[HariRE350]

My younger brother and I, both engineers, find our kicks in mechanical objects and that’s where the similarities end. I am an outgoing and talkative person while he is the silent and brooding types (Ergo it is me who is writing this). I am a huge Rafael Nadal fan while he is Roger Federer fan. Our tastes in everything differ. This is an important reason of why we chose what we chose (oh the drama and suspense). Please bear with us.

We bought our Enfields when there weren’t many on the road and in a time when the waiting period was something like 13 months! My brother bought the Thunderbird and I, its humbler and poorly endowed (rear drum brakes) cousin – the Classic 350. Having ridden Pulsar 150 previously (his was Red and mine was Black) the Bullet was a huge step up.


I will forever miss you

The title mentions Triumphs and why am I even discussing the humble Bullet? Well, the story is in the details and I appreciate you all reading through this lengthy post. We wanted to tell you all about our outgoing bikes and what an excellent companion they were in our time as owners, amateur mechanics and full time oglers of chrome.

So, coming back to our Bullets – I clearly remember riding out of the showroom with my CL350 feeling like the king of the road (cue the ‘Can’t touch this…’ song). My brother was sold on the TB350 after seeing the advert featuring the head designer Siva and a certain Sarah who ride the TB on the ECR. One particular line from Siva in the video stood out for my brother and it was this quote “Art is not just for mere art purpose, it’s for the purpose of LIFE..” At the time the Duke 200 had released and was making a huge wave in the motorcycle market. But we were not one bit concerned. The Duke was never our type of bike.

We were the masters of everything we surveyed on our Bullets. We went on long trips together and we didn’t care about speed. Both of us being sedate riders despise the speedo going above 90 and our Bullets were perfect in that sense. There was no way I could hold the Bullet at speeds above 100Kmph for more than 15 minutes anyway. The mirrors would decide they were missing out on the fun and would unscrew themselves and start rotating. So severe were the vibrations on the handlebar! On my brothers TB, the vibrations just got shifted to the foot pegs. However, his bike was faster than mine.
I keep hearing negative things being said about the Bullet and I do agree to some of it but what I’d like to tell you all is that if you run in this bike properly and regularly check and maintain the bike, it’s a gem of a bike! We can confidently say this after taking our own bikes to Ladakh last year. We rode all the way from Delhi and back and albeit a flat on my CL350 at Zing Zing Bar, we did not face a single issue. We were accompanied by Arun on the mighty Himalayan and the three of us had a riot. The importance of good company on any ride cannot be understated. But, that’s a story for another day.


Somewhere near K-Top

I have always been a fan of classic bikes (read Chrome) and when the seeds of a bike upgrade were sown unconsciously, there was only one choice – The Triumph. Sadly my bank balance was rusted and in need of some shiny chrome. That, however, didn’t deter me from visiting the showroom and just looking at the Bonnie in all her glory. Not the T100, not the Tiger, just the Bonnie. It was always the Bonnie. Reading up on her or typing ‘Bonneville Stock Sound’ on YouTube and listening to that exhaust note made my day. I didn’t care if the handlebar lock was on one side and ignition on the other side and that it didn’t have a lockable fuel cap. It was just some mumbo jumbo that these journos write anyway. I must thank my wife and the showroom folks for not throwing me out of the house and my second home (Keerthi Triumph), respectively.

By some stroke of luck, a friend of mine was selling his mint condition silver bonnie (with the lockable fuel cap) which had 3K on the odo. I saw the lovely bike and sadly my friend and I couldn’t find middle ground on the price and I let the dream go. Again.

Then news began trickling in of a “new” Bonneville. Not just one! The entire lineup was now being called ‘Modern Classics’. Level oxymoron unlocked. Then the media scrutiny began. Then the pictures came. Then I fell in love. Again. As I scoured through every review of the Street Twin (considering the lack of chrome – on the bike and in my wallet), I secretly hoped to marry the T120. Dinner discussions, long drive discussions – EVERYTHING was about the Triumph.
Then the kind gods above decided to open their eyes and good things happened at work and now I could see my dream coming true. Off I went, to the showroom, again. Asked for the Street Twin first and also asked if the T120 was available for a test ride. So he got both the bikes and suggested I ride the Twin half way and then switch to the T120.

