triumph T120 Bonneville longterm review. Its not all good news!



Its been 6 months since i bought the T120, and its time for a long term review of what its like to live with, I’m afraid its not all good news!

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21 Comments

  • Great review. First time I've heard of these niggles with the T120. I test rode one recently and also tried the Street Twin. I actually found the Street Twin a more pleasing ride on the day but after much deliberation have decided to opt for the 1200 as it's just impossible to avoid putting some serious motorway miles in to get to the tasty roads unless you got loads of spare time. I reckon the T120 would be more suitable for me in the long run.

  • I've had the T120 Black since last May. I have to say that I have not encountered any of the 'niggles' that you have, nor any bad customer service (Triumph, Plymouth).The fuel recall was dealt with prior to release and the more recent heated grip recall within minutes of calling in. We also enjoy ride outs arranged by them. I hope you get all your problems sorted asap and continue to enjoy your Bonnie.

  • What a refreshing and balanced review… so many owners of new bikes are quick to praise their machines thru 'rose coloured spectacles' however delaying your video and getting to know the bike well before commenting has made this a very fair summary and I really enjoyed it. You speak our language sir….. thx.

  • Thanks for the review. My experience with Triumph dealers is very mixed. One was well meaning but incompetent, one was just plain awful in every respect. Two others, one in particular, have been fantastic in all ways. The incompetent dealer no longer represents Triumph USA. I hope your niggles are sorted out. I'm considering a T120 but probably not for another year.

  • Top quality review. I held of buying the new Triumphs. I have a T100 790 and Thruxton 865. Pleasef you have waited 6 months before reviewing. The dealer near Nottingham is a P*** Poor. A little concerned about the fuel fault as you say for £10k and the DOT on there case this really is bad. Heated grips is a nuisance fuel faults are serious. A balanced review which has put me off a bit. Anothjer 6 months and I'll think again. Many thanks for the information.

  • My last brand new bike was a 74 Rickman Bonneville. There was so many problems with that bike that it has tainted my view of Triumph so much so that I could never buy another one.  I was glad to get rid after 12 months and have never bought anything but Japanese bikes ever since 1975.  Never had a major issue since. I realise the newer Triumphs are probably much better than they were in the 70's but the damage is done.

  • If the front brake squeals, then it's just brake dust. Get your dealers mechanics to brush out the pads and slap some copper slip on the back of the pads/pistons.That'll sort it.

  • I made comments on here a week ago and they are gone now.

  • What a great review the last couple of minutes set you apart from other reviewers.

  • An Amazing review. The girlfriend example and the fact that its in the garage makes you feel good, touched me the most. I've just completed 1100 miles on mine since October 2016 and your review pretty much sums my experience of owning one. Thank you and many safe rides.

  • Mate lovely review that girlfriend example was just awesome it pretty much sums up why one ones a bonnie everyone else just go get a jap bike.

    Subscribed 👍

  • Some interesting points raised. The speedo problem appears in the main down to a poorly applied coating on the speedo glass. I get smears of what appears to be a gel on the glass on bright sunny days, but this disappears in front of eyes when I put my bike in shade. My dealer is the opposite of yours and has been excellent. Triumph authorised a replacement speedo immediately for my bike.

  • It is a beautiful bike that's for sure! And I like the 1200 cc !!!! Twin!

  • Despite the issues I'm still seriously thinking about getting one because it is so incredibly gorgeous. Since I live in Austin Texas I don't think the water in the instruments issue would be such a big problem and hopefully they will have the rest sorted out.

  • I am amazed at aTriumph. In 1996 I bought the first Thunderbird that the new company produced. It was brand new when I bought it, the faults were numerous resulting in 13 new sets of clocks, full engine rebuild at 6000 during which time it was discovered that the front end was on the wrong way, new wire loom, and the list goes on. During this time Triumph denied problems, and treated me as if I was the only one with the problem. It seems very strange that Triumph still treat the owners the same as they did some 20 years ago. I am so glad I decided to switch to Harley Davidson, which have been all of my last 5 bikes. I am so glad that my gut feeling about not buying a new Triumph kept me from doing so again this year.

  • Nice review, but 2k miles and "long term" review? Seriously?

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