Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black

 

By Réhann Coetzee

 

The 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black is the latest incarnation of the fastest selling motorcycle in Triumph’s 115-year history.

Launched in 2016, the Bonneville Bobber was inspired by the original post-war bobber movement of stripped back, hardtail motorcycles tuned to the extreme for maximum performance.

“The Bobber has stunning handcrafted custom style and a thrilling hotrod ride. With its 1200cc High Torque Bonneville engine with distinctive Bobber tune, it is selling out in dealerships all over the world. And because Triumph was there from the start with the most powerful and lightweight bikes around, the new Bonneville Bobber has absolute peerless authenticity,” says Bruce Allen, CEO of Triumph Motorcycles SA.

“The Bobber Black shares the Bobber’s low, muscular and minimalist stance. It is purposeful, distinctive and stripped back. With all the classic hallmarks of a Bobber, the Bobber Black’s single seat and hardtail look are teamed with wide flat bars, minimal bodywork and sculpted Bonneville tank, minimal fenders with centre ridge, and authentic wire spoked wheels,” he says.

The Bobber Black features a host of fully blacked-out details and finishes, including the silencers, headers and upper finned casting; anodised brake pedal, footrest, gear lever, gear linkage, brake and clutch levers; painted handlebars with black anodised risers and clamps; black painted seat pan; black powder-coated engine covers, cam cover and sprocket cover; black chrome-plated headlight rim; and black painted wheel hubs.

Although the Bobber has the hardtail look, thankfully it isn’t really a hardtail. A proper hardtail doesn’t have suspension in the rear and your lower back’s future depends on a sprung seat. The Bobber does have a single shock, craftily hidden behind side panels underneath the (slightly sprung) seat.

The front has a high-profile 16-inch tyre and proper Brembo brakes. The riding position is slightly forward, as it should be, but the ride was surprisingly comfortable. And although 58kW out of a 1200-twin does not really mean fireworks, you do feel the need to ride the Bobber like a hooligan. After all, that was the original idea behind a bobber.

I was very surprised by how comfortable a ride the Bobber gives. And the 1200 motor and short noisy pipes do encourage you to twist the throttle more than is completely necessary.

That being said, it isn’t meant as a bike for any kind of long-distance riding. At least, the tiny fuel tank means that. Because I did manage to see 170km/h on the clock at one stage and I can’t say the bike tired me out at all.

As a “boulevard cruiser”, or the bike you just ride to the coffee shop on a public holiday, it is over-kill. It is much more than that. Like its Thruxton sibling, it looks like a classic, but goes – and brakes – like a modern bike.

A really nice design touch of the whole Bonneville line-up is how the engines look air-cooled but are liquid-cooled; and how the cylinders seem to be fed by two carburettors, but it is actually fuel-injected. And the big round headlight houses LED technology and daylight running light.

New for a Bobber, this one has a single-button function cruise control mounted on the left-hand bar. The throttle is a ride-by-wire system and the Bobber has two riding modes: Road and Rain. Also not apparent initially, is an ABS braking system and switchable traction control.

I don’t want to get into brand-bashing, but this bike does what many people buy a Harley for – but better. The Bobber is light, very manoeuvrable, and delivers power exactly how it should be done.

But the Bobber Black isn’t a cheap bike. It costs R9 500 more than the ordinary Bobber, slightly more than the Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Roadster but over R10 000 less than the Street Bob – but the Sportster weighs 20kg more.

Horses for courses, but the Bobber Black sold really quickly for a reason. It is a really nice bike to ride, has a lot of modern features, and really looks the part.

This is not a poser. This is the real thing.

Technically speaking: Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black

Engine: 1 198cc, parallel 2-cylinder, SOHC, liquid cooled

Power: 58kW @ 6 100rpm / 106Nm @ 4 000rpm

Gears: 6 speed, chain

Fuel tank: 9,1 litres

Seat height: 690mm

Tyres: 130/90/16 front, 150/80/16 rear

Brakes: 2-piston 310mm double disks (front); 2-piston 255mm single disk (rear)

Wet weight: 237,5kg

Price: R175 500