Triumph Bonneville

Many folk will be delighted with that, and with the obvious retro styling cues, along with the twin-cylinder engine configuration. It feels much like a Meriden Bonnie in many respects - low, light, narrow and dead easy to flick around.

The 360-degree four-stroke vertical twin runs 790cc capacity, pumping out a claimed 62 horses from the four valve heads, in a package that is air-cooled and running a monster oil-cooler that's nicely hidden behind the front frame downtubes. There's a five-speed gearbox, which is a variation on existing Hinckley transmissions.

What's it like to ride? I missed the rained-out launch at the 600-strong New Triumph Rally, and pinched a demo a week later for a sunny afternoon squirt around the city. It's probably the easiest 750cc-plus motorcycle on the market to ride. Low-end and mid-range urge is strong and entirely predictable, though you need a few revs in hand to get it rolling. Upper-rev oomph with the stock mufflers is adequate, but nothing to get excited about. Peak power chimes in at 7400rpm and max torque at a very conservative 3500, according to Triumph.

We're told the accessory 'competition' pipes are worth a serious jump in horsepower and noted that, while the absence of a tacho is tragic, there is an electronic rev-limiter to ensure you don't do something to the engine that you'll regret later.

Steering was nice - about medium speed, with good accuracy. Chassis stats are conservative, suggesting the bike will steer slower than it actually feels. The low seat height is helpful and the narrow front of the seat will make this a winner with the shorter in leg looking for something substantial that inspires confidence, while it's comfortable enough for tall people. Two big people will struggle and should look at a Trophy instead.

Suspension response on our test bike was firm in cruiser terms at low speeds but comfortable in sport bike parlance. It settled nicely once you raised the enthusiasm factor. The front suspenders worked better than the rear, with the latter getting overwhelmed if you hit a corner with a series of bumps. Two bumps were fine, but give it three and the rebound damping on the upper reaches of rear travel was struggling. Even then, the Bonnie steered reliably.

Cornering clearance was fine. Footpegs touched down first (which is good) but well before lean angles expected of a pukka sport bike.

Brakes were strong - simple as that. Not state of the art, but with ample and controllable power on tap so long as you didn't mind using a fair amount of the considerable lever travel available to you. Perfect for the intended market.

The 16-litre fuel tank should work. Not a lot of capacity, but there's a manual reserve and the bike's power delivery invites snicking it into top gear early rather than revving the rings out of it. In the absence of checked fuel consumption figures I suspect it will deliver decent distances between fuel stops.

Finish on the pre-production demo was generally what you'd expect from the marque, though a couple of areas needed work. Namely a seat cover that slipped on the padding, some ordinary welding on the exhaust balance pipe and severe discolouration of the headers. Like I said, this was a pre-production model and none of those things are typical of Triumph.

Seating position is a 'natural', with switchgear and controls where you expect them to be. Except one. The ignition switch is on the left headlight bracket, exactly as per Meriden Bonniesa nice touch. Overall it's as close as you'll ever to get to "one size fits all".

The bike is missing a centrestand (there's provision for one on the frame, but nothing listed in the accessory cattledog), tacho and pillion grabrail (available as an accessory). Since we've mentioned accessories, there is a large range, including seats (the stock item will test the patience of larger riders on long trips), pipes, screens, luggage and cosmetic bits. I'd also prefer different (flatter) handlebars, and a change-over should be easy for a keen owner as the stock items are conventional tube mounted to the upper triple-clamp.

If the intention was to replicate the style of a 1969 Bonneville, it worked up to a point and could be refined further. If you want an easy-going Euro-branded road bike with trad roots that will do most things at a respectable pace, without having some monster that constantly challenges your ability to reach terra firma, then you've found it.