While my day job is fun, rewarding and challenging... I also write for a blog called 'Pipeburn' And that's how I ended up at the Australian launch Of the new Triumph T100 I liked it but I wanted to ride it more So I did the professional thing and waited until the marketing manager... Got really drunk and asked to borrow a bike And he said "Yes" Which surprised me as I owned the old Bonneville And didn't really like it And I was more than a little vocal about it When presented with it's many shortcomings Owners mostly had one excuse: "But it's a Triumph, mate!" But the new T100 is a completely redesigned bike See how different it looks (laughs) So is it as much of a misstep as the last model Or is it worthy of the praise That people will inevitably heap on it No matter what it's actually like? Well I've been riding it for a few months now And I've got a few thoughts and narcissistic personality disorder So I'm going to share it with you. ... the thoughts, not the narcissistic personality disorder. (Funk music plays) #Record Scratching# Actually A disclaimer: Triumph have lent me a bike for two months to do this review On the launch they paid for my food and booze And gave me this t-shirt which I'll cherish forever This makes me a motorcycle journalist So I'm going to do the whole thing like a typical motorcycle review Bring on the footage Music to ruin the engine noise #Funk music plays# Dull, meaningless commentary (Old man speaking) This year's T100 is 3mm shorter than last years model Normal voice: All the hyperbole Old man voice: It's the best bike, it's the best Bonneville You should buy one. You should buy two. #Record Scratching# Normal Voice: Ah fuck it, I'm just going to be a bastard. #Funk music plays# Ow. The T100 sits below the full blooded T120 In the new retro classic line up It comes in blue and white Orange and white Gloss black And 'Good luck keeping me clean' And it's powered by a new, water cooled 900cc twin engine Triumph call it 'High Torque' Probably because 'Low Power' wouldn't make it past the focus group stage. And it is downs on horses over the previous model Which the collective intelligence of the internet will be quick to point out. But to me it feels faster while it misses out on outright horsepower it's now got considerably more torque. That power is down low and anything past 5,000 RPM hast you just making noise without much forward movement Triumph say it's got a lot more personality and yeah, it's got more personality than the old one but that's like saying the new coldplay rocks harder than ever before But it does have a little pickup. But it's helped along by the note of the exhausts really, this is what they sound like #Bike Revving# And that's stock! But while riding you won't hear the exhaust noise it disappears behind you like your problems, if you buy a Bonneville T100... #Record Scratch# I went back to journo mode there The five speed gearbox is beautifully light and slick and has no false neutrals The gearing is off though first gear is far too tall and you can use it for anything up to 50km/h pretty comfortably Despite what the internet is saying I think the engine is significantly better than the old one. I find it quicker than the old bike in most real world situations and due to the 270 degree firing order It just feels more fun. It's also ride by wire and astonishingly it's free of throttle snatch. PRAISE JESUS! BUDDHA! and Allah. It's one of the very, very few EFI bikes on the market that when you lay on the gas doesn't try and jerk you off. (Guys, come on!) Compared to the older model the new Bonneville feels very different when you hit some twisties It's not earth shattering handling is best described as: "Completely neutral and difficult to talk about" "in an interesting way" It holds a corner well feels light and it's a relaxing little city commuter and it does hold up longer and faster through a set of corners than you'd expect. But the shocks are sh... Actually they're much better too It could do with an upgrade but these aren't made out of melted-down bobby pins like the old ones were. The brakes are still just okay they lack in feedback and initial bite but they're... okay? It is now fitted with electronic stability control and ABS Which is good, but it's not switchable. Which is bloody annoying if you're planning on riding on dirt In Australia some of the best roads are at the end of bookended by or just have dirt running right through the guts of them. You can switch it off on the Thruxton so why not this? So riding around on the bike for a few months had me not feeling underwhelmed but relatively... whelmed? And things improve even more when you take a moment out of your day to take a good long look at the bike. # Melancholy music plays # The more time I spent staring at it the more it made sense like a magic eye puzzle or Cameron Diaz's face. Because there's some really well thought out little touches on the bike Firstly, the water cooling system The filler cap is located down here and has all that coolant hidden away under the bike The radiator is nicely unobstructive The exhaust looks like a single piece because of a cosmetic shroud that covers up all the piping And the bash plate looking thing is the cat # Cat meows faintly # The lambda sensors are neatly hidden away The tail light no longer looks like a space ship There's no casting marks on the front hub or the very 60's looking rear conical hub. The fuel tank is hand pinstriped and has a nice depth to it. It's even signed by the painter. It's just a nicely presented machine that looks far more tidy and finished than the outgoing model. And it's better appointed too. The ignition is in the right spot now. It's got a locking fuel cap Easy seat removal. It's got underseat storage Oh, no it doesn't. It doesn't have tie down points A helmet lock Or a centre stand But it does have a tool kit Oh. But you know what does have many of those features? The T100's big brother The T120. # Choral Music Plays # For just a few thousand more You get an extra disc 300 more cc's a grab rail a centrestand And a sense of superiority # Faint Laughing # On paper it's a simple choice you just go for the big one. But in the real world it's harder to say It weighs 25 kilos more But it feels like 50 It's slower to turn in And definitely doesn't handle as well The fuel injection is shit too it's just really choppy. But that extra poke can't be understated But this one, the little baby T100 would be my pick if you had to ride it every day if you were of slighter build or you were new to motorcycling. It's noticeably more pleasant to ride If not as exciting. Now I haven't been balls deep in the engine like the other bikes I've reviewed. I haven't tried to modify anything and I haven't done a million kilometres on it But at this early stage, compared to the old one the new T100 has a more interesting engine handles better is more fuel efficient has longer service intervals and is infinitely better built No longer does it have to rely on it's name to sell It's a fantastically finished well made motorcycle that's overwhelmingly pleasant to ride. Which is the exact opposite of the bike I'll be reviewing next # Thunder booms #
This is over a year old, he has recently started rebuilding a W650 in a new series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKnyoDDyn0E
I sincerely thought you were exaggerating, but alas I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong
For the uninitiated Marlon made what became a legendary review for his Triumph Boneville. To this date it's one of the most hilarious reviews available of any motorcycle online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsKFsce5phw
But then there was nothing but silence... for four years there nary a whisper or fart in his channel but that all changed recently and we've gotten not only one great bike review but two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSE73I4LXe4
I heavily recommend his videos to anyone that has a sense of humor but still appreciates an honest, humorous and enjoyable review that to me a heck more entertaining than the vast majority of other motorcycle reviews on Youtube or elsewhere.
This was magical, thanks so much for sharing it!
Aaaand subscribed. That's good stuff!
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