Street Twin Initial Impressions:

Pull the clutch in to start the bike – this is a standard in all Triumphs. Thumb the starter and BOOM the exhaust note is pure, orchestra quality eargasm. The guy looks at me with that ‘yeah this is only the stock sound’ look. The gear falls into first with an assuring click. Off we go through Bangalore’s famous traffic. Surprisingly the bike is so nimble and I am already weaving through traffic. The bike was talking to me saying don’t you dare think about my elder sister. I was thrilled by the grunt of the exhausts and the insane amount of torque, so readily available. I had a huge smile on my face and was just short of screaming to the heavens above. At the traffic light, the showroom rep just looked at me and started laughing. I guess he knew what I was feeling at that moment. I couldn’t comprehend much because of all the adrenaline. Then I switched to riding the big sister.

T120 Initial Impressions:

Hello there! You chrome, you! Frankly the name T120 sounds like an iteration of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous T1000. All jokes apart, this bike is a proper sophisticated lady (cue Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl). First thing I noticed was the foot pegs were almost like my bullet - comfy and easy to sit and use the brake and gear levers. On the Street Twin I was slightly crouching forward and the bike was like a raging bull asking me to let her rip and hold on to dear life. On the T120 it was more like ‘Hey handsome man with the pot belly, just look at my hand painted gold coach lines and the lockable filler cap. Ok you need to chill, you’re making me turn red’ :P The test ride bike was the beautiful Red and Silver twin color. Just like in all the photo shoots, it was a sight to behold. To me, the first things I noticed was there was an extra button called ‘M’ and the grips were thicker. I engaged first and then it hit me; after having moved hardly 100metres – that this was a train in disguise. I mean you have to experience this torque wave to believe me. And it did this in such a calm manner and in no time I had reached 100 while still in 3rd gear. This is something very difficult for a bulleteer to fathom. How can nothing vibrate on this bike and yet move like this? This was clearly the better bike amongst the two. For me, at least.

Managing the chrome part (read finances):

After having put 50,000Kms in 3 years on my CL350 I decided, with a heavy heart to sell her off. While my brother decided to keep his trusty steed and gets to see it every day, I can only be content with the thought that I only see my bike every weekend at the tennis court I visit. In a way my Bullet laid the foundation for the Bonnie. The down payment was made from the proceeds of the sale of the CL350. The T120, as gorgeous as she was, was out of my chrome radar, and I had decided on the Street Twin. At about 2L more than the ST I began to find reasons to not own it! My younger brother then, in a moment of inspired speech (Cue - Russell Crowe’s “On my signal, unleash hell..”) told me that the T120 was always my dream and to listen to my heart rather than my head. He then told me that he had had his eye on the Street Twin for some time. He wanted to however buy at a later stage and I being the foolish one went ahead and put my money on a Black T120. 150 days waiting period they said. I said no problem; I waited for 13 months for my bullet! I was clearly winning at this game. Then he showed me the accessories list and I began to experience blurred vision and breathlessness. I will not go into the details for the lack of any logical words or emotions to pen down.

At about 30 days into the 150 day waiting period, our Honorable CM, in our annual budget, announced that the registration tax is going to be increased to 18% from the existing 12% (for all motorcycles above 1L ex showroom price), with effect from April 1. That would mean the prices were to go up by ~68K and ~63K for the T120 and the Street Twin!

Lo and behold! I was in the showroom. Again. This time with a willing subject i.e. my brother. Test Ride. Ogle at chrome. Repeat. Done.
My brother decided that now was the time to be foolish too and plonked down some hard earned cash on the Cranberry Red Street Twin. We would like to thank Rohit Venkatraman from Keerthi Triumph for fighting for our bikes and getting them allotted. As you may have all guessed, there was a flurry of activity and everyone wanted their bikes before April 1. The ultimate April 1 prank had been played on us.

I had booked the gloss black T120 which was also the cheapest. I had chosen this color to avoid any unwanted attention on the road. In this color the bike looks just like a bullet and that would mean I could park it anywhere without the bike being meddled with. I intended to ride to work a day in a week and hence this would be the perfect color choice. But, that particular color would take 4 months to arrive and hence I decided to pay extra for the twin color T120 already in stock. I figured it was better than paying the increased tax amount.

