Triumph Bonneville T120

If you picture a "classic British motorcycle," you are probably picturing a Bonneville. The T120, a performance version of Triumph's 650cc Tiger twin unveiled at Earls Court in November 1958, took its name from Johnny Allen's speed record runs on the Utah salt flats. The first version wore heavy valanced fenders and a headlamp nacelle that American buyers disliked, and the slimmer later bikes are the ones that became the template. That shape proved durable enough that Triumph's modern Hinckley Bonnevilles were modeled on the 1967 machine, which makes this the reference point for anyone weighing a retro twin today.