03-21-2018, 02:34 AM
A few things I would add, having taken three demo rides on the T120 Black...
It's often mentioned in the various reviews, and it's true, it sure would be nice if Triumph would provide dealerships and magazines with the silver and cranberry version of the T120 Standard as a demo bike, rather than the blacked-out-everything T120 Black. The T120 Black doesn't look nearly as pretty or special as the two-tone version with all the chrome, and these bikes are largely about the aesthetics. One major reason the CB1100EX beat the T120 Black in Motorcyclist's comparo was that the Triumph was let down by a perceived lack of attention to detail and lower desirability factor, which they felt would have been greatly improved by the inclusion of the classier chrome version with the hand-painted coach lines.
On a bright, sunny day, man, you want to see the shiny chrome and metallic sparkle in that brilliant two-tone model. At least I did, anyway, and other reviewers mentioned the same.
The Triumph sounds really good when blipping the throttle at idle. Deep, rumbly, characterful. That deep rumble also feels very cool all throughout the bike. This is true even with the stock exhaust. In fact, the sound and feel of the bike were the two things that tugged on my heartstrings the most when I was considering a T120 instead of the CB1100EX. Pulling hard out of a corner, the Triumph is accompanied by a glorious soundtrack, and it feels even better.
Other factors in the Triumph's favor: smaller, narrower, slightly lighter build; lower seat-height; greater leg-room (quite a neat trick, having greater leg-room while also having a lower seat-height); included heated grips.
Yes, by all means, Honda should have included their factory heated grips as standard, and with no visible wiring. I added their factory grips, which work incredibly well, but they do leave one new wire exposed, from the throttle side. It loops down in plain sight, and is quite an eyesore. Honda should have routed it through the bars, as Triumph did.
larryblag was also dead on, regarding the difference in handling between the two bikes. The front end on the T120 steers very deliberately. I have no problem describing its steering as 'heavy.' I might even go so far as to call it 'truckish.' The telepathic CB1100EX turns a million times better.
I didn't find the suspension on the T120 to be any less plush than the CB's, although, to be fair, I've never tested the Triumph on any bumpy roads, as I have with my Honda. I also haven't taken the Triumph on a real sport ride, as I have with the Honda. Despite what Motorcyclist said in their comparo, I strongly suspect that the Honda would out-handle the Triumph on a serious sport ride.
I did notice that the Triumph accelerates harder than the Honda down low. As liter bikes go, neither is particularly fast or torquey, but the Triumph does punch harder from a stoplight, and also right off the throttle from any moderate cruising speed. I still found it to be rather slow, though, and I usually find the Honda to be noticeably slow only when leaving a stoplight, so there probably isn't much difference between them overall.
In terms of vibration, I found the Triumph to be smoother than the Honda. The Honda has a vibey patch between 3500-4900 rpm that the Triumph never exhibited. At idle, sure, the Honda is smoother, but the Triumph's Big(ish) Twin rumble isn't of the finger/crotch-numbing variety. Cruising the freeway at 75 mph, the Triumph's more widely-spaced motor pulses felt less tingly than the CB's high-frequency I-4 vibrations. That being said, neither bike vibrates enough to pose any sort of issue. They're both very smooth.
I rode the '16 and '17 versions of the T120, which both suffer from the same brake squealing that afflicts my CB1100EX. Triumph addressed this issue for the '18 model with the addition of a large rubber backing piece between the rotor and hub, and it supposedly works. My local Honda dealer added some grease behind the brake pads, and they filed off the corners of the pads. This fix completely solved the problem...for one day. By the end of the second day, a bit of that same squeal had returned. It's nowhere near as noticeable now as it was before the fix, but hints of it can still be heard every so often.
I wouldn't be surprised to receive a Service Bulletin notice in the mail from Honda in the next year or so, advising me to bring my bike to the dealer for a brake issue that they're going to address.
Otherwise, however, the performance of the Honda's brakes are above reproach. Absolutely excellent brakes.
One thing I didn't like about the Triumph was the tiny numbers and letters used in the two digital display windows. Some of them, such as the gear indicator, are simply too small to read at a quick glance. Also, the clock only reads in 24-hour military time. It can't be set to our U.S.-standard 12-hour time. That's rather annoying. Why would Triumph do that? If they're dead set on giving us military time, fine, but give us the option to choose either mode.
The CB1100 definitely has the easier to read, more attractive instruments.
The Honda scores big against the Triumph in four key areas. The first is authenticity. The Triumph obviously loses points here for going with liquid-cooling and faux carbs. Kudos to Triumph for doing such an excellent job of integrating that new radiator on a retro model—take note, Kawasaki—but the new T120's mill can't touch the perfection of the Honda's classic, uncluttered, air-cooled motor. The second thing is the respective handling of each bike. No contest there. The CB1100EX's steering is so much lighter than the T120's, and far more accurate. Any way you slice it, the Honda's overall handling is markedly superior. The third thing is just a particular pet peeve, although it's shared my many people: the Triumph's seamed tank. Those seams are hideous. They're far too noticeable, and the original didn't have them. Give that tank the EX's seamless treatment, wooo, I might have bought the T120 instead of the Honda. The final item expands on the previous one, which is that the Honda simply beats the Triumph in overall build quality, attention to detail, and fit and finish. Heated grips aside, the Honda has the Triumph covered in all the little things that make for long-lasting pride of ownership.
Well, okay, except for the tool kit. My god, did Honda cheap-out on the tool kit. Unbelievable.
