Triumph pulls off a double with Bobber Black and Speedmaster

TRIUMPH HAS LAUNCHED a pair of new custom cruisers based on the firm’s phenomenally popular Bobber platform.

Derived from the original Bobber, the fastest selling motorcycle in Triumph’s 115-year history, the Bonneville Bobber Black has a more aggressive stance than its sibling with a fat 16 inch front wheel and chunkier 47mm front forks with twin discs. You can get the new Bobber in any colour you like, as long as it’s jet black or matt black, with brief splashes of chrome, stainless steel and polished alloy.

A 1200cc liquid cooled ‘high torque’ Bonneville engine with Bobber tuning powers the plot along and Triumph has delved into its own and custom building heritage to build a bike with a single seat, a hard tail lookalike rear end, wide, flat bars, minimal bodywork and a sculpted Bonneville tank. Mudguards have a vintage inspired centre ridge and the rear wheel hub, though mated to a disc, has been designed to ape a drum. There’s an old-style side-mounted ignition barrel, vintage look battery box, bar-end mirrors, Triumph’s carb-styled twin throttle bodies, fork gaiters and gloss black bullet indicators.

Triumph hasn’t skimped on the technology under all the retro style. There are ABS brakes, cruise control, traction control and switchable settings that provide full power road and rain modes and a torque assist clutch which reduces pulling effort. There is all-LED lighting and a state-of-the-art immobiliser with transponder incorporated into the premium Triumph badged key for maximum security.

The new 1200cc Bonneville Speedmaster follows the lines and the technology of the Bobber package with an altogether shinier look. With plenty of chrome and detailing the Speedmaster replaces the old 865cc air-cooled design and like the Bobber features minimal bodywork and a single clock. Unlike the Bobber it comes with two interchangeable seats – a solo and a twin – swept back bars, a fixed rear mudguard, forward pegs and what Triumph calls a nacelle-type headlight.

The Bonneville Speedmaster also has a larger 12 litre fuel tank for increased range. There is a massive range of accessories and clothing available for each bike, with 130 items for the Speedmaster alone, with everything from high bars for the Bobber Black to a chrome Vance and Hines exhaust for the Speedmaster. Prices have yet to be released. The Speedmaster and Bobber Black should be in the showrooms by next spring.