Well, they fixed my main gripe with the "old" Bobber: the huge front wheel which made the rear one seam ridiculously small. Now I'm definitely tempted, but only as a 2nd bike which requires me to find a place to park it first...
Totally agree! Manufacturers should make an effort to offer the updates as a retrofit to costumers who bought the previous model. It would mitigate the pain of having an outdated bike just months after purchase and Triumph could make some extra cash on this. For example, if next year they release a new Speed Triple with a new fully-digital dash I would like to be able to purchse this and get it fitted to my '16 Speed.
Hmm that is one good looking bike. I've been think about swapping my street twin for a thruxton, but maybe the new bobber could take my fancy. Wessa
Got to keep it secret or they lose current sales... Current Speed Triple is rumored to have a few minor updates in the pipeline (new digital dash etc), so potential buyers are going to hang on for that now.
I'll have to see the new bobber side by side with my '17 before I can condemn Triumph for selling me the '17. I love that bike. Just for curiosity, Indian has come out with a Scout based bobber so i went down and gave it a ride. First visual impression is "man that hummer is massive", and it rides like it too. Has lots of torque and horsepower but handles like it is as big as it looks. I'll stick with my Bonnie Bobber for sure....
Thoughts on the ‘17 vintage Bobber, transferred from my Newbie Hangout post.... Well I popped up to Triumph at Ongar, and was made very welcome. All I wanted to do was sit on a couple of bikes to get a feel for the fit (bars-seat-pegs-gears/brakes) and take a look at the new Speedmaster (which they don’t have yet, regretfully). Before I knew it I was out on the road test driving the bobber, which was the closest they had to the new Speedmaster in fit and functionality. Riding position was very fixed. I am used to riding a bike where I can actively shift my weight for the corners; the peg and seat made me part of the bike - weight firmly on the bummel - which isn’t a bad thing, it just took a bit of getting used to. Likewise I am used to the BMW indicators so the left bar switch required thought, made more difficult in that the switch is soft and squidgy with no positive clicking when the selection or cancel is made. I did notice that because of this my attention was drifting however fleetingly towards checking the lights to confirm that the selection/cancellation had been made - rather than on the road ahead where it should have been. Gears are so dreamily smooth the BMW is put to shame - and the BMW itself is far from clunky! The adjustable clutch lever is very user friendly. The layout of the cockpit is very intuitive - everything is where you expect it to be, and the display is clear and well lit. I was too busy riding the thing to do a full run through of all the options on the controls (sorry about that - was having too much fun!) The bar end mirrors are positioned well - just far enough out so you don’t have to twist yourself around to get a great view behind you. (Obviously they don’t replace lifesavers, but checking behind you is effortless) I am not a cruiser driver so again I found the brakes very different to operate. On my BSA I’m never going fast enough for poor brakes to be an issue, on the BMW with twin disc Brembos on the front if I need to brake I know that the stopping power is there. Yes the basics are the same but how to get the best out of them is a whole different ball game. My general philosophy is that I try not to put myself in a position where I need to grab a handful of front brake. On the Bobber you NEED front and rear brakes in equal measure for efficient stopping. The rep gave me a heads up on that and sure enough he was absolutely correct (I found a straight, empty bit of road to experiment). The bobber favours the foot brake - though that will probably change with the 2018 twin disc model. The two 600cc pots are so torquey it will happily run along on idle if you want it to; the gears make it so easy to drive, you just let the bike pull you along - it is almost like your gear selection governs the cruising speed as the engine plods along happily - and if you want to go faster just give it a gentle squeeze and she’ll pull like a Royal Navy Gun Team! The driving style is very different to the parallel twin BMW as it is far more laid back and easy going but if you want her to go some she is willing and able! On the subject of laid back, the bike is low to the road, disconcertingly so to someone used to a relatively commanding ride height. But time and familiarity would fix that issue. Am I sold on the bobber? Absolutely not! I don’t mean that in a bad way because it is a lovely machine - my son loves being picked up from school on the bike, which means a pillion seat is a must have which the Bobber doesn’t cater for. The only negative of the test ride today is the poor switch quality in the controls. I hope it is a one off rather than a general malaise because the lack of tactile feedback there was a let down in an otherwise lovely bit of kit. On the whole I had a great time learning to drive a different style of bike and it has whetted my appetite for the Speedmaster! There is only one issue.... I love the blacked out look of the Maverick ‘inspiration’ kit with the quilted single seat, but the practicality of the Highway kit makes more sense - I just think there is too much bling there for my taste - the notion of chrome taking the proverbial shine off a bike is strange - talk about first world problems!!!
Just an observation - I keep reading in mags how popular the Bobber is and how it's Triumph's biggest seller for years etc. so how come I never see one on the road ? T120s like mine, yes - also T100 and Street Twins, but I've only ever seen one Bobber and that was on the same road as Jack Lilley's shop in Romford. Similarly was at Brit bike meet at the Ace a couple of weeks ago - not one Bobber ! So who are all the Bobber buyers and where do they go ?
Think they must only come out at night when we are a sleep as I have only ever seen 1 on the road. Tucker
....and here we have a rare sighting of the Triumph Bobber owner. He has spent the winter months in his heated garage polishing the bike and carefully selecting which distressed leather jacket to wear for the correct image. It is now approaching Bobber season.... it is the beginning of June and there has been no rain for a week. The weather forecast is set for bright sunshine. It is approaching 11am as the garage door whines open on its electric motor and the Bobber owner cautiously emerges, carefully wheeling the machine past the cage parked on his paved driveway. He looks around, checking which of his suburban neighbours have seen him, before mounting the bike and adjusting his tasselled leather jacket and open faced helmet. He starts the Bobber and the dulcet tones of the exhaust reverberate along the road. He gives the throttles a couple of tweaks to alert any females in the neighbourhood who may have missed his grand exit from the garage. A smile plays across his lips as Miss Arbuthnot’s upstairs curtain at number 43 twitches, and knowing for sure that he is being watched now, he revs the machine unnecessarily to go out for his Sunday drive.... Okay that’s just a bit of nonsense, so apologies for my warped sense of humour....
Very amusing storey's but mine is a rider kms get slashed here in Aus. My Harley has 72,000kms the Duke 23,000kms and the new Trumpy only 1,000 so far. Service due.
Absolutely it was a bit of fun poking at the typical suburbanite ‘Sunday driver’ we get here in the UK who spend more time polishing than riding, not at folks like your good self!
