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Prior to purchasing our new Honda CB1100EX we had one other bike on the shortlist - the Triumph Bonneville T120. Our local dealer, Pidcock Triumph offered a test ride of up to an hour so we had a good chance to road test it properly.

The demonstrator was a T120 Black. A mean looking version with black motor, exhausts and wheel rims (spoked wheels). The mufflers on this bike had been changed to Vance & Hines.
Sitting on the bike I could easily touch the floor flat-footed (a very important factor for me these days after playing "dropsie" on the RT a few years ago). With Kelly on board minimal extra sagging was noted which if anything helped further enhance my confidence. The sitting position is upright, relaxed but not lazy (as I tend to sit on an NCX). The CB is very similar but with the footpegs set slightly back in comparison which suits me better. Bars at just the right height, the fully integrated heated grips are a fantastic basic feature (other manufacturers take note here). All the wiring for these is "invisible" and I presume runs inside the bars. A single push button on the left grip selects ON/HIGH/LOW/OFF etc. - elegant simplicity. The clutch (cable operated) is exceptionally light.

Two "clocks" make up the instrument cluster and are tied together visually with a very nice "figure of eight" surround. Speedometer on the left and rev counter on the right, both have a small backlit LCD information panel with various parameters of information shared across the two. I'll not go into this lot except to say that it is "comprehensive".

The right hand grip is of course the throttle - being "ride-by-wire" with two modes selectable - Normal and Rain. We left it in the default - normal position. The combined kill switch and starter button is a good idea.
The motor started easily (no throttle) and settled into a characterful tickover (270 deg like the 865 Scrambler) but much, MUCH deeper (Vance and Hines remember). Setting off, the low down torque was very apparent and the easy riding character of this bike is only spoiled around town by the rather tall gearing - made worse by the significant (but expected) engine braking. A degree of clutch feathering is thus necessary to prevent nodding and helmet bumping. But is something one could easily adapt to. The suspension is very good, much more premium than the 865 and 900 bonnies but is quite a bit firmer than the set-up on the CB1100EX which I can only describe as a magic carpet by comparison and can achieve this this without excessive fork dive too (probably down to the Showa "Dual Bending Valve" technology on these).

At 224kg (dry) for the T120 vs the 255kg (kerb weight) of the CB1100EX, I wouldn't describe either bike as heavy being used to the 300kg+ of the HD. The T120 though needs a considerable amount of counter-steering to get it to turn into bends, but once encouraged will maintain the chosen line easily enough and then requires a little of the same to get upright again. By comparison the CB1100EX needs no such coaxing and is a doddle. Others (more experienced at these things than I) describe the EX as an ideal "beginners big bike" and I wouldn't disagree.

Performance:

Deserving it's own heading as always, we were unable to fully exploit the available performance of the T120 nor did we wish too. I can generally get the measure of this without specifically testing for it. That's not what we yearn for these days and is not what either of these bikes are about anyway. The 270 twin in the T120 and the in-line 4 of the CB are very similar with regard to power and torque. The CB ahead in the former, whilst as expected the T120 ahead in the latter. The T120 did get a bit "vibey" through the bars and footpegs near the upper reaches of RPM but by this point, maximum torque is over and is not the way we ride a motorcycle these days anyway (which is why the NC was so good).
The smoothness of the CB vs the considerable engine braking of the T120 are perhaps two areas of difference that might make the choice easy for some. The Bonnie obviously has character (but so does the CB now with its 2 x two-into-one exhausts tuned specifically for this) but of course, the two are as different as apples and oranges in this respect.

Brakes:

Very good indeed on the Bonnie, both for effect and for feel, I would have been totally satisfied too were it not for the exceptionally good brakes on the CB which work so well with the silky smooth motor and the rest of the drive train that smooth riding is very, very easy especially two-up. By comparison, those on the T120 felt a little, dare I say ahem... wooden. Oops I've said it.

