- New Bonneville T40 brings Triumph’s iconic Modern Classic styling to the 400cc LAMS class
- Specially tuned TR-Series single produces 32hp and 36Nm, with the emphasis shifted towards low-down torque
- Five riding modes, cornering ABS and traction control, cruise control and full-map TFT navigation come standard
Triumph has expanded its hugely successful 400cc range with perhaps its most significant model yet – the new Bonneville T40 and T40 Black, bringing one of the most famous names in motorcycling to the LAMS class.
And while it would have been easy for Triumph to simply dress up a Speed 400 with a teardrop tank and a bit more chrome, there’s rather more going on here than that.
The new T40 gets its own chassis, traditional twin rear shocks, wire-spoked wheels and a substantially different version of Triumph’s 398cc TR-Series single-cylinder engine. There’s also an unexpectedly serious electronics package including cornering ABS and traction control, cruise control, five riding modes and a new four-inch circular TFT display with full-map navigation.
But perhaps the most interesting decision Triumph has made is to give the T40 less power.
Less power, more Bonneville
While the latest Tracker 400 and Thruxton 400 push the TR-Series single beyond 40hp, Triumph has deliberately taken the new Bonneville in the opposite direction.
A revised cylinder head and dedicated engine tune sees the T40 produce 32hp at 7000rpm and 36Nm at 5000rpm.
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That might not look particularly impressive on paper, but peak torque arrives considerably earlier than on the sportier versions of the engine, with Triumph clearly aiming for a more relaxed, torquey riding experience rather than chasing a headline horsepower figure.
The idle speed has also been lowered and the exhaust tuned to give the single-cylinder engine more distinct firing pulses through its traditional peashooter silencer.
In other words, Triumph is trying to make the engine behave like a Bonneville rather than simply putting a Bonneville badge on its existing 400.
Whether 32hp will feel enough is something we’ll reserve judgement on until we ride one, particularly as the T40 weighs a fairly substantial 191kg ready to ride.
It certainly looks like a Bonneville
Visually, however, Triumph appears to have nailed the brief.
There’s the familiar sculpted teardrop tank complete with rubber knee pads and traditional three-bar Triumph badge, a round LED headlight, long mudguards, bench seat, peashooter exhaust and – importantly – twin rear shocks.
Traditional wire-spoked wheels complete the look, with an 18-inch front and 17-inch rear combination using lightweight aluminium rims.
Rather than looking like a smaller modern roadster trying to impersonate a classic, the proportions are convincingly Bonneville.
Triumph has gone to some lengths with the finish, too. The standard T40 gets chrome mirrors and grab rail, brushed aluminium engine covers and a brushed steel exhaust, while the two-tone fuel tanks feature hand-painted coach lining.
Three colours will be available for the regular T40: Aegean Blue/Fusion White, Meriden Blue/Tangerine Orange and New England White/Jet Black.
The T40 Black gets a considerably moodier Matt Pewter Grey/Matt Phantom Black treatment along with black wheel rims, engine casings, header and silencer, while retaining bright steel spokes and a contrasting brown seat.
Big-bike electronics on a 400
If the styling is deliberately old school, the electronics definitely aren’t.
Probably the most exciting feature to be revealed on the T40 is the new TFT dash, which we’ll hopefully see expanded across the range and even up to some of the bigger capacity Triumphs. The current dash that features a combo of LCD and TFT screens has been around a while and isn’t particularly attractive or functional. The new TFT looks to fix all that. For the T40, the screen sits inside the traditional circular instrument housing and looks impressive. And if it’s a bit modern for the look of the rest of the bike, there’s the option to change the display for a Heritage mode, designed to resemble a conventional Bonneville clock.
There’s full smartphone connectivity and Triumph’s new Navigation App provides proper map-based navigation rather than basic turn-by-turn directions. Routes can be planned in advance, GPX files imported and journeys saved and shared.
Then there’s the rider electronics. Road, Rain and Eco riding modes are joined by two customisable modes, with each able to alter throttle response, traction control and ABS settings. There’s also Optimised Cornering ABS and Cornering Traction Control, plus cruise control as standard – a pretty serious electronics package for a relatively modest 400cc retro roadster.
Full LED lighting, self-cancelling indicators, Emergency Deceleration Warning, a USB-C socket and even a centre stand are standard equipment.
Built to be easy to ride
The other obvious focus is accessibility. Seat height is just 790mm, with an accessory low seat dropping that to 770mm, while the riding position is upright and relaxed.
The 191kg ready-to-ride weight means it’s not exceptionally light for a 400 – in fact, it’s considerably heavier than the Speed 400 – but Triumph says the dedicated chassis and aluminium-rimmed wheels have been developed to give the T40 easy, agile handling.
There’s 130mm of suspension travel at either end, with conventional 43mm forks up front and preload-adjustable twin shocks at the rear.
Braking comes from a single 310mm front disc with a twin-piston caliper and a 255mm rear disc, backed up by the lean-sensitive ABS system.
And with its modest power output, approachable dimensions and LAMS approval, the T40 should be an obvious option for newer riders who want the Bonneville look without starting on one of Triumph’s larger twins.
A very different Triumph 400
Triumph’s 400 platform has quickly grown well beyond the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X that started the whole thing. The family now encompasses the Scrambler 400 XC, Thruxton 400 and Tracker 400, with Triumph saying more than 60,000 examples of the platform have been sold in over 50 countries.
The Bonneville T40 arguably takes it in its most interesting direction yet. Rather than making another sportier or more adventurous version of the same basic motorcycle, Triumph has attempted to translate the character of its larger Modern Classics into a genuinely accessible 400.
And while its LAMS status will obviously make it attractive to learners, we’d expect plenty of experienced riders to be interested too. Triumph’s existing 400s have already demonstrated that small-capacity bikes don’t necessarily have to be starter bikes, particularly when they’re well finished, easy to ride and relatively affordable. A smaller, cheaper Bonneville could fit that audience rather well.
The big question will be price.
Triumph says pricing for the Bonneville T40 and T40 Black will be announced in early 2027, ahead of the bikes reaching dealerships during 2027. New Zealand pricing has yet to be confirmed, with local arrival expected in Q2 2027.
Get that part of the equation right and the T40 could turn out to be one of the most important additions to Triumph’s rapidly expanding 400cc family.
Triumph Bonneville T40 Gallery
Triumph Bonneville T40 – quick facts
| Engine | 398cc liquid-cooled DOHC single |
| Power | 32hp at 7000rpm |
| Torque | 36Nm at 5000rpm |
| Gearbox | Six-speed |
| Licence | LAMS approved |
| Riding modes | Road, Rain, Eco + two custom modes |
| Electronics | Cornering ABS, cornering traction control, cruise control |
| Display | 4-inch circular TFT |
| Navigation | Full-map Triumph Navigation App |
| Front wheel | 18-inch wire spoke |
| Rear wheel | 17-inch wire spoke |
| Front suspension | 43mm telescopic fork, 130mm travel |
| Rear suspension | Twin preload-adjustable shocks, 130mm travel |
| Front brake | 310mm disc, twin-piston caliper |
| Seat height | 790mm |
| Low seat | 770mm accessory |
| Wet weight | 191kg |
| Fuel capacity | 14.5 litres |
| Service interval | 16,000km / 12 months |
| NZ price | TBC |
| NZ availability | Q2 2027 |
