Motorcycles are a tricky business. Sometimes, companies spend years pouring money into R&D on a shiny new model, only for the market to turn on it the moment it launches and dismiss it as a desperate attempt at salvation. Other times, a bike maker can slap on a new paint job, a different set of wheels and a cushier seat, and somehow end up with a bike that sells like hotcakes.
The Triumph Bonneville falls into a third category: a motorcycle that feels almost painfully obvious given where the market is headed. A small-bore single-cylinder based on the same basic formula that has made bikes like the Royal Enfield Classic 350 so successful, but wrapped in unmistakably British Bonneville clothing.
It’s the sort of motorcycle that makes you wonder why Triumph didn’t build it years ago and why, once you look at it, nobody else thought of doing exactly this. It may have taken the British company a while to realize the potential here, but at least it has. Lo and behold, say hello to the baby Bonnie – the Bonneville T40.
It’s based on the same 400 series platform as the Speed 400, Scrambler 400, Tracker 400, and Thruxton 400, which has proven so successful for the bikemaker in pure sales numbers. The brand crossed 100,000 units sold in India alone within 2.5 years of the 400 platform’s launch – a huge chunk of which was made up by these very bikes.
Triumph
The baby Bonneville will only carry that baton further. However, there’s one caveat: the Bonneville T40 will be powered by a 350cc and not a 400cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. It’s what Triumph has recently downsized to in order to take advantage of much lower tax rates for bikes in India.
That 350cc TR Series engine comes with a revised cylinder head and a new Bonneville tune, producing 29 hp at 7,000 rpm and 23 lb.ft (31.2 Nm) at 5,500 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox and is equipped with a slip and assist clutch.
The updated cylinder head and new tune come with smaller-diameter throttle bodies, dedicated camshafts and a new peashooter exhaust which help give the baby Bonnie a classic thumper, torque-rich feel. Triumph also says the bike gets taller gearing than its siblings.
That engine is mounted to a reworked chassis. Up front, the frame shares much of its architecture with Triumph’s other 400cc models, but the rear section is now completely new. Triumph says the redesign was to accommodate the twin rear shocks and a new tubular-steel swingarm. And unlike its siblings, the subframe on the T40 is permanently welded to the main frame as opposed to being bolted on.
Triumph
Suspension duties are handled by a conventional 43-mm telescopic fork with gaiters up front and a pair of rear shocks, with both ends offering 5.1 in (130 mm) of travel. Braking comes courtesy of a 310-mm front disc paired with a twin-piston axial-mount caliper, while a 255-mm rear disc gets a single-piston caliper. Lean-sensitive ABS is included as standard.
The T40 also features a USB-C port and a new 4-inch round TFT instrument display with smartphone pairing, navigation, and controls for calls and music. There are five riding modes, shaping up as three preset modes and two that can be customized to your preferences.
Electronics are aplenty too, with cruise control, lean-sensitive ABS, and traction control. Lighting, of course, is all-LED, with the headlights coming with daytime running lights, with the system automatically switching between daylight running and low beam as conditions require.
The bike rolls on a staggered 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel setup with aluminum spoke rims and tubed tires. The whole thing weighs 436.5 lb (198 kg) wet, and that’s with the 3.8-gallon (14.5 liter) fuel tank. That makes it the heaviest of the Bajaj-built Triumph bikes so far.
Triumph
With a 31.1-in (790-mm) seat height, the T40 should be approachable for most riders. But even if that’s too tall for you, you’ll be happy to know that Triumph will offer a low accessory seat that brings that figure down to 30.3 in (770 mm).
And despite that low saddle, the baby Bonnie still manages 6.5 in (165 mm) of ground clearance. That’s more than enough breathing room for a modern retro that’s mostly meant to ply on slick tarmac.
Triumph
Triumph has just launched the bike in India in three trims: the T40, T40 Black, and T4. They differ in a few features like the number of ride modes, display type (LCD vs TFT), and the colorways. The bikes start from IN₹254,999 (US$2,650) and go all the way up to IN₹279,999 (US$2,900).
It’s obvious those prices will rise once the T40 makes its way to the West. But what’s even more exciting to me is how this platform may eventually open the door to other single-cylinder Bonneville-based models in the future.
I’m thinking a single-cylinder Speedmaster or Bobber. Bikes like these would make a lot of sense from a sales perspective, considering the appeal of these models has never dulled in the motorcycle community. A cheaper, entry-level variant makes the most sense as the next move.
Source: Triumph
