VOL. 53 ISSUE 14 APRIL 12, 2016 P99
seems very good, reflecting well
on Triumph's Thai operation.
The T120 shares the same
tubular steel main frame with the
Thruxton/R, but with a different
welded-on sub-frame and delivers
a quite different feel to its sporty
sister, which also has an aluminum
swingarm compared to the T120's
box-section steel one which is also
30mm longer, resulting in a that
much longer 56.9-inch wheelbase
compared to the Thruxton. Thanks
to its higher-set one-piece handle-
bar and the 18-inch front wheel the
handling is a little more remote,
since you don't get the same
feedback from the front tire as you
do via the Thruxton R's 17-inch front
end and its lower-mounted clip-
ons. Alongside longer wheelbase,
the T120's steering geometry is
quite conservative, with a 25.5°
fork rake and 4.1 inches of trail. For
a twin-cylinder naked roadster it's
also somewhat on the porky side
with its claimed 493-pound dry
weight, although it really doesn't
feel as heavy as that figure sug-
gests. It does have a low center
of gravity, which aids flicking it
from side to side along a winding
country road, and also helps it
ride bumps better where even the
superb suspension setup might
suffer some strife. The T120 seems
lighter than that on the move—and
anyway the brakes felt well up to
the task of hauling such a weight
down quickly and capably from
high speed, with the twin 310mm
Sunstar front discs and single
255mm rear all gripped by Nis-
sin twin-piston calipers that proved
a twin-shock motorcycle with
pre-chosen suspension damping
front and rear which has a level
of compliance that's worthy of a
much more expensive and sophis-
ticated variable-rate monoshock
bike. I was once again seriously
impressed by the way the Triumph
ate up the bumps—it's as good as
if the company had monoshocked
the bike. The seat is also gener-
ously padded, soft and comfort-
able—Triumph says it's got more
foam than the previous T100
Bonneville had, while seat height
remains accessible for shorter rid-
ers at 30.9 inches . Build quality
(Left) The
T120 Black
includes black
exhausts.
(Below) The
Bonneville is
still easy and
enjoyable to
ride, but with
more power.
