With more than 350 guests in attendance, from the Triumph motorcycle club RatPack to other guests and members of specialized media, Triumph showed the two new additions to the Bonneville family, the Bobber Black and the Speedmaster, and for the more adventurous riders the Hinckley based factory has the new Tiger 800, which comes in not only one, but in a total of six variants!
So, let’s get to know each of the new bikes one by one.
The first star in this refreshed 2018 line-up from Triumph is the Bobber Black. You might be asking yourself “Wait a minute. Hasn’t the Bobber been around for a few years now?”. Well, you’re right, and in fact the Triumph Bobber is around since 2016, and since then the neo-retro cruiser has become one of the favorites all around the World.
Triumph Bobber Black has a mean and dark attitude! Photo credit: Triumph
The Bobber catapulted itself to the top of the sales and is the fastest selling Triumph in the 115 years of the brand. So, Triumph had to take the opportunity to reach more riders, the ones that prefer a darker side of life and so the Bobber Black was born.
With darker attitude, meaner looks and stronger performance, the Bobber Black gains new arguments to fight its competitors. The engine is still the praised parallel twin High Torque 1200 cc, with the 270º firing interval and a dedicated Bobber tuning that brings performance to 77PS and, best of all, a peak torque of 106Nm at just 4000 rpm.
With liquid cooling helping to boost the performance, this engine also allows for lower running costs and the first major maintenance is now at 16.000 km.
The muscular appearance of the Bobber Black is emphasized by the use of new chunkier 47 mm front forks from Showa, with dedicated settings, while the aggressive stance comes into play with the new looks given by the 16’’ front wheel matched with a fat tyre from Avon. At the front there’s also a new braking setup, with Triumph opting to install two 310 mm discs with Brembo calipers that guarantee that the Bobber Black will stop when the rider wants.
Triumph Bobber Black. Photo credit: Triumph
Even if the looks are based on the original Bobber, Triumph went a step further in giving this Bobber Black a new appeal. All the chromed parts were replaced by blacked out counterparts, including the spoked wheel hubs, while the minimal bodywork and single seat give this bike that mean and dark look that so many riders look for.
That premium feel is also present in the smaller details like the new button for cruise-control – available as standard equipment – installed in the left handlebar, or the new 5’’ headlight that turns the darkest night into day by using a full LED lighting system, incluing daytime running lights that’ll make the Bobber Black stand out from the crowd.
And for those of us that love technology, the Triumph Bobber Black comes packed with lots of riding options: two riding modes (Road and Rain) linked to the ride-by-wire throttle, ABS and traction control, and last but not least a Torque Assist Clutch that will make your life easier when going up and down that slick 6 speed gearbox attached to the High Torque twin engine.
Arriving in two alluring colour options, the Bobber Black is available in either a classic gloss Jet Black or a stylish and contemporary Matt Jet Black. The price is RM79.900.
Take a look at the Triumph Bobber Black photo gallery
Next in the list of new models we find the classic looking Bonneville Speedmaster.
Building on the more classic custom heritage, Triumph has created the new Speedmaster, with a low stance, relaxed riding position and all that power derived from the twin cylinder 1200 cc High Torque engine that we’ve already detailed on the Bobber Black.
The Speedmaster however, has a deeper growl coming out of the twin exhaust pipes, specially when compared to the current Bonneville T120. This stainless-steel exhaust has chromed silencers, and the routing of the header pipes has allowed Triumph to hide the cat box so that the Speedmaster maintains that clean look everyone loves.
Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster with a more relaxed and custom stance. Photo credit: Triumph
If the Bobber and also the Bobber Black have that hot rod style riding position, the rider of the Speedmaster will find himself really comfortable due to the new thick foam seat (passenger seat is removable) and a different swept back beach bars, while foot controls are fixed forward allowing the rider to stretch his legs, which is a welcome feature given that this Speedmaster is a custom bike for longer distances. And for that, Triumph changed the fuel tank for a new unit, with 12 liters capacity.
For a good quality ride, Triumph has chosen to give the Bonneville Speedmaster owner the chance to adjust the suspension, with the 41 mm front forks from Showa allowing for a 90 mm wheel travel, while at the back, a hidden monoshock RSU unit is preload adjustable and offers 73 mm wheel travel, good enough to soak up all the bumps in the road.
