Bristol Bobber 650

The Bristol Bobber 650 is a sheer looker and has a great road presence due to its classic retro-themed design of a traditional bobber. The laidback and low slung styling, with the single-seater theme, gives the Bristol Bobber 650 a much more premium appeal and makes it look unique.

At the front, the Bristol Bobber 650 has a classic and compact rounded headlamp, which is housed in a blacked casing. The rounded clear lens turn indicators are placed on the sides of the rubber gaiters which cover the central part of the front forks. Like a proper retro-themed motorcycle, the Bristol Bobber 650 has a chopped-themed front fender and spoke wheels at both ends.

The side profile of the Bristol Bobber 650 is what showcases the true charisma of the motorcycle. The Bristol Bobber 650 sits closer to the ground and has a lowered height for the single, curved and well-padded seat, which is mounted on a silver-finished sub-frame above the trapezoidal side body cowls. The fuel tank is a traditional rounded unit with rubber knee pads on its back parts. The engine, wheels, exhaust pipe and other cycle parts in the lower half of the motorcycle are all blacked out to give a dark appeal to the motorcycle. At the back, the Bristol Bobber 650 has a very classic and elegant look with a long and curved fender over the rear wheel, above which is mounted a small rounded tail lamp and rounded turn indicators to its sides.

The Bristol Bobber 650 gets a single-pod rounded instrument console, which packs in an analogue speedometer and a small LCD panel. This panel reads out the odometer, trip meters and fuel gauge. The almost flat handlebar of the Bristol Bobber 650 has bar end rearview mirrors, which are rounded in shape and go well with the overall retro-themed design of the motorcycle.

Based on a steel frame, the Bristol Bobber 650 has a suspension combination of KYB telescopic forks at the front and dual-sided hydraulic coil springs at the rear. The motorcycle gets one of the smallest motorcycle tyres in the middleweight segment – 120/80-16 front tyre and 150/80-15 rear tyre. For braking, the Bristol Bobber 650 is equipped with a 345mm disc at the front and a 280mm disc at the rear.

The Bristol Bobber 650 sources its power from a four-stroke, 8-valve, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, 649cc engine. Coupled with a 6-speed gearbox, the engine produces a maximum power output of 69 bhp and a peak torque output of 62 Nm. The engine feels livelier in the lower RPMs the most, which makes it an effortless motorcycle to ride at slower city speeds. The power delivery at higher RPMs too is linear, and the Bristol Bobber 650 feels at home at higher speeds too. Bristol claims a top speed of 165 kmph and fuel efficiency of 16 kmpl for the Bobber 650.

Save for a dual-channel ABS, the Bristol Bobber 650 doesn’t get any other modern-day safety feature, which makes it a basic motorcycle by today’s standards. The Bobber 650 already lacks comfort and convenience features too, apart from it getting a USB charging port.

While the poor fuel efficiency of the Bristol Bobber 650 might be a concern for many, the motorcycle impresses all with its charming and elegant design, which sticks to the roots of retro-themed Bobber motorcycles. It is one sure-shot head turner, and the performance from the 650cc parallel-twin engine too feels lively.