The Royal Enfield Classic 350 has had many rivals in the past, but it has emerged as an undisputed king in the retro motorcycle space. We have the Honda CB350 range, Jawa and Yezdi lineup as well as the Harley-Davidson X440 range and Triumph’s Speed range. Triumph is already in the game, but is now taking a second shot at Royal Enfield’s 350cc segment dominance with the Bonneville 400.
This motorcycle is much more retro than the Speed 400 and Speed T4, and has much simpler bicycle parts, indicating a more competitive price than the current lineup. It has been spied for the first time in India ahead of its formal launch. let’s take a closer look.
Bonneville 400 spied in India
After launching the 350cc version of its 400 lineup, Triumph Motorcycles India is working on a new motorcycle for the lineup. When launched, it is likely to be called Bonneville 400 and has been seen for the first time in India. This test mule shows no camouflage and will be made in India by Bajaj Auto.
In many ways, the upcoming Bonneville 400 is unlike any Triumph 400 motorcycle seen so far. For starters, it looks more retro and simple in its design and appearance. We have all the features that qualify it as a retro bike. These include teardrop tank shape, traditional ORVM stalks, round ORVMs, circular headlights, round LED tail lights and turn indicators and more.
It appears to have a new bolt-on rear subframe and a very simple box section swingarm. The front and rear fenders can be metallic and are designed like a retro bike. The single-piece seat is almost flat, with no steps for the pillion. Also notable are the chrome rear grab rail, silver engine casing and a retro chrome P-shooter exhaust canister.
what to expect?
The Bonneville 400 incorporates many design features from the Bonneville 900 and Bonneville 1200. Even as far as cycle parts are concerned, the Triumph Bonneville 400 is much simpler than the current Speed 400 and Speed T4. For starters, the Bonneville 400 comes with wire-spoke wheels (likely tube-type tires) and the size can be 19″ front and 18″ rear.
Suspension duties are handled by RSU telescopic forks at the front and twin-shock absorbers at the rear (a first for the Triumph 400 lineup). There are disc brakes at both ends and dual-channel ABS is likely to be offered as standard. We can see a new circular instrument cluster and we wish it were fully analog or at least had an analog tacho and a digital speedo.
The Triumph Bonneville 400 is expected to have a 398cc engine for the global markets and a 349cc engine for the Indian market. Looking at the componentry and overall aesthetics, the Bonneville 400 is likely to be positioned at the affordable end of the Triumph 400 lineup.
