T120 Test by Peter Egan

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Ulvetanna,

Looks like you aren't set up for Private Messages so I'll ask "out loud".

Have you installed a dyno-tuned Power Commander on your bike? I have one on mine and I can't overstate the difference it made. I also have the ECU re-flash but I think that is less noticeable. The Yoshimura full exhaust is certainly a weight savings and I love the sound it makes. The combination of the three is transformative. I know this is so because I have ridden my bike to the Honda store and then jumped on their unadorned standard. No comparison.

I know a few riders wish for sixth gear on the CBs. Even on the interstate, I only use 5th when I'm "settling in" for a slog. I'm happy in 4th. I've owned faster bikes but I will never be mature enough to ride them within the safety zone. I finally accepted that fact a few years ago.

I used to be a Triumph guy because that was the shop that was most fun to gather and ride. One of my favorites was my '98 Thunderbird Sport. The one I had to sell before it killed me was an '02 Speed Triple. I am enamored with the new Thruxton, but I eagerly await the Bobber arriving at the dealer. The reality is, however, that I am being influenced by appearances not function. My CB is clearly every bit as capable as those bikes. I just think they are sexier. But I am very happy on my Honda. Although I might have sold it quickly before the Power Commander!

I was in fact alluding to exactly those kinds of mods when I mentioned "five percent".

The reason I say five percent is because in the first three gears, the CB1100 is timing-retarded with the stock ECU flash. That five percent can be regained with just a reflash.

I've got a different bike Guhls flashed for me, made a very big change in the acceleration in the lower gears, it really woke the bike up. That's the "five percent" I'm talking about, it's already there, but it's not quite enough of an annoyance that I'm willing to cough up the $350. The engine is certainly strangled a bit stock.

I can't do the noise, three holes drilled in the end of the pipe is it for me, and top end is fine, I'd be looking for a reflash at the maximum. Otherwise I think the bike is right there.

The Triumph looks like a really neat bike and probably fun to ride; I don't ride socially, and I don't care what the bike looks like when I stop to take a break, there is no one around with whom to exchange mutual admiration. So that is not a factor. It's just how the bike works. I ride in so much heavy freeway traffic, I know for sure that 72 rwhp is not going to get it for me in a 541-lb motorcycle. I don't care what it looks like. It is for sure going to look like a motorcycle, two wheels, an engine, lights, a seat, a fuel tank somewhere.

Now, to me, the CB1100 does look very beautiful and is very, very well-made and well-finished. Though I bought my Standard July 2013, I was "undecided" on that bike as a keeper until a few months ago when I got serious with it, and also, a key factor was that Conti started offering the RA 2 Classic Race, a fantastic tire.

The CB500 bars were a fantastic improvement, and a few adjustments got them just right for me. Ikon shocks, same, just cleaned up the handling. Stainless lines everywhere, HH pads.

I was ultimately able to adapt the bike to exactly what I wanted; it's just fast enough to hold its own in the worst traffic, has great brakes, turns exceptionally well, and still looks great whether I want that or not.

As far as buying bikes on looks, yes, the industry knows that. The folks making big money in the motor press are all in advertising. Many start out as journalists or writing copy of some kind; the sharpest and most ambitious always move into advertising or corporate in some capacity. And they know what buttons to push. That tends to bring out my cynical side.

But then again, buying a bike is an emotional choice, so it makes perfect business sense to make such statements. Hoyer is just doing his job, and rather well, I'd say.

If someone likes the bike, buy it. But if it's only around for a couple of years, something was wrong somewhere. Egan himself voiced this concern; as much as he was wistfully sentimental about the bike's visual similarities to the Triumphs he enjoyed from the 1960s, the practical consideration of ample horsepower was right up there on his list of concerns.

The CB1100 carries as much visual cache as the Triumph, to the untrained eye, perhaps more, considering its lack of guile in any significant regard. The Triumph does, as Egan mentioned, pack a pair of falsies, and liquid cooling is just not part of the 1960s motorcycling tableau. Either bike will turn heads, either will get you down the road.

I think some of this really does come down to what the forum member posted regarding some folks' disdain for Japanese motorcycles; there's those who like twins, British twins mainly, and those who cherish the Japanese inline fours. Each rings a bell somewhere.

[dsinned_imp]

[url=http://www.cycleworld.com/2016-triumph-bonneville-t120-standard-motorcycle-review-road-test#page-7]Oddly, the more modern the Bonneville becomes, the more it generally resembles those ’60s versions I admire. It has fuel-injection throttle bodies that look like old Amal Monoblocks (sans cables), the best-looking exhaust system in years—with a catalytic converter hidden under the engine—and a nicely finned head and cylinders with a camouflaged radiator in front of them. Yet it looks clean and simple and works better than any British twin I’ve owned.

Egan is a bona fide old fart and he's giving the nod to the phony bits because, as he states later, he wants a bike he enjoys looking at when it's parked.

Funny thing is the bike, despite being a 1200 cc liquid-cooled beast, only makes 72 HP. To get the real power you've got to pony up a lot more dough for the Thruxton.

Good review, and a nice motorcycle, were my thoughts.
[url=http://www.cycleworld.com/2016-triumph-bonneville-t120-standard-motorcycle-review-road-test#page-7][attachment=5621]

This sums it up for me as the emotional response my 2015 T100 provides just on sight, makes it very desirable. The replacement T120 is as well. In fact, the new model in cranberry red and silver was a VERY close second before deciding on my 2014 CB1100 (all black) standard. The difference in price was the deal breaker on the Triumph. Nevertheless, the late model Bonnies are arguably the most beautiful and definitive retro motorcycles on the planet.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Emotion drives it no matter whether visual or physical.

