Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128124
2002 Triumph Bonneville America The America enjoys a little southern hospitality. convey the feel of a tWin-cylinder engine. The motor features the same five-speed gearbox that is found on the Bonneville, but it has a taller fifth gear for cruising. CHASSIS ------ buy. After showing early concept drawings, Triumph took the information learned back to the drawing board. The second round of focus groups was used to fine-tune the concepts and ultimately solidify the final design concept. One of the most important issues in designing this new bike was for it to remain a Triumph, both in look and feel. Another key design goal was that it still needed to perform like a Triumph, with good handling and decent power. The strongest link to that heritage is the fuel tank and the iconic logo that graces it's sides. Triumph has carefully taken design elements - which are associated with the cruiser image - and incorporated them into its own image. The wide, raked-out forks and the slash-cut mufflers look perfectly at home on the America, as do the wide bars and forward foot controls. As you can see in the pictures, the new Bonneville America is all Triumph - it isn't going to be mistaken for anything else. By BLAKE CONNER PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE onneville. The name alone conjures up visions of '60s nostalgia, when the Bonneville was the bestselling large-displacement motorcycle in America. Triumph's resurgence in the market has been impressive. Not only has it put a line of modern sportbikes into the market, it has kept its roots intact by continuing to offer bikes reminiscent of the marque's fabled past. These modernclassics have been hot sellers for Triumph, especially in the U.S. market. So far in 2001, the standard Bonneville has been Triumph's biggest seller, making up around 27 percent of the company's total sales. The cruiser market is the single largest segment of unit sales in the U.S. by a huge margin; however, that's one area for which Triumph didn't have a model. Cruiser sales account for over 50 percent of onhighway sales, and I'll bet you can guess which company is dominating that market. So to get a piece of the pie, Triumph decided to start with a clean slate and build a cruiser it could call its own, one that would scream Triumph through and through. Triumph decided that it wouldn't be prudent to speculate on what type of bike the consumer would buy, so the company decided to ask the consumer directly. After all, the cruiser market is a finicky one, as the entire market revolves around image and styling more than technology. Starting in 1999, Triumph held consumer focus groups to get direct feedback on what their potential buyers would B 18 OcTOB'ER 3, 2001 • cue • buretors are both designed to optimize torque. Triumph claims that 90percent of the motor's torque is available from 2750 rpm all the way up to redline. The motor features twin balancer shafts to eliminate any unwanted vibration, while letting the bike The America features a tubular steel frame, which stretches the wheelbase out an additional 7.4 inches over the Bonneville to 66.20 inches. Up front, the America rides on widely spaced 41 mm forks that have been raked out to 33.3 degrees for the cruiser look and feel. The front rim is 2.5 x 18 in,ches with a 110/8018 tire. The rear features a pair of chromed spring shocks with provisions for preload adjustment. The rear rim measures 3.5 x 15 inches and wearS a 170/80-15 tire. An interesting note is that, to accommodate the rear tire, the engine had to be slightly offset in the chassis to make room for it. Both rims feature chromed rims and wire spokes. Braking is handled by a single twin-piston caliper up front with a single 310mm disc, and a twin-piston caliper and a 285mm disc out back. WIth wide pull-back bars, a chromed console, and a big chrome-housed speedometer, this thing really Is a cruiser. THE ENGINE _ The motor is essentially the same version that resides in the Bonneville, with a few key changes. It's a 790cc air-cooled parallel twin with four valves per cylinder and double overhead cams. The key difference is that the firing order has been altered to give the America a distinctive offbeat exhaust note. The firing order was changed from 360-degrees on the Bonneville, to 270-degrees on the America. Other changes have been made to make the engine perform better in the low end of the rev-range. New camshafts, and the 36mm carn __ s L8@@@00@[l5@0 @flD@) @rgiJU@flD0 The America, like any other cruiser on the market, has lots of accessories and options available. You can check a box at your local dealership and choose between four custom paint options, three windscreen options, various seats for the pilot and passenger, and more chrome dressings that you can shake a stick at. If touring is your thing, there are a whole bunch of panniers in both leather and fabric. There are sissy bars, luggage racks, foot controls, air dams, alarms, auxiliary power sockets, and a host of aftermarket exhaust pipes, to help keep your America beautiful.