Triumph’s new Bonneville range has so far proved a runaway success, but our latest spy shots show the version that’s likely to have the toughest job of all: a cruiser.
It’s a tough market segment, where unless your bike wears a Harley badge and packs a big V-twin, it’s an uphill struggle.
This Triumph uses the faux-hardtail chassis of the Bonneville Bobber, but gains a new rear fender that provides a viable pillion seat. A rather incongruous aluminium bracket provides support for the seat, as well as a mount for the sissy bar and luggage rack, while the pillion ’pegs are bolted to the frame near the swingarm’s pivot point.
The rider’s pegs are repositioned and this prototype has the ape-hanger bars that are already an option on the Bobber, giving it a chopper look. Insanely high, forward-mounted highway ’pegs are also bolted to the crash bars, but anyone using them will look like they’re in birthing stirrups.
It appears to use the same 1200cc water-cooled motor as the Bobber, which means it would be the 56.6kW version with 106Nm of torque. Unlike the Bobber, the cruiser is fitted with twin discs. That’s probably necessary due to it being a bit heavier and the fact that it can carry a pillion, which would significantly add to its potential weight.
By Ben Purvis