It's often mentioned in the various reviews, and it's true, it sure would be nice if Triumph would provide dealerships and magazines with the silver and cranberry version of the T120 Standard as a demo bike, rather than the blacked-out-everything T120 Black. The T120 Black doesn't look nearly as pretty or special as the two-tone version with all the chrome, and these bikes are largely about the aesthetics. One major reason the CB1100EX beat the T120 Black in Motorcyclist's comparo was that the Triumph was let down by a perceived lack of attention to detail and lower desirability factor, which they felt would have been greatly improved by the inclusion of the classier chrome version with the hand-painted coach lines.
On a bright, sunny day, man, you want to see the shiny chrome and metallic sparkle in that brilliant two-tone model. At least I did, anyway, and other reviewers mentioned the same.
The Triumph sounds really good when blipping the throttle at idle. Deep, rumbly, characterful. That deep rumble also feels very cool all throughout the bike. This is true even with the stock exhaust. In fact, the sound and feel of the bike were the two things that tugged on my heartstrings the most when I was considering a T120 instead of the CB1100EX. Pulling hard out of a corner, the Triumph is accompanied by a glorious soundtrack, and it feels even better.
Other factors in the Triumph's favor: smaller, narrower, slightly lighter build; lower seat-height; greater leg-room (quite a neat trick, having greater leg-room while also having a lower seat-height); included heated grips.
Yes, by all means, Honda should have included their factory heated grips as standard, and with no visible wiring. I added their factory grips, which work incredibly well, but they do leave one new wire exposed, from the throttle side. It loops down in plain sight, and is quite an eyesore. Honda should have routed it through the bars, as Triumph did.
larryblag was also dead on, regarding the difference in handling between the two bikes. The front end on the T120 steers very deliberately. I have no problem describing its steering as 'heavy.' I might even go so far as to call it 'truckish.' The telepathic CB1100EX turns a million times better.
I didn't find the suspension on the T120 to be any less plush than the CB's, although, to be fair, I've never tested the Triumph on any bumpy roads, as I have with my Honda. I also haven't taken the Triumph on a real sport ride, as I have with the Honda. Despite what Motorcyclist said in their comparo, I strongly suspect that the Honda would out-handle the Triumph on a serious sport ride.
I did notice that the Triumph accelerates harder than the Honda down low. As liter bikes go, neither is particularly fast or torquey, but the Triumph does punch harder from a stoplight, and also right off the throttle from any moderate cruising speed. I still found it to be rather slow, though, and I usually find the Honda to be noticeably slow only when leaving a stoplight, so there probably isn't much difference between them overall.
In terms of vibration, I found the Triumph to be smoother than the Honda. The Honda has a vibey patch between 3500-4900 rpm that the Triumph never exhibited. At idle, sure, the Honda is smoother, but the Triumph's Big(ish) Twin rumble isn't of the finger/crotch-numbing variety. Cruising the freeway at 75 mph, the Triumph's more widely-spaced motor pulses felt less tingly than the CB's high-frequency I-4 vibrations. That being said, neither bike vibrates enough to pose any sort of issue. They're both very smooth.
I rode the '16 and '17 versions of the T120, which both suffer from the same brake squealing that afflicts my CB1100EX. Triumph addressed this issue for the '18 model with the addition of a large rubber backing piece between the rotor and hub, and it supposedly works. My local Honda dealer added some grease behind the brake pads, and they filed off the corners of the pads. This fix completely solved the problem...for one day. By the end of the second day, a bit of that same squeal had returned. It's nowhere near as noticeable now as it was before the fix, but hints of it can still be heard every so often.
I wouldn't be surprised to receive a Service Bulletin notice in the mail from Honda in the next year or so, advising me to bring my bike to the dealer for a brake issue that they're going to address.
Otherwise, however, the performance of the Honda's brakes are above reproach. Absolutely excellent brakes.
One thing I didn't like about the Triumph was the tiny numbers and letters used in the two digital display windows. Some of them, such as the gear indicator, are simply too small to read at a quick glance. Also, the clock only reads in 24-hour military time. It can't be set to our U.S.-standard 12-hour time. That's rather annoying. Why would Triumph do that? If they're dead set on giving us military time, fine, but give us the option to choose either mode.
The CB1100 definitely has the easier to read, more attractive instruments.
The Honda scores big against the Triumph in four key areas. The first is authenticity. The Triumph obviously loses points here for going with liquid-cooling and faux carbs. Kudos to Triumph for doing such an excellent job of integrating that new radiator on a retro model—take note, Kawasaki—but the new T120's mill can't touch the perfection of the Honda's classic, uncluttered, air-cooled motor. The second thing is the respective handling of each bike. No contest there. The CB1100EX's steering is so much lighter than the T120's, and far more accurate. Any way you slice it, the Honda's overall handling is markedly superior. The third thing is just a particular pet peeve, although it's shared my many people: the Triumph's seamed tank. Those seams are hideous. They're far too noticeable, and the original didn't have them. Give that tank the EX's seamless treatment, wooo, I might have bought the T120 instead of the Honda. The final item expands on the previous one, which is that the Honda simply beats the Triumph in overall build quality, attention to detail, and fit and finish. Heated grips aside, the Honda has the Triumph covered in all the little things that make for long-lasting pride of ownership.
Well, okay, except for the tool kit. My god, did Honda cheap-out on the tool kit. Unbelievable.