Triumph Bonneville Bobber Madrid launch incoming

We’ll be riding the new Triumph Bonneville Bobber at its world launch in Madrid on Monday.

The Hinckley firm unveiled the latest addition to the Bonneville family at the trendy Printworks venue in London in October. In true ‘bobber’ style it’s pared down to the bone, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

It may be the dictionary definition of minimalist, with its single seat, simple bodywork and hardtail look (although it has a single rear shock), but delve a little deeper and you’ll find sophisticated electronics, including a ride-by-wire throttle, ABS and traction control. There’s an adjustable seat, clocks and tick the options boxes and you can have heated grips and cruise control, too. All this technology is hidden away, so as not to spoil the old-school look.

Powered by the Bonneville T120’s liquid-cooled High Torque engine, Triumph have given it even more torque and low down power. Fellow MCN Road Tester Chad rode it briefly at the unveiling in some fun drag races against Freddie Spencer and Carl Fogarty (he beat them)). He said the motor has so much grunt that without the traction control on it will easily spin the rear Avon.

It certainly isn’t going to be a slouch and since Triumph don’t know how to produce a poor-handling bike, the Bobber promises to be fun on the road, too.

Price and availability hasn’t been announced yet, but we expect to find out on Monday during our ride. Check back here and on MCN’s social media channels for our first impressions and read the full test in out bumper 14^th December issue of MCN.

Bobber rivals

Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber

£8699

Moto Guzzi can easily match Triumph’s history, heritage and their 850cc V9 Bobber oozes Italian cool. It’s capable on the road, but the overly fat front ‘fashion’ tyre spoils the riding experience slightly.

Harley Davidson Forty-Eight

£9845

Harley have been doing the bobber thing for years with their 1200cc, peanut-tanked Forty-Eight – arguably the coolest bike in their range. It’s a decent performer, too and can handle being thrown around back roads, as well as low-speed cruising. But with a 7.9-litre fuel capacity, you’ll be making frequent visits to petrol stations.