Triumph T120 650 B
Triumph T120 650 B | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1959 - 60 |
Engine | Four stroke, parallel twin, OHV |
Compression ratio | 8.5:1 |
Ignition | Lucas magneto |
Transmission | 4 Speed, constant mesh |
Frame | Twin steel downtubes |
Suspension | Front: Telescopic forks, hydraulic damping Rear: Swingarm, twin Girling dampers |
Brakes | Front: 8" SLS drum Rear: 7" SLS drum |
Front Tire | 3.25 x 19, Dunlop |
Rear Tire | 4.00 x 18, Dunlop |
Wheelbase | 1400 mm / 55.25 in |
Seat Height | 770 mm / 30.5 in |
Weight | 183 kg / 403 lbs (dry), |
Fuel Capacity | US: 13.6 L / 3.6 US gal / 3 Imp gal / UK and other Export: 18 L / 4.8 US gal / 4 Imp gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
EngineEdit
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, parallel twin, OHV. The engine featured a 8.5:1 compression ratio.
DriveEdit
Power was moderated via the Wet, multiplate.
ChassisEdit
It came with a 3.25 x 19, Dunlop front tire and a 4.00 x 18, Dunlop rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 8" SLS drum in the front and a 7" SLS drum in the rear. The front suspension was a Telescopic forks, hydraulic damping while the rear was equipped with a Swingarm, twin Girling dampers. The T120 650 B was fitted with a US: 13.6 L / 3.6 US gal / 3 Imp gal / UK and other Export: 18 L / 4.8 US gal / 4 Imp gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 183 kg / 403 lbs. The wheelbase was 1400 mm / 55.25 in long.
PhotosEdit
OverviewEdit
Triumph T120 Bonneville 650
The very essence of café-racer cool the Bonneville had the right, spartan look and just as importantly, the performance to go with it. It was a truly special motorcycle and arrived just in time to take full advantage of what was to become a very special decade
Triumph announced the ultimate expression of
Edward Turner's 650cc pre unit twin in September 1958 ready for the 1959
season. Named the Bonneville in recognition of Triumph's record breaking
success at the salt flats of the same name, the new machine replaced the Tiger
110 at the head of the sporting Triumph range.
The significant difference between it and the Tiger 110 concerned the cylinder head which was fed by two carburettors on splayed inlets together with a higher compression ratio, resulting in a claimed 46bhp.
The 1960 season machines adopted a new duplex frame and lighter styling, losing the headlamp nacelle and partially valanced mudguards which had graced the 1959 models, with further detail revisions to the frame occurring for the 1961 model season.
Triumph's Speed Twin had been
one of the bikes that helped to set the pace before the war. After the
conflict, the SOOcc Speed Twin spawned many descendants, from 350 to 7S0cc
capacity. Above all others, the 650cc Bonneville became the bike that set
the standard throughout the late 1950s and 1960s - the era of the Rockers
and Cafe Racers.
The first 650cc Triumph appeared
in 1949, when the softly tuned 6T Thunderbird showed its pace at the
Monthlery speed bowl before going on sale the next year. The model was an
excellent tourer.
In 1951, a Thunderbird racer, equipped with twin carburettors, hot cams and
high-compression pistons, reached 132mph at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. A
few years later, in 1956, Johnny Allen achieved 214.4mph, a record accepted
by the US authorities, but the world governing body refused to acknowledge
it. Americans continued their efforts, and two years later a specially
prepared Tiger I 10 managed to achieve over I47mph, ridden by Bill Johnson.
The speed was good enough for a class record. That was in 1958, and the
venue once again was Bonneville.
The first Triumph machine to
bear the Bonneville name appeared in 1959. Based heavily on the Tiger 110,
the T120 was fitted with the twin carburettors, together with the hot E3134
inlet cam. With a power rated at 46 bhp, the model was already good for a
comfortable I I5mph - but the engine had the potential to be tuned a lot
hotter.
From 1963 they gained a new
frame, with extra bracing for the swinging arm and steering head and a new
compact power unit. The steering angle was changed and improved forks were
adopted.
All these improvements helped
the Bonneville to match its rivals' all-round performance. In the styling
stakes, however, it had no equal. Where the contemporary BSA was worthy but
perhaps a little stolid, and Norton's offering lacked the absolute glamour
of its racing forebears, the 650 Bonneville oozed get-up-and-go.
On the race track, it got up and went! In 1967 and 1969 it won Production
TTs and British 500 mile races. In 1969 the works TI00R achieved a 1/2/3 in
the Thruxton 500-miler, covering
three more of the top seven places.
In the opinion of many, the 1968 Bonneville is the best of the breed. With
good handling and more reliable electrics than its predecessors (including a
new ignition), all the good features were there in a package that was hard
to beat.
Make Model | Triumph T120 Bonneville 650 |
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Year | 1959 - 60 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, parallel twin, OHV |
Displacement | 649 cc / 39.6 cu in |
Bore X Stroke | 71 x 82 mm |
Compression | 8.5:1 |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Induction | 2 x Amal 1 - 1/6" carburetors |
Ignition | Lucas magneto |
Starting | Kick |
Max Power | 34 kW / 46 hp @ 6700 rpm |
Clutch | Wet, multiplate |
Transmission | 4 Speed, constant mesh |
Final Drive | Chain, 101 links |
Gear Ratios | 1st 11.90 / 2nd 8.25 / 3rd 5.81 / 4th 4.88:1 |
Frame | Twin steel downtubes |
Front Suspension | Telescopic forks, hydraulic damping |
Rear Suspension | Swingarm, twin Girling dampers |
Front Brakes | 8" SLS drum |
Rear Brakes | 7" SLS drum |
Front Tire | 3.25 x 19, Dunlop |
Rear Tire | 4.00 x 18, Dunlop |
Wheelbase | 1400 mm / 55.25 in |
Seat Height | 770 mm / 30.5 in |
Ground Clearance | 127 mm / 5.0 in |
Dry Weight | 183 kg / 403 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | US: 13.6 L / 3.6 US gal / 3 Imp gal / UK and other Export: 18 L / 4.8 US gal / 4 Imp gal |