Triumph Bonneville Bobber vs Harley-Davidson Roadster: Spec Comparo

Triumph Motorcycles India has launched the Bonneville Bobber at a competitive price of Rs. 9.09 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The latest bike in the Triumph Bonneville series offers a motorcycle with beautiful design, attention to detail and a stylish ride with the performance to back it. The Triumph Bonneville Bobber certainly promises to shake up the sub-10 lakh price bracket, particularly for those motorcycle lovers leaning towards classic motorcycle design. Technically speaking, the Bonneville Bobber may not be a cruiser, but this factory bob job has all the makings of a modern classic.

(Triumph Bonneville Bobber)

In India, the Bonneville Bobber has quite a few rivals in the same price range, but in pure specifications and image, it's closest to the Harley-Davidson Roadster, the Bar & Shield brand's most recent sportster. The Roadster's price starts at Rs. 9.7 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), making it slightly more expensive than the Bonnie Bobber, pitting it right in the price range of the latest Triumph. Here's an on-paper comparison of the two bikes.

(Harley-Davidson Roadster)

Design

A tough one here! Both the Harley and the Triumph bike have this minimalistic theme in the overall look and design. Harley-Davidson says the Roadster is a garage-built custom design. Its overall black colour scheme along with a raised front-end, a short mudguard and a small fuel tank gives it a sporty look, yet retain the quintessential Harley-Davidson sportster image. The big, 1,200 cc V-twin engine with those two exhaust pipes growing out of each cylinder is what adds muscle to the bike.

(Triumph Bonneville Bobber vs Harley-Davidson Roadster)

On the other hand, the Bonnie Bobber has a more graceful design, if we can call it so. The classic bobber lines along with that gorgeous single seat pan make it one of the best-looking retro bikes available in India today. In short, if it were a proper comparison, we would be hard-pressed to pick a winner, for the looks. From a range perspective, the Harley offers more range with its larger fuel tank.

Engines

Both the Bonneville Bobber and the Roadster have 1,200 cc engines. But that is where the similarities end. The Bonneville Bobber has a parallel twin, liquid-cooled engine with a six-speed gearbox while the Roadster has a V-twin, air-cooled engine with a five-speed gearbox.

With a kerb weight of 250 kg, the Roadster is 22 kg heavier than the Bonneville Bobber. And with more torque coming in low on the rev range, the Bonneville Bobber promises to be a more involved performer with an eager engine than the Roadster, at least on paper.

Features and Equipment

The Bonneville Bobber gets a decent list of features which include an adjustable seat, adjustable instrument console, optional heated grip and cruise control as well. And there's more tech on the Triumph than what the Harley offers. The Bonneville Bobber gets ride-by-wire with two riding modes (Road and Rain) as standard. And it also gets ABS and switchable traction control as standard. So, on the features and equipment list, the Bonneville Bobber wins this round.

(Triumph Bonneville Bobber Details)

The Roadster is a bare-bones bike as far as electronics are concerned. But it does get 43 mm USD forks and dual disc brakes up front.. The Bonnie Bobber on the other hand gets a single disc and 41 mm forks upfront. Both manufacturers offer custom options for their motorcycles.

Price

The Bonneville Bobber gets only one variant which is priced at Rs. 9.09 lakh while the Roadster gets four variants (different colours, basically) whose prices are given below. All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.