2001 Bonneville - To Buy Or Not To Buy...

Think the OP could be in New Jersey, USA, so no UK Gov MOT etc.
Suggest to google Problems with 2001 Bonneville could be useful (?) but I'm sure someone here will comment...
(Personally I've no idea of any issues - sorry)

 

Hi Dan and welcome to the forum proper Reliable model, and with your background cylinder pressure test and spark plug view after test ride should tell you if any damage has come from sitting without use.

 

Hi Dan and welcome!
The early Bonneville have proved to be reliable and have minimal electronics, limited to electronic ignition on the early (2001) models so they are well within the capabilities of home servicing and maintenance.

As far as the mileage is concerned many of the early Bonnevilles this side of the pond have very low mileages, I have a 2006 T100 which I bought in late 2019 with only 8,800 miles on the clock. There was evidence that it had been serviced regularly, like every year! and the mileage was low but regular over it's life.

When I bought it I went right through it valve clearances head bearings and full service on the basis that I wanted to make sure it was right and also I bought the bike in December and didn't intend to ride it until spring 2020 so had plenty of time to make sure it was right.

I would think that it has all the hallmarks of being a good buy, provided the price is reasonable, and could well increase in value over time.

 

These early bikes are not known to have any particular problems. I had a 2004 T100 which had 24000 miles on it when I bought it and it never let me down.

 

There is one Achilles heel with these early aircooled models. It is known as Idler Gear Boss failure or breakage (search it up). Within the clutch cover there is a gear that lays against the starter cog. Hitting the starter, spins the gear and starts the bike. The idler gear is held in place by being seated in an aluminum "boss" casting which was formed when the engine case was cast. Therefore it is unique to the block. In any situation that causes starter "kickback" (i.e. low voltage battery start attempts), thrusts momentary but significant torque stress on the gear and the boss it sits in, causing the boss to splinter. When that happens, your starter will just spin freely with no resistance and the bike will never start. Furthermore, as the boss is a unique cast, it is not some kind of part that can be sourced or replaced, and a new engine is required.

Triumph recognized this silently in 2007 by adding supportive side buttresses during the boss casting process. Although this casting change reduced breakage claims, it still can and has in fact happened to the later model years.

In fact, this just sadly happened to a member's 2011 T100 on another forum less than a week ago. Read it here:
https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/...start-can-hear-starter-motor-spinning.979053/

I highly recommend investing some small dollars in the Triumph Twin Power (TTP) Safe Start item to save risking big dollars later. It is a CNC milled reinforcement piece that is relatively easy to install.

I share this only for awareness and not to scare you off your purchase. The actual cases of breakage are few in the larger population of units sold world-wide, but it does and can happen.