Triumph Bonneville T40 and the Royal Enfield Classic 350: same-same but different

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 has been India’s go-to retro roadster since its launch back in 2009, selling well over 3 million units since it launched in the Indian market. Triumph has just launched the much-awaited Bonneville T4 and T40 based on the TR series platform, with prices starting from ₹2.55 lakh. On paper, it has all the makings of a proper retro motorcycle befitting the Bonneville name, making it the Royal Enfield Classic 350’s toughest rival to date. So before we actually get to ride the new Triumph Bonneville T4 and T40, here’s how it differentiates itself from the current segment king, at least on the brochure.

Triumph Bonneville T40 v Royal Enfield Classic 350: Design and features

The T40 stays true to the classic Bonneville design and has the classic spoke wheels, teardrop tank, round headlamps, and a dual-shock rear suspension setup. It sits on a hybrid spine/perimeter tubular steel frame with a dual-sided steel swing arm. The standard T40, along with all variants of the T4, get chrome-finished mirrors, grab rails and brushed aluminium heel guards, with the black edition of the T40 getting a blacked-out powder-coated treatment. The bike sits on an 18-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear wheel, with a wheelbase of 1418mm. At launch, it will be available in 5 colourways.

The Royal Enfield Classic, on the other hand, has roots that go all the way back to the 1950s with the Royal Enfield G2, and for the most part it continues to maintain the same silhouette. It keeps the same upright stance, teardrop fuel tank, circular headlights with the iconic casquette and round indicators. On the Classic range, you can choose between spoke wheels or alloys (from the GMA catalogue), but on the Royal Enfield, the wheel sizes are an inch larger at both ends, with a 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear. For 2026, it is available in seven colourways alongside the Gorkha edition. It maintains a smaller wheelbase of 1,390mm, but has the same kerb weight of 195kg as the Bonneville T40.

While both the motorcycles weigh the same on paper, they will likely feel slightly different to ride; Triumph's longer wheelbase and smaller wheels give it a different set of proportions, while the Classic's larger wheels contribute to its more traditional roadster stance. We have yet to get our hands on the Bonneville T40, so we cannot be certain about what it is like to ride. But the dimensions suggest a motorcycle that should be stable for highway cruising and easy going in its handling characteristics.

The instrument cluster on the T40 gets a 4-inch colour TFT display with support for full map navigation, whereas the Classic 350 gets a hybrid analogue cluster with a Tripper Pod on certain variants for turn-by-turn navigation. One big improvement for the Classic was the addition of the gear indicator, a feature that was not available on previous models.

Triumph Bonneville T40 v Royal Enfield Classic 350: Engine and suspension

Both bikes are powered by a single-cylinder 349cc engine, although both engines are designed with slightly different philosophies. For starters, the Classic 350 sports a long-stroke J series engine, which means the combustion chamber of the engine has a longer stroke than its bore diameter: 72mm bore x 82mm stroke. The result is an engine with a relaxed nature, and with peak torque coming in earlier in the rev range. As we already know, the Classic 350 offers a very relaxed riding experience, as its 350cc long-stroke engine is very slow to rev up and is known for its strong low-end and mid-range, and it works well with the Classic’s relaxed character.

Whereas the Bonneville sports an oversquare 349cc liquid-cooled engine, where the diameter of the bore is higher than the stroke of the engine, which is 89mm x 56.1mm. We have already ridden the Speed 400 and Thruxton, both of which have a very rev-happy nature, and Triumph says the Bonneville does not follow the same path, and the tune prioritises lower-end torque to mimic the character of larger parallel-twin Bonnies rather than the high-revving sports tune of the Speed 400. How true that will be remains to be seen.

The Classic 350 produces 20.2bhp at 6,100 rpm and 27Nm at 4,000 rpm; the Bonneville T40, on the other hand, produces 28.6bhp at 7,000rpm and 31.2Nm at 5,500rpm. The numbers give Triumph a sizable advantage, as it has extracted more performance from the same displacement.

Both motorcycles use a telescopic fork at the front and twin rear shocks with preload adjustment. The T40 gets a 43mm front fork with 130mm of wheel travel, and the same goes for the rear twin shock setup. Meanwhile, the Classic 350 gets 41mm telescopic front forks with 130mm of wheel travel, and the rear twin shocks get 90mm of wheel travel.

Braking hardware also broadly continues to remain the same, with the Triumph getting a 310mm fixed disc at the front, which is chomped on by twin-piston axial callipers and a 255mm rear disc with a single-piston floating calliper. The Classic also gets a similar setup with a 300mm disc up front and a 270mm rear disc; the calliper setup is similar.

One of the biggest differences between the two is the electronic aids, or the lack thereof. The Triumph Bonneville T40 gets lean-sensitive ABS and traction control as standard, whereas the Classic 350 offers dual-channel ABS on higher variants, with lower end variants get single-channel ABS.

Triumph Bonneville T40 v Royal Enfield Classic 350: Pricing

The pricing is where the gap becomes difficult to ignore; the Classic 350 is priced between ₹1.87 lakh and ₹2.26 lakh for the base and top variants. Whereas the Triumph Bonneville T40 starts from ₹2.8 lakh, demanding a ₹54,000 premium over the highest spec of the Classic 350.

There is also the Bonneville T4, which has a starting price of ₹2.55 lakh; it boasts the same 349cc engine but misses out on the TFT display, cruise control and electronic rider aids. While it does bring the Bonneville concept closer to the Classic in terms of pricing, it still demands a ₹29,000 premium over the highest spec of the Classic.

We have had the Bonneville avatar in India as the Bonneville T120 and T100; they were often priced out of reach of the daily rider. The Bonneville T40 has all the makings of a great retro-roadster, but we can only say for certain once we get our hands on the bike. Stay tuned for more.