A tranquil boom: Triumph Bonneville T100

Part of Triumph’s ‘modern classics’ range, the 2017 Bonneville T100 retains its retro look while upgrades its engine and much more.

By Siddharth M Joshi · Mar 2017 · 2 min read

A tranquil boom: Triumph Bonneville T100

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Have you ever seen pictures of the Russian politician Alina Kabaeva online? She’s a dissembled beauty when she appears for meetings in formal attire, but transforms into a sexy Aphrodite when lets the restrains lose. The Bonneville T100 is exactly that in the biking world – simple and sophisticated to look at, but a roaring tiger when pulled on the road. Nothing about the motorcycle is a desperate plea for attention, not the fenders, nor the fuel tank, nor the handles or anything else. It is meant for a monk-like pursuit of pleasure that is meant only for you and the world may pass you unnoticed unless someone truly understands the depths of such an enlightened state.

I rode the bike in two instalments to test the performance on different parameters – one, at night with fewer vehicles on the road and second, during a heavy traffic weekend evening. At both occasions the Bonneville T100 impressed me with smooth manoeuvring options and strong engine strength. The 900cc engine monster is like a crouching tiger ready to be unleashed as you twist the throttle. At night on an almost perfectly clear road I managed to cross the 100 kmph mark in just about 5 seconds (though I thought it was lesser than that, but that could have been out of excitement). The handles are moderately high compared to the saddle placement, which gives you a cruiser position while riding. As even the highways are not devoid of occasional rough patches in India, I tested the balance and stability of the bike by venturing into some, and I must say I was impressed. Unless it is a pothole big enough to fit a Prince Kumar, the bike manages to give you minimal distress.

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If you’re a biking fan, the sound that it produces on mildly flirting with the throttle will give you absolute satisfaction. Handling it on the heavy traffic was just as gratifying, for the close-packed frame of the Bonneville T100 makes it extremely easy to stitch a line between other speeding vehicles across lanes. My main concern was if it was going to be tiring to ride it in traffic and was soon addressed at the first bottleneck I hit. It’s like the erstwhile T100s of the 60s has been remodelled and custom-made for the Indian street, without compromising with either style or power with a single tool – weight/bulk management. If your speed doesn’t fluctuate too much in traffic your hands are not going to bear the brunt.

This one’s meant for you if you don’t cop an attitude nor do you like your machine to do it.