Late last year we showed you the high-performance version of the all-new Triumph Bonneville likely to be released as a Thruxton or street-tracker variant. Now the base-model “classic” version of the new liquid-cooled Triumph Bonneville parallel-twin was caught testing in southern Europe, virtually undisguised. The cleanly integrated radiator for this all-new parallel-twin engine is plainly visible, and the same post-1963 unit construction styling cues are used, replacing the pre-unit style of the current air/oil-cooled 865cc Bonnevilles. The kink in the exhaust pipes that traditionalists generally loathed on the original “new” 2001 Bonneville is gone, with headers that flow nicely into a pair of sausage mufflers. Here’s to hoping they find a better place for those lambda sensors instead of poking out like ears from the headers—we’re sure Triumph will because the under-engine crossover/pre-muffler is so tidily hidden below the front of the engine. 
The same fuel-injection throttle bodies used on the forthcoming Thruxton/Tracker are employed here, strangely combining visual elements of both Amal Concentric (round “float bowl” at bottom) and Monoblock (round three-bolt flange on the side) carburettors (observing British spelling) used on Triumphs in the 1950s and ’60s. Chassis, wheels, brakes, and general profile are styled very much like the existing bike. It makes us wonder if it isn’t intentionally exactly like the existing bike to allow use of all the parts already in the rich Bonneville aftermarket and to save on tooling costs. Price in this segment of the market is key to success. Last year, we suspected that the engine in the Thruxton/Tracker might be 1200cc, which raises the question about the displacement of a more entry-level bike like this. A 900-1000cc displacement would make sense on a lower cost machine like this, allowing a potential performance advantage versus the Ducati Scrambler and differentiating it from the bigger, more expensive performance versions of the Bonneville. 
And while surely there will be an aftermarket top trunk available, this one is carrying data-logging equipment. Design and finish on this bike look very far along in development, so it will be interesting to see if this new Bonneville breaks cover this year. Sources say the entry-level Triumph Bonneville shown here will be launched next year as a 2017 model, so we wonder if any version of the new Bonneville platform will be launched this fall at the EICMA show in Milan. Thruxton? Tracker? There are no 2016 “classics” yet listed on Triumph’s consumer site. The Bonneville is by far the biggest seller in Triumph’s lineup here in the US. With all the new players in the retro market, something’s got to break cover soon. 
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