The D-Day fell on April 5th. All the stars were aligned - my mom confirmed in addition to it being Ram Navami. I couldn't do an iota of work as we had scheduled delivery for 5PM. We took a cab and visited the showroom by 430PM and there they were - polished and looking like a million rupees (literally)!
We had invited a few good friends to tag along with us and they were kind enough to accompany us. The smile on their faces made our day.
Hari had chosen the following accessories -
> Sump Guard / Bash Plate in Black
> Engine Protectors (Crash Guards) in Graphite
> Luggage Rack in Graphite
I chose only the Sump Guard and the Engine Protectors, both in black.
Rohit explained everything about everything on both the bikes and after serving us two delicious cakes, two tanks full of petrol and signing on all the paper work, off we went OUT of the showroom. We got the pooja for both bikes from mommy dearest and avoided the temple owing to the heavy festival rush expected.

We were living our dream - a dream that seemed so distant and unachievable just a few months ago. I cannot express the way I felt especially because I was sharing this moment and fun with my brother. I had hoped to be a RAT but now there were two RATS in the same household. My parents and my better half were thrilled and did not look like hunting us rats with a broom

Driving and Ownership Report (Finally)

Its only been 17 days since I bought my Bonnie and its already at ~600Kms. The first service is at 800KMS and thereafter service at every 16,000KMS!
The bike warranty is for 2 years and unlimited kilometers! Its the same for all Triumph Motorcycles and it tells you the kind of quality these bikes reek of.

My brother and I went on our first ride in the night. Since the heat is too much during the day we rode until the Belur Cross Coffee Day (~100Kms) one way and back. What a hoot the bikes are. Proper road manners and the addictive torque makes overtaking in any gear ridiculously easy. I was told that during the running in the bike needs to be under 4000Rpm. Well at hardly 2800Rpm in the 6th gear the bike is already at 130kmph (50 over the legal speed limit!) the stupid thing is only when you look at the speedo do you realize the speeds this bike is capable of. The wind blast is not severe, however, we do intend to put a wind screen at a later stage since I don't want to experience blurred vision anytime soon.

Switch Assembly :

Left Side -


> The left most switch on the hand grip is for the 'Heated Grips' - It has three settings 'Off', 'Lo' and 'High' which is shown in the left dial of the speedo. I did try it on our night ride and it works so well. I know many may think sub-tropical country, more than 300 days of sunlight etc etc. But it helps during those rain rides or early morning rides. The heat is enough to warm the gloves and on the highest setting it is akin to keeping your hand near a warm fire.
> The 'i' button toggles multiple functions
1) Traction Control - On or Off: For those off days when you want to wheel spin and take off! Believe me this baby is capable. I am a chicken and haven't tried it yet.
2) ODO - Does not display distance in fractions
3) Trip 1 - Displays in fractions (1.1 etc)
4) Trip 2 - I never had any of this in my previous bike and hence do not know the value of this, yet
5) Clock in 24HR format only - I love the AM/PM on all my watches. Need to learn the fauji way
6) Real time fuel average - Shown in the 'British' Litres/100kms. I will need to make a mental calculation every time. The reading keeps changing based on the speed one is doing
7) Average fuel consumption - Also in the Litres/100Kms. I really need to get used to this
8) Gear position indicator - 1 to 6 are displayed at the top right of the screen always
The 'i' button, for one click toggles the above functions. On long hold, one can set/reset the respective screens
> The indicator button - does not auto cancel (my one and only gripe - even the pulsars have it)
> The horn - Sounds like Wile E. Coyote's arch nemesis. I don't use the horn much so I will probably plan for a Denali SoundBomb Mini later
> DRL & Low Beam switch - The DRL is the Euro spec one and is extremely bright. The low beam emits white light and is bright the beam is visible very nicely
> High Beam / Pass switch - This can be used when the above switch is in either DRL or low beam. The neat thing is press twice for 'Passing' and press once for the High beam


Right Side -
> The kill switch - This is my favourite switch and it has the engine kill, engine prime (fuel pump) and the starter button integrated into one switch. Top most is engine kill (never to be used 'ordinarily' as per the owners manual and to be used only in an emergency). In the middle is the engine prime switch which when engaged sweeps the needles in the console with an audible sound of the fuel pump. Bottom most is to crank the engine
> The 'M' button - Toggles between 'Road' and 'Rain' modes. The accelerator is ride-by-wire and is smooth and not at all twitchy. In the Road mode the bike is in Hulk mode and in the Rain mode it is in the scientist mode. The modes can be switched while in motion too - clutch depressed, brake not engaged and throttle at zero and that's it! I usually switch to rain mode in heavy traffic. The rain mode mutes the accelerator response
> Hazard Light - Will function even if the key is removed provided it is engaged beforehand


