Back in the mid-seventies a handful of British bikes stood back to back, trying to hold off the flood of Japanese imports like the thin red line at Rourke's Drift. Chief amongst these, and last to fall as the tides of imports engulfed them, was the T140 Triumph Bonneville; and more particularly the peanut tank, high bar model known universally as the Export Bonnie. Old fashioned, over developed and under resourced the Export Bonnie nonetheless had an indefinable quality which endeared it to a generation of riders. Each journey successfully completed was an acheivement, each breakdown a new adventure in mechanical engineering. And the Bonnie had street soul. It handled and sounded like nothing else on earth and when it ran sweetly (which admittedly wasn¹t often) it was pure joy on wheels.

When Hinkley launched this brand new custom styled bike and called it a Bonneville America, the spirit of the Export Bonnie surely looked down from above to see whether it had died in vain.

The British industry has seen a resurgence with the new Triumph company manufacturing high tech, high quality bikes. They took on the Japanese, matched them for performance and engineering and once more carved out a market share for the well loved Triumph name. When they re-launched the Bonneville last year it was no leaky, vibratory old design but a brand new, thoroughly modern 790cc DOHC twin aimed at capturing all the charm of its historic predecessor with none of the grief. So did they succeed?

The Bonneville America is developed from the standard Bonnie, but this is no mere makeover with a different tank and handlebar. The engine has been redesigned with a 270 degree firing angle to give a raunchier, torquier feel and now kicks out just over 61 BHP. The frame has been reworked to give a much lower seat height, and forks, wheels and running gear are all re-styled to fit in with the cruiser look.

But if you¹re expecting the touch of soul associated with the Bonneville name be prepared for disappointment. This bike is clinically efficient and quite bland to ride. The modern, high tech motor purrs away like a Swiss watch and feels indistinguishable to anything from a Japanese factory. It makes power, sure, but while it will happily cruise all day at 90 (something you¹d never dare risk on a real Bonnie) it lacks the arm-wrenching torque of its predecessor and simply gets on with its job smoothly and efficiently. Which leaves the handling and styling to carry on the Bonneville traditionŠ

And it does handle well, or well enough at least. Our test bike felt a little underdamped at the rear, but was still light enough to be flickable in the twisties and stable at cruising speeds. The brakes felt surprisingly weedy, with lots of movement on both lever and pedal before things began to bite. But I could live with them.

What I couldn¹t live with is the styling. Impressive at first glance, I began to find the bikes looks a little brash at the first fuel stop, and by the time I got it home was starting to feel embarrassed at being seen on it. There¹s no doubt in my mind, Triumph have over done it with this one. Every detail on the bike looks like it¹s been treated as a sixth form design project with styling cues which plunder the back catalogue shamelessly. Those tank badges are too big, the side profile of the fuel tank looking like a cartoon version re-created in metal. The forks, with their fake tin shrouds, and front mudguard add to the effect, and from the wrong angle this looks like a parody of a custom bike. The pillion footrests are mounted on enormous egg shaped alloy castings, supposedly echoing vintage toolboxes, and even the battery cover has been styled to look like an old rubber Exide unit with fake metal strap.

The bike is riddled with fakery, from the unecessary dummy pushrod tubes on the engine to the shameless Harley copy cats-eye dash and footboards, with oversize "Triumph" logos. The long, straight exhaust pipes somehow serve to underline the mis-cued styling, presenting a flat bottomed profile which jars with the forced curves of the bikes upper half. It¹s better looking than a BMW R1200C, but only just. Even the leather saddlebags resemble nothing more than a pair of school satchels, and fail miserably in imitating the sassy style of Harleys originals.

To my ears the standard pipes sound over strangled, and personally I'd have to run the gauntlet of the environmentalists by fitting something louder and freer breathing.

It¹s not a bad all rounder with good comfort for both rider and passenger, helped by a range of screens, panniers and backrests all available as factory extras. And if you do find the styling too extreme, you can opt for the standard Bonneville and re-live the glory days of 1969.

Marks out of ten, then:

For performance I¹ll give it six.
With 61 BHP and 45 Ft/Lbs of torque available the Bonneville isn't the fastest bike on the street. As a package though, the Bonneville works well enough. The power is well matched to the chassis and it goes, stops and handles well. If you're in the cruiser market you won't be disappointed and it's quick enough to be lots of fun on the open road.

Comfort: Seven.
You're always going to get some discomfort from the splayed out riding position and lack of windshield at speed, but ridden more moderately the bike feels fine. The seat is low and wide and the bars and pegs give just the right profile for boulevard posing. A small backrest for the passenger would make it even better.

Build Quality: Eight out of Ten.
Finish on both paintwork and chrome is good, and the fasteners look durable. I¹m still unhappy about chroming alloy engine covers, which look guaranteed to flake as soon as the bike is out of warranty. But loved and polished this bike should keep its smart looks as well as anything from Japan.

Value for Money:
At £6349 on the road the Bonneville America is set for a struggle in the market. Most serious competition will come from the Kawasaki VN800 at just over six grand and the latest Suzuki Intruder at just over five and a half. And don't forget the Harley Sportster, whose basic 883 model undercuts the Bonnie by over a grand. Quite who would buy the Bonnie when they could have a real life Harley in the garage for a grand less is hard to figure out, but Triumph claim the bike is selling well. It's not cheap, buy one if price isn¹t a consideration, or if you have a dedication to the marque.

Street Cred: Four out of ten.
Sorry Triumph, this bike neither looks nor feels like the real thing. Stick to building real classics like the water cooled threes, and bikes which genuinely innovate like the 595/955 series.

Dr.Rod.