T100 TESTED
The easy-riding, accommodating, tractable, decent value and learner-friendly T100 Black is the latest addition to Triumph’s burgeoning Bonnie range
MORETON-IN-MARSH IS THE sort of English town Americans think must be a theme park. It’s all 18th century coaching taverns and ladies in headscarves shoving labradors into the back of Range Rovers. And the Bonneville T100 Black fits in beautifully, chugging along the main street looking for all the world like a mobile piece of English history. Except of course it’s brand new; the latest offshoot from Triumph’s new Bonneville range which now consists of a bewildering ten models (see box). The idea of the 900cc T100 is that it will appeal to riders who love the style of the 1200cc T120 Bonnie, but want something easier to handle in terms of weight, power and price. It’s Triumph’s classic-styled entry They’ve level pulledbike. off this trick by fitting the Street Twin’s liquid-cooled engine into the T120’s chassis and running gear (minus a few bits - we’ll come to that later) and the result is impressive – it looks as fetching as the big T120 but is an absolute doddle to ride. Everything that a nervous rider worries about has, as far as possible, been attended to. Lifting it off the sidestand is a bit of a heave at 213kg dry, this is no flyweight - but from there on in it’s all gravy. The 790mm seat is fairly narrow and squidgy at the front so if you’re short of leg you’ll still be able to get both feet on the ground, and the first pull of the clutch is equally reassuring – it feels lighter than that fitted to many 125cc machines. Pull away and it’s the throttle you notice. The fly-by-wire system makes it effortless without being flighty, and the response is perfect. Because the crank and flywheel are straight out of the 1200, with the rotational momentum of the London Eye, there’s also a feeling that the T100 is almost unstallable. The thing just keeps chugging. Other novice-friendly traits? The brakes are strong enough to trigger the ABS with two
fingers on the lever, but because of the gentle initial bite they’re forgiving if you’re cackhanded. And though the T100 is not light (the T120 is only 10kg heavier) it’s unthreatening to manoeuvre because you can dab so easily, and once moving the low centre of gravity gives it a chuckable feel disproportionate to its mass. Triumph are so confident new riders will love it there will be an A2-licence compliant version. All very worthy and good for motorcycling’s future (he says, stifling a yawn). But there is more to the T100. With a strong coffee coursing through his veins, Triumph’s riding guide on the bike’s launch has picked up the pace and we’re now tear-arsing down the Fosse Way. This is a Roman road, large sections of which were built using a long ruler and slaves, but there are parts where the ruler went missing or the slaves were drunk and the Fosse swoops and squirms across the Cotswolds. I’m tucked in behind the twin clocks, pinning the throttle to the stop as I lever the T100 between autumnal oaks. The five-speed gearbox is very good, rewarding clutchless upshifts (it’s smoother than the 6-speed ’box in the Thruxton), and the T100 is relentlessly stable. No mean feat when its KYB suspension has been designed to be reassuringly supple for new riders. Obviously there are limits. Though wellcontrolled, the suspension is soft, and it doesn’t take much effort to compress it with corner speed, at which point the footpegs go down. Mid-corner bumps can have the same scraping effect. But it’s indisputably fun rather than scary – much like the Street Twin when we hammered it round Rockingham circuit. The slow to medium pace Fosse corners are perfect for the T100. Because it makes just 55bhp at 6000rpm your kicks don’t come from cheek wobbling acceleration, and the traction control unit will not be troubled unless you aim for piles of wet leaves. It’s all about being smooth, keeping the parallel twin in the perky zone between 4000-6000rpm and using the sweet gearbox. And when you get stuck behind the inevitable queue of Range Rovers and headscarf delivery lorries you can relax – there’s such a broad spread of torque that you don’t have to chase revs to overtake at moderate speeds. Despite arriving back at Hinckley shivering – no fairing and wrong kit for late autumn – I’ve enjoyed the T100 and could imagine having one in the garage for city stuff or Sunday cruises. The bits missing from the T120 (one brake disc and caliper, a centrestand and riding modes) won’t matter to most riders. And the 24bhp power deficit (the T120 makes 79bhp) seems a fair trade off for paying £1500 less.