So, on reflection I preferred the CB1100EX. I did like the "honesty" of the bike (described so eloquently by Simon "TEX"). It really is air (plus oil) cooled and thus true to the original, whereas the T120 (like the new 900) is liquid cooled. That said, the width of the hot Honda engine which was a joy on a cold extended road test last Sunday might be a bit much in the heat of July. We shall see.
Our choice was made easier by the fact that the Triumph dealer was way out with their valuation of the HD (£1500 out!). Plus their excuse for being so tight was along the lines of that the Dyna is an extinct model now and dealers are struggling to get rid of them. General opinion would say otherwise with a late registered Dyna (as ours was) will be much sought after once the hype of the new Softail Low Rider wears off. Try finding a Low Rider or Glide for sale for less than £8,000!

I hope this little review has been interesting for some, and if it's been useful then even better. Please, please get out and try both these bikes if you can - if only to see if any of you agree with my amateur report in any way.
What a thorough report and enjoyable to read. Thanks for posting.
A few things I would add, having taken three demo rides on the T120 Black...

It's often mentioned in the various reviews, and it's true, it sure would be nice if Triumph would provide dealerships and magazines with the silver and cranberry version of the T120 Standard as a demo bike, rather than the blacked-out-everything T120 Black. The T120 Black doesn't look nearly as pretty or special as the two-tone version with all the chrome, and these bikes are largely about the aesthetics. One major reason the CB1100EX beat the T120 Black in Motorcyclist's comparo was that the Triumph was let down by a perceived lack of attention to detail and lower desirability factor, which they felt would have been greatly improved by the inclusion of the classier chrome version with the hand-painted coach lines.

On a bright, sunny day, man, you want to see the shiny chrome and metallic sparkle in that brilliant two-tone model. At least I did, anyway, and other reviewers mentioned the same.

The Triumph sounds really good when blipping the throttle at idle. Deep, rumbly, characterful. That deep rumble also feels very cool all throughout the bike. This is true even with the stock exhaust. In fact, the sound and feel of the bike were the two things that tugged on my heartstrings the most when I was considering a T120 instead of the CB1100EX. Pulling hard out of a corner, the Triumph is accompanied by a glorious soundtrack, and it feels even better.

Other factors in the Triumph's favor: smaller, narrower, slightly lighter build; lower seat-height; greater leg-room (quite a neat trick, having greater leg-room while also having a lower seat-height); included heated grips.

Yes, by all means, Honda should have included their factory heated grips as standard, and with no visible wiring. I added their factory grips, which work incredibly well, but they do leave one new wire exposed, from the throttle side. It loops down in plain sight, and is quite an eyesore. Honda should have routed it through the bars, as Triumph did.

larryblag was also dead on, regarding the difference in handling between the two bikes. The front end on the T120 steers very deliberately. I have no problem describing its steering as 'heavy.' I might even go so far as to call it 'truckish.' The telepathic CB1100EX turns a million times better.

I didn't find the suspension on the T120 to be any less plush than the CB's, although, to be fair, I've never tested the Triumph on any bumpy roads, as I have with my Honda. I also haven't taken the Triumph on a real sport ride, as I have with the Honda. Despite what Motorcyclist said in their comparo, I strongly suspect that the Honda would out-handle the Triumph on a serious sport ride.

I did notice that the Triumph accelerates harder than the Honda down low. As liter bikes go, neither is particularly fast or torquey, but the Triumph does punch harder from a stoplight, and also right off the throttle from any moderate cruising speed. I still found it to be rather slow, though, and I usually find the Honda to be noticeably slow only when leaving a stoplight, so there probably isn't much difference between them overall.

In terms of vibration, I found the Triumph to be smoother than the Honda. The Honda has a vibey patch between 3500-4900 rpm that the Triumph never exhibited. At idle, sure, the Honda is smoother, but the Triumph's Big(ish) Twin rumble isn't of the finger/crotch-numbing variety. Cruising the freeway at 75 mph, the Triumph's more widely-spaced motor pulses felt less tingly than the CB's high-frequency I-4 vibrations. That being said, neither bike vibrates enough to pose any sort of issue. They're both very smooth.