What gets me going is thinking how well bike XYZ will handle; the Z650 is going to be fantastic, I predict, based on design features. I really don't care what it looks like, I imagine the sharp, agile handling that kind of chassis and engine package should and probably will deliver. So I get all amped up. I have other reasons for moving back to the BMW G 310 R, but it will handle far better than the Kawasaki, I think. I just love stuffing a little bike into a turn and carving on through.

[the Ferret]

I've had a saying by Egan printed, framed and hanging next to my headboard for years

" what, of all things on earth, could possibly be more perfect than to have a motorcycle, and to wheel it out of the garage early on a Sunday morning, wipe it off with a rag, check the oil, ride quietly through town to warm it up, then go hurtling down an empty country road, listening to the engine and feeling the wind in your face"

sums it up quite nicely for me only if it were up to me, I would change "on a Sunday" to "every"

[nhawk7504_imp]

I like that last one Ferret; the routine to get the bike out on a Sunday. The pre ride check, maybe oiling the chain or tightening it, adjusting a cable, then getting on the road and feeling the wind. I like the new Bonnies. But then again, I went to Bettencourts Honda in West Bridgewater MA and rode Hondas big and small and liked em all. There IS something about chucking a small bike into a corner, I must say. I had both tires sliding on my old 07 Ninja 250. What a hoot. At the same time, I loved the rumble of the new Valkerie as it sat in traffic. The CB1100RS is really speaking to me though.

[redbirds_imp]

I've had a saying by Egan printed, framed and hanging next to my headboard for years

" what, of all things on earth, could possibly be more perfect than to have a motorcycle, and to wheel it out of the garage early on a Sunday morning, wipe it off with a rag, check the oil, ride quietly through town to warm it up, then go hurtling down an empty country road, listening to the engine and feeling the wind in your face"

sums it up quite nicely for me only if it were up to me, I would change "on a Sunday" to "every"

My favorite Egan quote also. Glad to see his writings back in Cycle World. He and Cameron have always been the best reasons to take that magazine.

[Roger the shrubber_imp]

I'm lucky and cursed at once, having a large motorcycle collection which keeps me busy (and single, I might add).

I have three CB1100s, a 2013 ABS, 2014 DLX, and 2014 Standard. Have to say I really love these bikes, but the T120 and Thruxton R I purchased last August have more character and are actually easier to ride, at least from my seat of the pants assessment.

On a twisty, winding loop that is a local rider's favorite in these parts, I find that I need to stir the gearbox on my CBs quite frequently to stay in the powerband sweet spot, while the T120 can be ridden through the same sections using only two gears. It has a great engine with a broad spread of torque and handles superbly. Triumph really did a remarkable job with this bike.

For what it's worth, the Thruxton R really doesn't feel that much faster, and I prefer the flat torque curve of the Bonneville.
[url=http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/domjoseph2070/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/20160801_124117_001_resized.jpg.html]
[url=http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/domjoseph2070/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160810_210229.jpg.html]

[Papa Weeley_imp]

I've had a saying by Egan printed, framed and hanging next to my headboard for years

" what, of all things on earth, could possibly be more perfect than to have a motorcycle, and to wheel it out of the garage early on a Sunday morning, wipe it off with a rag, check the oil, ride quietly through town to warm it up, then go hurtling down an empty country road, listening to the engine and feeling the wind in your face"

sums it up quite nicely for me only if it were up to me, I would change "on a Sunday" to "every"

I just love this.
I've often tried to explain the attraction of motorcycling to my wife - who, while sweet enough never to give me an ounce of grief about my multiple car and moto collections/addictions, will also never even ride pillion on one of my bikes - by saying that it's much like a motor-driven, two-wheeled version of surfing. That works for her, but I think that Mr. Egan's description works better for me.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

I'm lucky and cursed at once, having a large motorcycle collection which keeps me busy (and single, I might add).

I have three CB1100s, a 2013 ABS, 2014 DLX, and 2014 Standard. Have to say I really love these bikes, but the T120 and Thruxton R I purchased last August have more character and are actually easier to ride, at least from my seat of the pants assessment.

On a twisty, winding loop that is a local rider's favorite in these parts, I find that I need to stir the gearbox on my CBs quite frequently to stay in the powerband sweet spot, while the T120 can be ridden through the same sections using only two gears. It has a great engine with a broad spread of torque and handles superbly. Triumph really did a remarkable job with this bike.

For what it's worth, the Thruxton R really doesn't feel that much faster, and I prefer the flat torque curve of the Bonneville.
[url=http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/domjoseph2070/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/20160801_124117_001_resized.jpg.html]
[url=http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/domjoseph2070/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160810_210229.jpg.html]

Nothing wrong with that, I am sure you earned it and you can't take it with you. Go to town, make the last check you write bounce, I say.

I'm lucky and cursed at once, having a large motorcycle collection which keeps me busy (and single, I might add).

I have three CB1100s, a 2013 ABS, 2014 DLX, and 2014 Standard. Have to say I really love these bikes, but the T120 and Thruxton R I purchased last August have more character and are actually easier to ride, at least from my seat of the pants assessment.

On a twisty, winding loop that is a local rider's favorite in these parts, I find that I need to stir the gearbox on my CBs quite frequently to stay in the powerband sweet spot, while the T120 can be ridden through the same sections using only two gears. It has a great engine with a broad spread of torque and handles superbly. Triumph really did a remarkable job with this bike.

For what it's worth, the Thruxton R really doesn't feel that much faster, and I prefer the flat torque curve of the Bonneville.
[url=http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/domjoseph2070/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/20160801_124117_001_resized.jpg.html]
[url=http://s1092.photobucket.com/user/domjoseph2070/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160810_210229.jpg.html]

Yep, exactly right, the CB1100 rides like the inline four it is. I like 'em all, love my twins but the I4 is my favorite engine in a bike.