the classy and authentic Bonneville T120 and effortlessly cool T120 Black.
•Both crafted to the highest standard of detailing, quality and finish, matched by the capability and performance of a truly modern classic.
•Powered by the all-new 1200cc ‘high torque’ Bonneville engine, fed by beautiful authentically styled twin throttle bodies. Built to deliver more torque lower down and across the rev range. Authentic peashooter exhausts deliver that genuine sound of a British twin.
•Both featuring an all-new chassis and suspension developed for refined all day riding every day, all day, with or without a passenger. Combining Triumph’s signature ride dynamic of neutrality, agility and stability with advanced levels of capability and comfort.
•Inspired by the legendary 1959 Bonneville and styled to incorporate more of the original’s iconic DNA. Both with a significantly higher level of finish, beautifully authentic detailing and standard of equipment that sets a new benchmark.
•The Bonneville T120 and T120 Black are two of the five exciting motorcycles in the new Bonneville family - all with 100% authentic Bonneville character, truly modern capability and performance.

Like the iconic original Bonneville T120, that enjoyed global success thanks to its heart-stopping looks and game-changing performance, with their poise, elegance and attitude, the new Bonneville T120 and T120 Black are perfectly in tune with today’s desire for authenticity, character and capability.

With real pedigree, presence and performance, the authentic and classy Bonneville T120 and mean and moody T120 Black are beautiful evolutions of a timeless icon.

New 1200cc ‘high torque’ engine The authentic character of the Bonneville T120 comes to life through the all-new 1200cc ‘high torque’ 8 valve, parallel twin engine. Built specifically for the modern classic riding style, with immediate and exciting power delivery, it produces a peak torque figure of 105Nm at a low 3100 rpm - an amazing 54% more than the previous generation.

With the pinpoint accuracy and instant throttle response of Triumph’s next generation ride-by-wire fuel-injection and engine management system, the six-speed 1200 Bonneville engine is engineered with a charismatic tone and 270° firing interval for a smooth, linear power delivery. The engine profile has been beautifully crafted to incorporate key heritage styling cues from the legendary 60's Bonneville bikes, sensitively incorporating contemporary components to maintain that iconic engine sillouette. The finish has also been taken to a new high standard, with brushed aluminium engine covers, with elegant bronze detailing, on the T120, and black engine covers with machined aluminium detailing on the T120 Black.

Behind the new 1200 engines stylish exterior sits a cutting-edge liquid cooling system, carefully integrated to minimise its visual impact whilst achieving cleaner emissions and enhancing fuel efficiency.

Finally, all-new elegant peashooter style exhausts, follow a clean ‘straight line run’ achieved through an ingenious twin skin design that covers the pipe run through the cat box and out again. Delivering the true sound of a British twin, with a deep and rich exhaust note that truly matches the T120’s character, tuned to a level you would want and expect.

The Bonneville T120 is available in four classic inspired colour schemes:
•Cranberry Red and Aluminium Silver, with hand painted coach lines
•Jet Black and Pure White, with hand painted coach lines
•Jet Black
•Cinder Red

THE MODERN CLASSIC REBORN. The timeless style and iconic character of the original Bonneville is reborn in the new Bonneville T120 and T120 Black. Both crafted to the highest standard of detailing, quality and finish, and matched by the capability and performance of a truly modern classic. Both powered by the all new Bonneville 1200cc high torque engine, fed by beautiful authentic twin throttle bodies.

BONNEVILLE T120 - A TIMELESS ICON, BEAUTIFULLY EVOLVED. The stunning new Bonneville T120 is a stylish and distinctive statement of Triumph

BONNEVILLE T120 BLACK - A NEW STYLE ICON. A new style icon, with real pedigree, presence and performance. Building on the timeless looks of the new Bonneville T120 the mean and moody T120 Black is transformed with a distinctive dark brown seat and blacked out details, including rims, grab rail, exhaust and a sophisticated paint finish in Matt Graphite or Jet Black.

THRILLING NEW ENGINE

The authentic character of the Bonneville T120 comes to life through the all new 1200cc ‘high torque’ 8 valve, parallel twin engine.

Built specifically for the modern classic riding style, with immediate and exciting power delivery, it produces a massive peak torque fiqure of 105Nm at a low 3100 rpm - an amazing 54% more than the previous generation. With the pin-point accuracy and instant throttle response of Triumph’s next generation ride-by-wire fuel-injection and engine management system, the six-speed Bonneville T120 is engineered with a charismatic tone and 270° firing interval for a smooth, linear power delivery.

BEAUTIFUL STYLE AND SOUND

The new Bonneville 1200cc engine profile has been beautifully styled with a high level of detailing and finish to incorporate key heritage styling cues from the legendary 60's Bonneville engine silhouette whilst incorporating contemporary components sensitively to maintain that iconic and authentic look.

With all new elegant pea-shooter style exhausts following a clean straight line header pipe run, the Bonneville T120 delivers the true sound of a British twin, a deep and rich note that truely matches its character, tuned to a level you would want and expect.

SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED FUEL ECONOMY

Behind the new 1200 Bonneville engine's exterior is an advanced liquid cooling system sensitively designed to minimise its visual impact whilst achieving significantly enhance fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions.

AUTHENTIC STYLING

Inspired by the legendary 59 Bonneville the new Bonneville T120 and T120 Black are styled to incorporate the original’s iconic design details and features. From the sculpted flowing lines of the tank, to the individual detailing of the lights, clocks and the iconic Bonneville silhouette, the new T120 and T120 Black are timeless icons, beautifully evolved.

THE BEAUTIFUL BONNEVILLE T120

The Bonneville T120 features a wealth of detailing, including deep chrome multi piece badges, grab rail, wheel rims and innovative twin skinned chrome exhaust headers and pea shooter style silencers. Available in 4 premium classic colour schemes, Jet Black, Cinder Red or the twin paint options of Cranberry Red and Aluminium Silver or Jet Black and Pure White, both incorporating hand painted coach lines.

Whatever your thoughts on the matter, one thing is certain: the redesign of the Hinckley modern classics series has been long overdue, so all eyes were on deck for this release. And the results don’t disappoint, with big changes in appearance, function and technology. But the T120 manages to keep its look undeniably classic, with Triumph taking great pains to squeeze the all-new parallel twin motor into the same dimensions as its predecessor, the signature engine bay now sporting big enough gaps to stick the end of a peashooter through. The crank arrangement is also changed to 270 degrees rather than the outgoing model’s 360 order, which means better primary balance and a throatier sound, and, yes Virginia, just ever-so-slightly less power. But we’ll get to that later.

Hiding in plain sight is the T120’s new, slim radiator, which virtually disappears behind the front wheel, barely a hose in sight. Triumph says the cylinders’ machined fins help cooling efficiency and allow for a smaller radiator—makes you wonder why other manufacturers haven’t caught on to this subtle design trick. Chrome and brushed aluminum abounds, unless you go for the T120 Black, which gets dark paint everywhere—except the saddle. So actually, it’s “Black-ish.”

Which leads me back to the coast road, where new wheel and tire sizes and the T120’s compact wheelbase are making quick work of the hilly bends. Turn-in is willing and handling is more than adequate but not exactly what you’d call sharp, since the bike did gain some 50 pounds with the new updates and emissions components. Weight is still on the high side but the bike doesn’t reflect it, thanks to a low center of gravity and those smaller tires. Out of the box, the thing feels softly suspended (I guess that’s a traditional quality) even for 160-pound me, and many of us opted to dial up the preload 2 turns, which was quickly achieved with a small Allen key tucked behind the side cover. Somehow Triumph managed to lessen the seat height a touch too, which felt lower than I’d like (especially for a 1,200cc motorcycle with some semblance of sporting intent). But the actual seat is comfortable and supportive, and Triumph says it’s got more foam than the outgoing one, so the trade-off seems fair.

As I gas it through a big sweeper, the benign burble turns into a meatier rumble, though in Road mode (one of two modes), the T120’s throttle response isn’t exactly what you’d call aggressive. It’s more of a smooth rush as you roll on, but there’s no denying that the torque is always standing ready. That’s because the T120 has the “high torque” version of the 1,200cc engine, which at 77.4 lb-ft oddly enough makes less peak torque than the Thruxton’s version. But that’s deceptive, because it hits the peak much lower in the range, down at 3,100 rpm, with more than 50 percent of it lying squarely in the midrange. With so much available down low, there isn’t really much need to bang against the redline (7,000 rpm), and I found the sweet spot to be around 5,000 rpm, where things are close to peak power but still feeling pretty mellow, yet ready to pounce at the twist of the throttle. On the T120, revs also come faster than the old bike thanks to a lighter flywheel, and with that ride-by-wire throttle, I could choose from two ride modes—Rain and Road—to better access the T120’s peak of 79 horsepower (Rain offers the same power but lessens the torque) with a simple push of the “M” button. There’s also switchable traction control, if you’re really looking to break loose.

Antilock brakes are now standard, and I thought the new dual-disc Nissins were above par, with easy actuation through the adjustable lever, a nice progressive feel and a forceful bite to slow things down quickly but not abruptly. The handsome twin clocks perched atop the nicely finished yoke are nicely appointed too, with 3D dials and a separate tach included. For good measure, Triumph has even thrown in heated grips as standard equipment. There are only two levels but trust me, that’s all you need.

As for nitpicks, well there’s this: If the T120 Black is really positioned at the “young, urban contemporary” set as Triumph claims, then it probably should have gone with upswept reverse megaphone pipes. No hipster worth his trucker hat would be caught dead with peashooters—especially black ones.

Even with that minor nit, the new T120 manages to hit a home run. The four-year top-down redesign manages to balance modern upgrades with careful homage to the retro appeal of the past models. Triumph’s engineers should be proud.

Source: Rider Magazine