The Triumph Bonneville refers to a group of high performance motorcycle models from the veteran British motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph. The first Bonneville was a 650cc two cylinder engine motorcycle launched in 1959. Its engine had a characteristic firing growl that began to get recognized on the road. The bike was built for strength and endurance with a solid, tubular steel, cradle frame, and telescopic forks. The weight of the bike is distributed to lower the center of gravity providing for a more stable ride, coupled with smooth steering. The fuel system of the bike incorporates dual carburetors with a throttle position sensor and electric carburetor heaters, activated through an inductive type digital ignition.
Around 1977, the Bonneville T140D was awarded the “Machine of the year” title by Motor Cycle News (MCN). This bike had a Lucas Rita ignition system, a modified cylinder head, Amal MKIII carburetor, cast alloy wheels, and a 7.9:1 vibration reducing compression. In 1981, the T140D Bonneville Royal Wedding was launched as a part of the celebration Prince Charles and Princess Diana wedding. It had a chrome fuel tank and wheels, and an electric start. With only 500 bikes of this model being released in that year, half that number going to America and the remaining being assembled for the UK, the Royal Wedding Bonneville has become a collector’s bike.
Encouraged by the success of the Bonneville engine, Triumph has utilized this technology in a number of latter bike models. With the Bonneville Black being among the cheapest Bonneville bikes, the Bonneville T100 is one of the most exclusive editions with two-tone paint schemes, an 865cc parallel twin engine, and a tachometer. |
