Triumph Bonneville For Under Rs 2 Lakh Incoming! What Will It Pack?

Triumph and Bajaj have commenced their partnership today. The first entry-level product is expected to rival the Royal Enfield 350cc bikes and the Jawa

• Under the partnership, Bajaj will make small capacity Triumph bikes the global market.
• The brands say they will build a new engine and vehicle platform in the mid-capacity range (200cc-750cc).
• The starting price is targetted at under Rs 2 lakh in India.
• The first product(s) is scheduled to be available in 2022.

Triumph and Bajaj have officially commenced their non-equity long-term partnership. In this type of partnership, there will not be any ownership stake nor will there be any sharing of profits. Under this collaboration, Bajaj will manufacture low-capacity Triumph motorcycles for the global market. In return, Bajaj will receive R&D exposure as the bikes will be co-developed. 

The two brands intend to make a new engine and a modular vehicle platform catering to the mid-displacement category ranging from 200cc to 750cc. They have also promised that the most affordable Triumph bike coming out of this partnership will bear a target pricing of under Rs 2 lakh, and that the range of bikes will bear the names of Triumph’s already existing models like Street, Bonneville and Tiger. The brands have also mentioned that they plan to launch the first motorcycle by 2022, but we reckon 2022 could see more than one offering. Before that, expect a concept of sorts at the 2021 EICMA.

Bajaj has the manufacturing prowess to make small-capacity motorcycles at the moment, so it makes sense for the brand to start off with the most affordable model first. It is likely that the first motorcycle will be a Bonneville, with an engine displacement between 250cc and 350cc. The bike could be a single-cylinder air/oil-cooled motor biased more towards torque than outright power. A six-speed transmission should help the bike sustain triple-digit speeds comfortably.

Since it will bear the Bonneville moniker, it is only fair that the upcoming bike will bear resemblance to its bigger brothers. So expect a similar design language albeit with minor aesthetic changes to differentiate it from the Triumph Bonneville T100. A halogen headlamp, twin-pod instrument cluster with a digital inset, LED tail lamp and bulb indicators are likely to be the part of its feature list.

The underpinnings are also expected to be pretty traditional to go with the retro look. So it’s safe to say that the upcoming affordable Bonneville will have a telescopic front fork and twin rear shock absorbers. It could also feature disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS as standard. Being a classic motorcycle, it’s pretty much a given that the bike will ride on spoke wheels with tubed tyres.

This will help the brand to compete against the best-selling rival in the segment, the Royal Enfield Classic 350. It will also compete against the classic Jawa. Interestingly, Royal Enfield will have also launched the next-generation model of the Classic 350 by then.

After the small-capacity Bonneville, Triumph could also introduce a naked motorcycle in the 250cc category sometime later. It is likely to be have the "Street" moniker, sporting a liquid-cooled 250cc engine. While this motorcycle is still some time away, expect it to help Triumph gain a proper foothold in the quarter-litre performance segment when it arrives. It will go up against the KTM 250 Duke and the Suzuki Gixxer 250.

Triumph Bonneville T100 used for representation.