Triumph Bonneville?

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cbm · #1 Unread post by **cbm** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:42 am

I'm looking at a Triumph Bonneville as a possible second bike after this season. Does anyone in this forum ride one? Any feedback on how it rides?

jstark47 · #2 Unread post by **jstark47** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 3:25 pm

If the ladies will tolerate a gentleman tip-toeing through.......

I saw this question a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't signed up 'til today. I ride a 2005 Bonneville. How does it ride? It's not a light bike (450 lbs dry), but it is compact and has a low center of gravity so I don't notice the weight. The Bonneville is a very docile, predictable-handling bike. Very easy to do low-speed parking lot maneuvers. The brakes are a little weak IMO, but there's so much engine braking that it hardly matters. The engine loves to rev once broken in, and the torque curve is pretty flat - it pulls all the way up to the rev limiter. It's not really a fast bike compared to sport bikes, but it is a quick bike, it is snappy off the line, especially with the stock 17 tooth front sprocket. Some folks change that to a 18 or 19 tooth if they're going to do a lot of highway driving.

Expect to change out the pipes and re-jet the carbs to get the max out the engine. As delivered, the pipes are too restrictive. There is also a long break-in before the engine really loosens up, 2000-3000 miles.

Definitely a fun bike. The bike gets noticed a lot, people want to know what it is. If you're in the market for a standard and like the retro style, it can't be beat.

cbm · #3 Unread post by **cbm** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:06 am

jstark47 wrote:If the ladies will tolerate a gentleman tip-toeing through.......

I saw this question a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't signed up 'til today. I ride a 2005 Bonneville. How does it ride? It's not a light bike (450 lbs dry), but it is compact and has a low center of gravity so I don't notice the weight. The Bonneville is a very docile, predictable-handling bike. Very easy to do low-speed parking lot maneuvers. The brakes are a little weak IMO, but there's so much engine braking that it hardly matters. The engine loves to rev once broken in, and the torque curve is pretty flat - it pulls all the way up to the rev limiter. It's not really a fast bike compared to sport bikes, but it is a quick bike, it is snappy off the line, especially with the stock 17 tooth front sprocket. Some folks change that to a 18 or 19 tooth if they're going to do a lot of highway driving.

Expect to change out the pipes and re-jet the carbs to get the max out the engine. As delivered, the pipes are too restrictive. There is also a long break-in before the engine really loosens up, 2000-3000 miles.

Definitely a fun bike. The bike gets noticed a lot, people want to know what it is. If you're in the market for a standard and like the retro style, it can't be beat.

Thanks for the great review! Sounds like the bike has a couple of quirks but it also sounds tailor-made for me...I love the retro-look and the straight-up seating, and the fact that it's such an easy handler is the selling point for me. Do you do your own service or do you take it to the dealership? And how is it getting parts?

jstark47 · #4 Unread post by **jstark47** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 4:38 am

Servicing- I do little things, e.g. chain tension adjustment, but I'm not much of a mechanic. The dealership is 4 miles away, and the head mechanic is a great guy and a great Triumph backer, so I trust them to do bigger things. Others tell me the bike is pretty easy to work on. You might want to check out the "Twin Talk" forum on the www.triumphrat.net board. You'll find everything (probably more than everything

) that you wanted to know about Bonnies.

Parts availability is good as its a current production model and Triumph has sold a lot. Of course, you're going to come out on the short end of the Pound - Dollar exchange rate for any OEM parts. There's a medium-size aftermarket grown up, check out websites like www.NewBonneville.com and www.Bellacorse.com.

Jonathan

cbm · #5 Unread post by **cbm** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 2:20 pm

Thanks for the info and the links. I'll be watching for a used or demo Bonnie to come up in my area in the next year or two.

Happy riding...we're under 15 cm of snow here today...maybe it's better in NJ!

macdaddy · #6 Unread post by **macdaddy** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 3:17 am

I love my Bonnie, but the seat height is too tall for my 5'3" wife - hope you've got longer legs than she does.

cbm · #7 Unread post by **cbm** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 3:24 am

macdaddy wrote:I love my Bonnie, but the seat height is too tall for my 5'3" wife - hope you've got longer legs than she does.

I think I'll be okay...I'm 6'0 with a 35" inseam!

Glad to see another happy Bonnie owner out there!!

jstark47 · #8 Unread post by **jstark47** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:38 pm

macdaddy wrote:I love my Bonnie, but the seat height is too tall for my 5'3" wife - hope you've got longer legs than she does.

I'm 6'0", but only have a 30" inseam. (yes, yes, I know, I'm built like a caveman!!!

). When I'm not busy dragging my knuckles, eating raw dinosaur, or making stone axes, I find I can easily flat-foot my Bonnie. 30.5" seat height, but my weight compresses the suspension.

CBM, I hope the bike isn't actually too small for your longer legs. It is one of the most compact 800cc bikes made. If you haven't already, I suggest you go by a dealership and sit on one. I'll bet you could easily handle a Tiger, which has me up on the balls of my feet. It doesn't have the retro styling though.

If you like the Bonneville parallel twin engine, you might also want to check out a Bonneville America or Speedmaster, cruiser-style bikes with the same engine but perhaps more room for longer legs, especially if highway pegs are mounted.

cbm · #9 Unread post by **cbm** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:43 pm

jstark47 wrote:
macdaddy wrote:I love my Bonnie, but the seat height is too tall for my 5'3" wife - hope you've got longer legs than she does.
I'm 6'0", but only have a 30" inseam. (yes, yes, I know, I'm built like a caveman!!! ). When I'm not busy dragging my knuckles, eating raw dinosaur, or making stone axes, I find I can easily flat-foot my Bonnie. 30.5" seat height, but my weight compresses the suspension.

CBM, I hope the bike isn't actually too small for your longer legs. It is one of the most compact 800cc bikes made. If you haven't already, I suggest you go by a dealership and sit on one. I'll bet you could easily handle a Tiger, which has me up on the balls of my feet. It doesn't have the retro styling though.

If you like the Bonneville parallel twin engine, you might also want to check out a Bonneville America or Speedmaster, cruiser-style bikes with the same engine but perhaps more room for longer legs, especially if highway pegs are mounted.

Interesting...I have to say I didn't realize that the Bonnie had such a low seat...it's almost an inch lower than my bike's seat. There are no Bonnie's on my dealer's floor right now but I'll definitely give one a sit when they stock back up. The retro look is the appeal for me; Kawi made a Bonnie look-alike in the early 2000's (the W650) that would make me happy too...I wonder what its seat height is?

Thanks once again for the useful info and suggestions.

jstark47 · #10 Unread post by **jstark47** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:28 pm

cbm wrote:Kawi made a Bonnie look-alike in the early 2000's (the W650) that would make me happy too...I wonder what its seat height is?

A quick bit of Googling reveals the W650 seat height is 31.5 inches. There's a 2000 W650 for sale on the TMW classifieds, you know: viewtopic.php?t=8758 I don't know the fellow selling it, and he's probably a bit far away from you anyway.....