The Ignition Key -

I love the brushed aluminum finish on the keys and the logo. The 'Triumph' logo is everywhere and on everything. I'm not complaining one bit but you will understand in the coming pictures. Two sets of keys are given with the bike. Both keys have transponders in built and the ECU recognizes only these two keys. Both keys, however, must not be kept together since the key and the ECU continuously communicate with each other. The keys are unique to each bike and a faulty key may unlock the bike but will not start the bike. The key also unlocks the seat - a very simple affair

Instrument Cluster -
'Off'

'On'


Left Side -
1) Digital Screen
Speedometer with functions of the 'i' button with the above mentioned 7 screens and the service reminder spanner
Right Side -
> Distance to Empty indicator
> Fuel Indicator
> 'Mode' Indicator
2) Analogue Screen
> Traction Control ON
> Traction Control OFF
> Oil Temperature
> Engine Check Light
> ABS Indicator - Blinks until bike crosses 15kmph

Right Side -
1) Digital Screen
> Distance to empty - for an engine this size the mileage is really good. I got 330kms to a full tank (15Lts). I am sure if kept at 80/90 the bike will surprise me
> Cruise Control - Optional
> Fuel Indicator Bar - This gets updated after a refill only after running the bike for 5 minutes or so
> Rain & Ride Modes
2) Analogue Screen
>'Neutral' Indicator
> DRL Indicator - wont light up when low beam is functional
> High Beam Indicator
> Low Fuel Indicator

The fuel tank & under seat area -


The dual tone paint scheme of black and white with the hand painted gold coach lines are eye candy and I could spend days looking at this scheme. Also, there is a signature of the person who painted these gold coach lines. I hope its clear in the picture above. There is also a weatherproof USB port provided. Very nifty and practical.


DRL -

This was one of the main reasons I fell in love with this bike. It is very bright and complements the modernity associated with this modern classic


Engine View -
Left Side

Observe the brushed aluminum badges and the 'HT' (high torque) badging. This is the same motor that will propel the Bobber, albeit in a different state of tune. Also, the fuel injectors are made to look like carburetors - a testimony to the original 1959 model

The NGK style spark plugs add a bit of color to the black engine area


Right Side


Ready to count the 'Triumph' logos?





The tail lights are LED too and super bright both during the day and night


Clutch & Brake Levers -

Both levers are adjustable based on your finger length. On the clutch lever it is from 1 to 4 and on the brake lever it is from 1 to 5. I use both on the highest numbers (closest to me).

I prefer to have them set up this way. The torque assisted clutch is light and easy to use. There is a slipper clutch so while downshifting there is an absence of tire hopping. I hope I work up the guts to do all this soon.

Lastly, I hope this was primarily, an enjoyable read. I apologize for the post being so lengthy and for any errors that may have crept in. I hope to post frequent updates on rides, service experience etc.
I do hope to hear from all of you and ride with you soon.
My next task will be to ask my brother to write about the street twin so do keep an eye out for it

[.anshuman]

Thread moved here from Assembly line. Thanks for sharing

[sriramv.iyer]

One of the best and heartfelt reviews I've read of late - Congrats to you and your brother! Have a lot of fun

[mobike008]

Nice review! Bonnie T100/120 have one of the best builts seen in a motorcycle

Surprisingly there is not a single picture of the complete bike?

[HariRE350]

Thank You Sriram for the kind words. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much we enjoyed writing this

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

One of the best and heartfelt reviews I've read of late - Congrats to you and your brother! Have a lot of fun

Thank You Sriram for the kind words. We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we did writing this

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nice review! Bonnie T100/120 have one of the best builts seen in a motorcycle

Surprisingly there is not a single picture of the complete bike?

I will upload more pictures soon. Completed 800kms and will update after the service too

[BlackPearl]

Congratulations on the T120 and a well written review! Waiting for more pics and feedback as you pile up the miles.

[PISTONS]

Congratulation. It’s a wonderful heartfelt narration. You have got an amazing writing skills and to back up the right emotion you que in a reference scene/song. “At my signal, Unleash the hell” .

Coming to T120, it is going to be my pick as well if I need to make one from 2017 line-up on VFM grounds. It has got everything and you need not spend money on centre stand.