All the other features are the same as in the Bobber Black: two riding modes, electronic throttle, ABS and traction control and also the Torque Assist Clutch.
As with the Bobber Black, the Bonneville Speedmaster has a price tag of RM79.900.
Take a look at the Triumph Speedmaster photo gallery
Now it’s time for some adventures!
The Tiger name has a bloodline that can be traced back to 1936 when the first Tiger gave Triumph the gold-medal at the International Six Day Trial. This heritage now continues with the arrival of the new Tiger 800, a bike that can be acquired in six different versions: the four XR road focused bikes – base model, the intermediate XRx and low version, the top spec XRt – and two off-road focused versions, the XCx and XCa.
The new Tiger 800’s come fitted with a host of new features (more than 200 according to Triumph!) that bring these adventure bikes to a whole new level in terms of engine performance and handling capabilities.
Triumph Tiger 800 now available in six different versions, on and off-road focused. Photo credit: Triumph
Even if the looks of the new Tiger 800’s are familiar and somewhat related to the previous generation, the fact is that Triumph managed to revamp the design using completely new side panels, that when matched to the high-quality paint finish give a sense of premium quality to these bikes. Overall, Triumph opted to give the new 800’s a more mature design, not the aggressive design some of its competitors show nowadays.
The engine continues to be the well-known 800cc parallel triple cylinder. But for 2018, this engine is evolved in many ways, giving a more immediate power delivery and a peak power of 95PS, thanks in part to the new design of the exhaust system, which itself is lighter and has a sportier soundtrack, and also to new settings of the electronic throttle.
To enhance the responsiveness of the new Tiger 800, the first gear ratio is shorter for better traction and better low speed maneuverability, and for those of us that like to adapt the bike to our needs and preferences, Triumph has got us covered with the possibility of either the Tiger 800 XC or XR to be fitted with up to six riding modes, one of which completely new, the Off-Road Pro. Apart from the base road version, the XR, that still gets an LCD panel, all other variants get a new Street Triple style full colour TFT screen, adjustable in its angle.
Triumph Tiger 800 XCa showing what it can do off-road! Photo credit: Triumph
The sitting position and ergonomics have also changed with the addition of handlebars that have been moved back 10 mm, for better control at low speeds and comfort during long stints, and for added protection, the mid and high versions of the XR and XC have an easily adjustable windscreen. As for the seat, it isn’t only more comfortable because of new padding, but in the Tiger 800 XR it’s adjustable in height from 810 to 830 mm, and on the XC variants the seat height goes from 840 to 860 mm.
As said above, all the Tiger 800 get riding modes, but the choices of riding modes are different depending on the Tiger you choose. For example, the base Tiger 800 XR only gets Road mode, but the XRt gets five – Road, Rain, Off-Road, Sport plus a Rider customizable mode -, the XCx doesn’t have the Sport mode but has the Off-Road Pro, while the top-spec XCa has all of the six riding modes.
If the preset riding modes aren’t of your liking, there’s always the option of programming the Rider mode: throttle at Sport, ABS only in the front wheel, and traction control off for some good fun power slides in the dirt! You choose how you want the Tiger 800 to be.
Triumph Tiger XCa and XRt: which one will you tak home? Photo credit: Triumph
What else is new in the Tiger 800?
Well, this wouldn’t be a new model if it didn’t receive some better suspensions and brakes. So, Triumph changed things a bit this year, opting to install better suspension from Showa or WP, with adjustability, and for better stopping power and feel the brake calipers are now sourced from Italian specialists Brembo.
For those riders that always look for some luxury elements even during the most demanding adventures, Triumph has installed new backlit controls, retained from the previous generation the cruise-control, and on the higher spec variants this middleweight adventure Tiger even has heated seat and grips and power sockets to plug the GPS or other electronic equipment.
The price set by Triumph for the new Tiger 800 family is as follows:
– Tiger 800 XR: RM56.900 (Special promotional price valid for six months from March 3, 2018. Normal recommended retail price is RM59.900);
– Tiger 800 XRx / XRx Low: RM69.900;
– Tiger 800 XRt: RM77.900;
– Tiger 800 XCx: RM74.900;
– Tiger 800 XCa: RM81.900.
Take a look at the Triumph Tiger 800 XRt and XCa photo gallery