I rode the '16 and '17 versions of the T120, which both suffer from the same brake squealing that afflicts my CB1100EX. Triumph addressed this issue for the '18 model with the addition of a large rubber backing piece between the rotor and hub, and it supposedly works. My local Honda dealer added some grease behind the brake pads, and they filed off the corners of the pads. This fix completely solved the problem...for one day. By the end of the second day, a bit of that same squeal had returned. It's nowhere near as noticeable now as it was before the fix, but hints of it can still be heard every so often.

I wouldn't be surprised to receive a Service Bulletin notice in the mail from Honda in the next year or so, advising me to bring my bike to the dealer for a brake issue that they're going to address.

Otherwise, however, the performance of the Honda's brakes are above reproach. Absolutely excellent brakes.

One thing I didn't like about the Triumph was the tiny numbers and letters used in the two digital display windows. Some of them, such as the gear indicator, are simply too small to read at a quick glance. Also, the clock only reads in 24-hour military time. It can't be set to our U.S.-standard 12-hour time. That's rather annoying. Why would Triumph do that? If they're dead set on giving us military time, fine, but give us the option to choose either mode.

The CB1100 definitely has the easier to read, more attractive instruments.

The Honda scores big against the Triumph in four key areas. The first is authenticity. The Triumph obviously loses points here for going with liquid-cooling and faux carbs. Kudos to Triumph for doing such an excellent job of integrating that new radiator on a retro model—take note, Kawasaki—but the new T120's mill can't touch the perfection of the Honda's classic, uncluttered, air-cooled motor. The second thing is the respective handling of each bike. No contest there. The CB1100EX's steering is so much lighter than the T120's, and far more accurate. Any way you slice it, the Honda's overall handling is markedly superior. The third thing is just a particular pet peeve, although it's shared my many people: the Triumph's seamed tank. Those seams are hideous. They're far too noticeable, and the original didn't have them. Give that tank the EX's seamless treatment, wooo, I might have bought the T120 instead of the Honda. The final item expands on the previous one, which is that the Honda simply beats the Triumph in overall build quality, attention to detail, and fit and finish. Heated grips aside, the Honda has the Triumph covered in all the little things that make for long-lasting pride of ownership.

Well, okay, except for the tool kit. My god, did Honda cheap-out on the tool kit. Unbelievable.
The original Bonnie did have a tank seam..remember them well. It was right down the center of that beautifully shaped/painted tank. What an eyesore. Some were covered by a chrome strip. Those that weren't showed horribly lumpy welding

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Agree that the Cranberry and silver is a much better looking bike than the 120 Black. Here's my brother's along side my Dlx

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I'm talking about the perimeter seams! LOL

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Anyway, check out your brother's bike there. Imagine that same tank, only with no perimeter seams, like the original. What a gorgeous piece of artwork it would be!
Not sure about the T-120, but one thing that bothers me on the Street Twin is the extensive use of plastic (countershaft sprocket cover, mudguards, headlight and fender brackets I think, etc.) I guess it falls into the "pride of ownership" category. The Honda is a jewel by comparison.
The T120's front fender is plastic, too, vs the metal fenders on the Honda.
(03-21-2018 10:16 AM)VLJ Wrote: [ -> ]I'm talking about the perimeter seams! LOL

Anyway, check out your brother's bike there. Imagine that same tank, only with no perimeter seams, like the original. What a gorgeous piece of artwork it would be!

As long as it didn't have one right in the middle of the top. I'd agree. Actually the perimeter seams don't both me much personally. Guess I am just used to seeing them.

The new Bonneville tank is certainly not as good looking profile wise as the original, but then again they needed to put close to 4 gallons in it (whereas the original held 2 1/2 gals iirc). Concessions to utility over beauty.
There would be no reason for it to have a top seam, once they ditched the perimeter seams. My EX's tank has neither perimeter nor top seams. Neither do most Harleys.
@larryblag: Great report! Thumbs Up Thanks
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