Brixton Cromwell 1200 Thinks It’s a Triumph Bonneville
Blatant Rip-Off Could Steal Sales From Triumph
by Harry Fisher, onAustrian designed and Chinese-built retro roadster is the spitting image of the Triumph Bonneville in more ways than just looks.
Triumph - Sorry, Brixton - Cromwell 1200 Launched
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the new Brixton Cromwell 1200 is gushing in its praise for the modern Triumph Bonneville. If you were to take the badges off both bikes and stand them side by side, then it’s doubtful that the layman would be able to tell which one was which or even that there was any difference between the two.
That Brixton has chosen to copy the Bonneville so closely is no surprise: the Triumph is one of the best-selling retro roadsters on the planet, having got the recipe right first time out and continually improving it while never losing the magic flavour of the original.
You could argue that the Brixton Cromwell 1200 is merely aping the look of the classic ’60 British bike but seeing as how Triumph has made that look its own in the modern era, the influence on the Brixton are clear for all to see.
The single round headlight, gas tank shape, engine styling, dual exhausts, flat seat and gaitered KYB right-way-up forks are all familiar styling cues, as is the engine capacity of 1,222cc, just a shade over the Triumph’s engine capacity of 1,198cc. Liquid cooling is used and the power and torque outputs are as near as dammit the same: 80.5bhp and 79.4lb.ft for the Brixton and 79.9bhp and 77.4lb.ft for the Triumph.
As mentioned, the Brixton uses KYB forks, Nissin brakes, Bosch dual channel ABS, LED lighting, traction and cruise control and a round TFT instrument.
It’s a wonder that there isn’t some form of copyright infringement in the design of the Brixton and, although that may be, Triumph has not, that we know of, made any noises about it.
Where the Brixton differs to the Triumph is in its pricing, with the Brixton likely to be cheaper. Whether it can match the Triumph for quality and reliability is another matter.
The Brixton Cromwell is due to go on sale in Europe in Feb 2022 and, for now, there are no dealers in the U.S. Expect that to change, however, as the Cromwell 1200 and Brixton’s smaller bikes - similarly styled 125cc and 250cc models - would surely find a ready market there. Maybe the launch of the 1200 will act as a catalyst for such a move.