The Bobber has a beautifully-styled minimalism and a distinctive stripped-back look. This machine is elegantly engineered with a floating single seat pan, wide flat bars and bobbed hard tail look.
I truly believe this is the prettiest Bobber in town. The Bonneville Bobber Black stays true to its name, being a completely blacked-out machine with custom styling and finishes.
This 1,200cc machine is not short of surprises. It has enough torque and power to satisfy any speed demon. The design exudes raw power, and sounds awesome to boot.
The engineers at Triumph say it’s the beat of the “Bobber tune”.
The saddle on the Bobber looks small but I couldn’t complain after riding it for an hour.
The saddle is firm and has enough room for me to move about. In fact, the seat is adjustable to meet your riding needs. I decided to adjust it far from the bars as I have long legs.
Those who have similar build as me will find that there is enough space for the legs to move around. Meanwhile, the low handlebar and upright sitting position allowed me to ride this bike a good 400km without causing body aches.
The clutch is light on the fingers and the gearing is precise. The minute I engage the first gear, I could feel a light surge of the power thus forcing me to move on to second gear and onwards with a gradual build-up of speed.
The bike starts picking up the pace when I was going stonking fast. The change in revs, be it on the highway or the corners, do not disrupt a biker’s riding style at all. I did not experience any throttle snatch or power drop during rapid change in revs.
This torquey bike is designed for short gears except once you hit the last two gears shifts. While riding fast on the PLUS highway, my body began to shudder from the wind blast but the bike remained planted.
The sturdy yet lightweight chassis was able to keep the machine together at high speeds. While taking the corners on the back roads of Bidor and Pantai Remis, the bike reminded me of the agility of my “kapchai”. I am not exaggerating.
The low riding position and the perfect rider triangle is one of the main reasons for this. I am able to flick the bike with ease and push the bike hard. On a few occasions, I scraped the foot peg on the tarmac but after few corners, I managed to avoid that.
The Bobber Black came to life on tight twisties, hairpins and wide corners. Every time I rode on any back road, I am extremely careful. But this time I was too engrossed with the bike that I let my guard down.
On one of the stretches in Pantai Remis, I was riding at about 90kph plus and suddenly a herd of cows came running across the road, chased by a monkey. I had to slam on the brakes hard and thanked my lucky stars I was saved by excellent stoppers.
The front comes with a twin Brembo two-piston callipers, twin 310mm disc with ABS . The rear is equipped with Nissin one- piston calliper, 255mm disc with ABS.
I intentionally rode the bike at over 80kph over a few humps hoping that I will be thrown off the saddle. But that was not to be. I was still sitting on the floating saddle and zooming on the back roads and did a few more humps and bumps without breaking a sweat.
The bike was able to absorb all the humps and bumps decently. The front 47mm Showa fork with 3.5-in travel did not lunge forward every time I braked. It was firm yet flexible. The rear suspension, equipped with KYB shock with 3-in travel, is equally good.
I must say the front fork is able to handle hard braking into turns admirably. This modern classic comes with few rider aides like the rain and road modes plus traction control that can be turned on whenever necessary.
At the end of my 400km plus ride with the Bobber Black, it was obvious that the RM81,900 (before SST) bike is extremely grounded and has quick reflexes to offer a smooth riding pleasure.
SPECIFICATIONS
Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black
Engine: 1,200cc liquid-cooled parallel twin
Maximum power: 77hp at 6,100rpm
Maximum torque: 106Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed
Front suspension: Showa 47mm fork; 3.5-in travel
Rear suspension: KYB shock; 3.0-in travel
Front braking system: Twin Brembo two-piston calipers, twin 310mm disc with ABS
Rear braking system: Nissin one-piston caliper, 255mm disc with ABS
Dry weight: 237kg
Features: LED headlamp, switchable traction control, cruise control, torque-assist clutch, ABS and riding modes (rain and road)
Price: RM81,900 (before SST)