We would like to see more from you on your observations related to

Usage in day to day traffic
Seating position
Suspension
Engine heat
Behaviour at high speeds in straight line and while cornering
Accessories planned
Riding Gear planned (Actually this should be on top)

[narula123]

Congratulations on a wonderful machine. One of the best Classic bikes to own and with Triumph's service network it'll be relatively easy to live with. I agree with the others that you should now get yourself some quality riding gear on a priority to compliment the bike.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by HariRE350

I will upload more pictures soon. Completed 800kms and will update after the service too

Originally Posted by mobike008

Surprisingly there is not a single picture of the complete bike?

Haha - this was my thought exactly - kept searching for full bike pics.

@Hari: Please do upload full bike pics soon of this beautiful machine. Wish you many miles of safe and enjoyable riding.

[HariRE350]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Congratulations on the T120 and a well written review! Waiting for more pics and feedback as you pile up the miles.

Thank you BlackPearl. We are set to give the bikes for the 800KM service on Wednesday. I am totally satisfied with the levels of service I have received before and after buying these beauties.

Originally Posted by PISTONS

Congratulation. It’s a wonderful heartfelt narration. You have got an amazing writing skills and to back up the right emotion you que in a reference scene/song. “At my signal, Unleash the hell” .

Coming to T120, it is going to be my pick as well if I need to make one from 2017 line-up on VFM grounds. It has got everything and you need not spend money on centre stand.

We would like to see more from you on your observations related to

Usage in day to day traffic
Seating position
Suspension
Engine heat
Behaviour at high speeds in straight line and while cornering
Accessories planned
Riding Gear planned (Actually this should be on top)

Thank you pistons! I hope to write some more soon. This is a total VFM like you rightly observe. The quality on this bike is simply light years ahead of anything currently available too - an example would be the wiring on the bike. It has been so neatly tucked in that nothing is visible. I washed the bike on Saturday and it was so easy to clean. Every opening near the engine area or the spokes are clearly made for hulk's hands
Usage in day to day traffic - I take my bike to office at least once a week. The bike shows some heat in the famous KR Puram traffic. I use the rain mode in crawling traffic and once the bike moves the heat is not an issue at all. The best part is there is no need to use the beep beep horn since the torque available makes overtaking super easy. The usual dust also doesn't seem to be a problem since the air filter intake is a sort of like a down pipe hidden in the left side panel
Seating position - The seating is very neutral and relaxed. I am 5'8 and can easily flat foot the bike. Its very similar to my CL350. The seat is nicely padded and doesn't need any mods. My wife who sits pillion loves her part of the real estate too
Suspension - Suspension is medium and doesn't bounce around even when riding two up. Potholes and our famous speed bumps are not an issue as I haven't scraped the bash plate even once
Engine heat - Runs hotter than my brothers Street Twin but once the bike moves, the heat disappears. The fan also switches on with a low hum and doesn't not noisy at all
Behaviour at high speeds in straight line and while cornering - In a straight line this is nothing short of a diesel engine. I would highly recommend a test ride to feel the torque. It will rip your arms off of the handlebar. In a corner she is a little shy and doesn't turn in as quickly as the street twin owing to its weight. Also, the footpegs touch ground because of the different rake angle
Accessories planned - Triumph/Dart Flyscreen, Saddle bag stays (since we already have saddle bags)

Originally Posted by narula123

Congratulations on a wonderful machine. One of the best Classic bikes to own and with Triumph's service network it'll be relatively easy to live with. I agree with the others that you should now get yourself some quality riding gear on a priority to compliment the bike.

Hey Narula! Thank you for the kind words of appreciation. We are both packed to the gills with riding gear. The only problem is the jacket, trousers and full gauntlet gloves have RE written all over them. I hope the bonnie doesn't mind me reminding her of my ex every time I ride. I use a cramster breezer for my commute to office and go dripping wet to office during these summers (I am used to the strange looks I get). My trusty HJC CL17 protects my head. Hi-viz orange suspenders, hydra pack make up the rest of my humble gear. I hope to add ear buds because of the wind noise above 100kmph. ATG-ATT forever

Originally Posted by Axe77

Haha - this was my thought exactly - kept searching for full bike pics.


@Hari: Please do upload full bike pics soon of this beautiful machine. Wish you many miles of safe and enjoyable riding.

Axe77 apologies for missing out on that. I am adding them now. Thank you for your kind wishes.



