Last week, we brought you news of a bunch of new additions to Triumph’s Retro line, brought to you by a bunch of people posting on Instagram when they probably weren’t supposed to be. Well, I finished a long week of traveling, so let’s dive in and see what separates these machines and look at the T120 and T120 Black.
The 2016 Triumph T120 and T120 Black are named after the original T120, the iconic bike that started the Triumph’s legacy. Unlike that bike, this bike is powered by a 1,200 cc, eight valve “high torque” motor that will produce 77 foot-pounds of torque as low as 3,100 rpm - 54% more than the current Bonneville.
Like the new Street Tracker and current Scrambler, it will use a 270 degree firing interval, which adds both to the power in the lower end of the rev range as well as singing quite a sweet song. The T120 also gets a new six-speed transmission, a welcome change over the outgoing five-speed that had me searching for sixth the entire two years I owned one.
Like the Street Twin, it will get ride-by-wire, traction control, ABS, LED lighting, and a slip assist clutch. In addition to that, the T120 will also get heated grips, selectable rider modes, and a dual instrument cluster with just about every piece of every information imaginable (rider mode, heated grip setting, speed, revs, gear position, odometer, trip settings, service indicator, mileage until empty, fuel level, clock, and controls for accessories like cruise control).
The T120 is available in red and silver, red, black and white, and pure black, while the T120 Black comes in black or matte graphite, and adds a dark brown seat, black rims, black exhaust, and a blacked out engine.
It also comes with an “inspiration kit” called the Prestige Inspiration kit, which adds a chrome tank badge, a ribbed seat, smaller signals, chrome Vance & Hines peashooter exhaust, black grips, and some chrome engine covers.
Word on the street is that Triumph’s new water cooled motors are somehow much lighter than the previous 865 cc versions and that the new bikes will weigh roughly the same 510 pounds as the current Bonneville. If this is true and if Triumph have used better brakes (I see twin discs up front!) and suspension, this could actually be a great bike.
No word yet on official weight or pricing, but that should be announced at EICMA. Until then, here are some more pics.