1971 Triumph Bonneville T120

1970 Triumph 649cc T120R Bonneville?Registration no. HGC 578J? Matching Frame no. GD53187 T120R? & Engine no. GD53187 T120R As the 1960s dawned, Triumph's larger twins remained recognisably similar to the first Speed Twin of 1938. Unitary construction of engine and gearbox was already a feature of the 350 and 500 twins though, and that innovation duly appeared on the 650s in 1963. The café racer's favourite since its launch in 1959, thanks to lusty acceleration and a top speed approaching 120mph, the Bonneville continued in this new form as Triumph's top-of-the-range sports roadster, arriving at what aficionados consider its ultimate specification with the launch of the 1968 model. By this time the frame had been sorted and 12-volt electrics standardised, but welcome improvements included shuttle-valve fork internals, independently adjustable ignition points, Amal Concentric carburettors, and a long overdue twin-leading-shoe front brake. For the next couple of seasons, the Bonnie continued essentially unchanged before the disastrous launch of the 'oil-in-frame' models in the autumn of 1970 precipitated the collapse of the entire BSA-Triumph Group. ??Miklos bought this Bonneville in South Africa in 1997 and brought it to the UK in 1999. He then had it restored by Rockerbox of Farnham, Surrey, while the bespoke paint scheme (an homage to the original Bonnie of 1959) was entrusted to Altamura. Related invoices are on file and this beautiful machine also comes with a quantity of MoTs (most recent expires 22nd August 2018), numerous bills for parts and servicing, and old/current V5C Registration Certificates.