On our first BRAT ride to IPC, Devanahalli road. It was an excellent short and sweet ride. I got to meet Rahul and Gautham. The place however is over hyped and I now know why I never thought of going there in the first place


The Cinder Red is one of my favorite color scheme on the T120. All the models side panels are black in color so only the tank changes color


Mo Cuishle


yes! that's me on the right




I will keep the thread updated with my service experience slated for Wednesday. Happy and safe riding, till then.

[madhkris]

Fantastic write up and so true words. I too picked up a Jet Black Bonnie T100 from Keerthi Triumph a few days ago and went through a similar experience as you, especially since am upgrading from a Machismo 500. Loved your heart felt review and subtle humour. Great thread and following now.

[wangdu]

Hey guys, congrats to both . The Bonnie is a great upgrade from RE like I did. It provides that heavy, bassy ride coupled with performance while keeping the subtle retro look alive. If it wasn't for the Fusion White/Aegan blue on T100, I would have also gone for T120. I do admit though that I'm getting critical more often of my RE after owning Bonnie, something akin to Indian parents comparing their child to "sharmaji's son who comes 1st in class" Another point I have experienced on Bonnie is that it doesn't let me day dream while riding on highways. Given the speeds that Bullet is capable of, more often than not I would find myself lost in thoughts while the Bullet cruises but here the Bonnie keeps me fully conscious in the moment with all my senses focused on riding (i'm jolted out of slumber by the massive torque when inadvertently the throttle gets opened even slightly more than intended)

My tryst & short ownership experience of T100

Question: On the Cinder Red Bonnie (like mine) the fly screen is taking up space usually used for number plate. I'm trying to figure out how to put on the number plate without spoiling the aesthetics of fly screen, so instead of stickers on the screen I'm pondering if small fonts on front fender could be an option. Is that a temp number on paper, taped on fly-screen or has the owner put a white sticker and then got the black font numbers done on it?

Thanks & happy riding.

[HariRE350]

Originally Posted by madhkris

Fantastic write up and so true words. I too picked up a Jet Black Bonnie T100 from Keerthi Triumph a few days ago and went through a similar experience as you, especially since am upgrading from a Machismo 500. Loved your heart felt review and subtle humour. Great thread and following now.

Thank you Madhkris! Looks like a lot of RE riders are choosing or chasing the bonnie. I think we are all suckers for that classic looks

Originally Posted by wangdu

Hey guys, congrats to both .
==========
Thanks & happy riding.

hahaha I agree with you 100% Mr Wangdu. I love the aegan blue shade on the T100. And of the three, the T100 has the best throttle map. Congratulations on your beautiful bonnie and I will surely go through your thread.
The cinder red bonnie belongs to a fellow BRAT (Mr Rahul). He had ordered the classic flyscreen from Dart Flyscreens (https://www.dartflyscreens.com/colle...l-triumph-t120)
The package comes with the mounting brackets which are fixed to the indicators. So the stock ones are removed and he has black on white stickered on it. Personally, I wouldn't stick the number plate on the screen or on the front mudguard. It ruins the look and the purpose of the number plate. One option could be an extra mount near the rectifier holding the number plate. Do let me know how you work around this. Because ill be following you soon

[jkdas]

Good write up! and of course a superb buy!
I am yet to ride the T120/T100 but had a T100 for company last week during a B-RAT ride. The stock pea-shooters sound great in T100 and maybe the T120's would be louder? I also loved the brake light of the T100 coz it was superb bright in a good way.

The 800-16000 kms service gap is really surprising; awesome if so.

[wangdu]

Originally Posted by jkdas

..The 800-16000 kms service gap is really surprising; awesome if so.

The stock peashooters aren't any noticeably louder on T120. I test rode both T100 (stock) and T120 (stock, V&H) before deciding on T100. V&H on T120 leans more towards noise than the bassy next level sound one would expect.

The huge service gap is actually true. The Bonnies (and perhaps other Triumphs) are supremely reliable and that confidence shows in the service interval (although Indian conditions might make it slightly earlier). Don't know if i can mention a URL here so just a snippet from a blog out there (this guy traveled around the world on Bonnie)

Summing up what needed replacement after 130,000 km is a very short list: 1 rear sprocket bearing in Greece ($9.-), 1 clutch cable in China ($3.82) and 1 gear lever seal in India ($3.17), which makes a grand total of $15.99 in 130,000 km. Just two weeks after I bought my Bonnie I said 'I hope it makes the 100,000 km'. That was before I had any ideas to travel around the world on it and take it off-road or fit panniers. Having done 130,000 problem free km now, I'm looking forward to 200,000 km...