Hello everyone! I am new to this forum, but have been riding motorcycles since I was eleven years old, 54 years ago. Recently I picked up - VERY cheaply! - a 2011 Triumph Bonneville SE. My first one, in 1971, was a 1966 Bonneville. It was black on black with a black background, and one of the most incredibly unreliable motorcycles I have ever had. But! It was a helluva lot of fun to ride. That being said, I have ridden this little guy as often as I can since I bought it, weather permitting, and found it to be much lighter than the '66 was, and much more responsive. It reminds me somewhat of a 1974 Yamaha TX 650 I had back in 1977. Maybe not a tall, but my memory may be failing me. It's possible I was shorter then. Failings? No storage of any kind! Nothing! I bought an under-tag locker for things like proof of registration and insurance and will get a rack for it, but the tank has to be repainted. It is scratched all to hell. My belief is that the previous owner had a dog and took it with him. The scratches are consistent with that. I have to either replace the tank, or have it repainted. Not an easy feat in the town I live in! Please let me know what to watch out for with this model Triumph, and perhaps add some links to sites for things like parts and accessories that you all recommend.
Mechanically the modern Bonneville is pretty bulletproof. Pickup coil, ignition coil and igniter can occasionally fail - in that order of probability. I could try Turtle Wax scratch repair on the tank. You might be pleasantly surprised. If you want more oomph look here https://www.triumphtwinpower.com/products.php Welcome aboard.
Welcome, NMW. I would tend to agree with Callumity and try to polish the scratches out if they aren't too deep. Are those scratch removing sticks/pens that they keep advertising any good? Cheaper than a paint job until you can sort one out if needs be.
The scratches are pretty bad, but I will sure give it a try! About an hour ago I went about 8 miles to my daughter's place on the Triumph. Very nice ride out there, but it did not want to start easily after I had visited with my daughter for a half hour or so. That was perplexing! It is a fun, lightweight little bike. Easy to ride, handles just fine for an old pre-crotch-rocket guy like me, and has enough get up and go for me. Four things I wish it had, 1. some kind of storage place for things like registration and insurance stuff, 2. a center stand, 3. a locking helmet cramp, and 4. double instead of single discs up front. The single disc isn't enough really, even for a small bike like this.
I will try the scratch removers, but several of them are pretty deep. Was disappointing to say the least, but I got one heck of a deal on the little guy.
I’ve had some decent results using a very fine artists brush. Very carefully fill the scratch with touch up paint, leave it for a couple of days to harden and then very carefully with lots of water and 2000 grit paper cut it back, then use a little bit of cutting paste mixed 50/50 with polish and it’ll almost disappear.
Hi NMWanderer and welcome to the forum https://www.freespiritsparts.com/en/ have some good add ons, including twin front brembos
Well... The good news is that the scratch remover did help. The bad news is that the scratch remover helped only slightly. Secondly, while cleaning, I discovered the headlight is really pretty messed up. Well, the outer rim of it anyway. Where the heck do you buy the trim ring on a Triumph headlight? I have had zero luck so far finding one.
Love this, and it's true, but there are few group rides around here, and I am evidently not "cool" enough for the local population. Anything other than Harley Davidsons are a rare commodity around this county.
I have GOT to reply to this. I lived in New Zealand for lots of years. My motorcycle was a V4 Honda and tricked up to be very fast (one of the worst bikes I ever owned though). The people I went riding with were mainly Outlaws. I was not a member, just knew quite a few members and got invited along for the rides with the more able lunatics often trading their rides with me so they could experience some real speed and the strange handling that thing had. But, anyway... I have four kids. My oldest, a girl, got her first motorized vehicle which was a small scooter. Two of the Outlaws took it and her and worked on it. She ended up with the coolest scooter out there. They frequently took her on beach rides and even out to rallies. It was common to see her scooter on a trailer behind a support vehicle, and the support vehicle behind a long row of assorted motorcycles. This brings me to the main bit of my story. My eldest daughter had a part-time job in a corner store close to where we lived. One day, while she was in the shop alone briefly, a man came in and assaulted her. She is still traumatized by the assault 20 years later. We called police, the storeowner called police, but they did nothing. Claimed they could not find the guy, even though he was a regular in the store, and my daughter refused to ever go back to the store at all. Was I mad? Oh hell yes! I went looking for the guy without any luck. My Outlaw friends learned what had happened and what I was doing. One of my friends approached me and told me to leave it alone. They would take care of it. Let's just say they were as good as their word... They found him and visited him, letting him know she was under their protection and to never ever go near her, the store, or any store they frequented. So... Would I have a problem with my daughter being around motorcycle lovers? No... with small caveats... Of course it depends on the club and club members. There are some pretty wild bikers out there! I am very grateful to my friends in New Zealand. Will always be...
NMWanderer. Welcome to the Family. Thanks for the pictures of a nice bike. Yes the Americans have always supported their own. But Triumph has and is again very popular as a second choice. Your beast you can get a good spray shop to lightly sand back and clear coat and most of those scratch's will go. The headlamp if its bad junk it and just buy a new item. Plenty the same size even classic bikes like the t140. And if the bods near you don't want to ride with you just think you will have the road all to your self. Ride Safe & Enjoy Joe.