Names Nige, returned to riding after a very boring 30 years in cars, ( mad at myself for forgetting the pleasures of riding for so long ), anyway got myself a little Honda cb-1, 400 to accustom myself to riding again. Clocked up a few miles on that now but boyhood dream was always a Bonneville, but the problem now is which one ? I'd be over the moon owning any model just can't choose between a ' normal ' bonnie..Newchurch, SE, look great. But now there's the America and Speed master in the equation. I've never ridden with forward pegs before can anyone tell me what this affects when riding, does it change the riding style at all ? Is there any aftermarket kits to move the pegs more central ? would really appreciate any advice or tips from bonneville owners. Cheers
Hello and welcome. I'm sure there will be many bonnie owners along to give advice so all I will say is have a few test rides and see which suits you best, could be an early Christmas prezzie.
Hi Nige welcome to the forum,Lots of Bonnie owners on here so they should be along shortly the America and Speedmaster are a more laid back bike,some folk don't get on with the feet forward riding so it would be best if you can get a test ride, you also have to corner a bit differently on a cruiser and line up the corners a bit earlier as the ground clearance is a bit less than the Bonnie. but both are great bikes. I'm sure you will have fun choosing your new bike
Hi Nige and welcome in to the forum. The Bonnie is a classic bike and a pleasure to own and ride (I'm on my second). As you say you have quite a choice between models but you need to decide between the cruiser style (America and Speedmaster) and a proper Bonneville (T100, SE or Scrambler). Personally its the classic Bonnie for me as first choice as I don't like the cruiser riding position and I think the normal Bonnie looks better - it's that traditional thing - it looks like a British bike should. I've owned a T100 and now have an SE. The main difference is not just between spoked or alloy wheels and the exhaust style but the front wheel size - 19" for the spokes and 17" on the alloy so this means the SE turns in quicker and feels a bit lighter on the road. Probably best to get some test rides in to see what you prefer!
Nige, after a break from bikes of only about 5 years I bought, last July, a Bonneville Newchurch, always fancied a new Bonneville and the styling alone sold it to both me and the wife. I have to tell you though after the initial honeymoon period I realised that I was not getting the feel of the bike like I expected to, I could not get a smooth ride and felt that something was wrong, with the bike of course. I created a thread on here about the smoothness issue and received lots of advice, I was really struggling with riding it the way I wanted to. I was certain that a 6 month old bike with only 500 miles under its belt couldn't be needing emissions equipment stripping off it and other things fitted to get it to run right, and concluded that it had to be me that was the problem. I clocked up more miles and threw away my VFR riding habits. The result is that I learned to take things easy, the bike is now a real pleasure to ride and feels like I've been riding it for years. Turns out the factory got it right, for me, at least! I am not in the market for speed nor every day transport requirements, we just love to ride out on dry, sunny days and the Newchurch fits the bill perfectly, I really can't fault it, apart from perhaps a rather hard seat after a hundred or so miles. Never ridden any other model of Triumph so can't comment on them at all. We love it, try as many models as you can and be prepared to adjust your expectations! Curly
Welcome Nige And a BIG welcome back to RIDING . All the best with the test rides, research and choosing the right bike for you. Exciting times ;-)
Hi Nige and welcome in. You are in a very enviable place my friend - you are on the point of buying another motorcycle !!!! As others have said most of your questions can only be answered by test-rides, so find a dealer that has a few different 2nd hand Bonnies for sale, so that you can try one against another. Re this feet forward business on the America and Speedmaster. I had some friends over from the 'Old Country' last year and one of them was riding an America, so just for a laugh he rode my much modified T100 and I rode his America. How weird did it feel with my feet all the way forward, but honestly with minutes it felt perfectly OK and I was starting to like it. There's really no way around it, you NEED to ride them to decide. I only offer some general advice: 1. All Bonny versions between about 2009 to 2013 have EFi and have facilities for tuning them with FREE software; 2. Highest std. seat heights are on the T100/Thruxton/Scrambler and progressively reduce through SE, Std Bonny and then the America and Speedmaster; 3. They're all good bikes - they won't set the world on fire in terms of power, but they have STYLE in abundance.
Welcome Nige, Can't add any more to what's been said, other than like you I returned to biking after 30 years and bought a 2012 Bonneville with cast 17" wheels which suits my short legs. Love the bike and am thoroughly enjoying personalising it, although as half ton says it never stops. From spending virtually nothing on my BMW car since buying new 13 years ago, I seem to be always looking for and buying stuff for the Bonnie, it's taken me back 50 years to when I first started tinkering with bikes. Happy days!
Hi Nige, It's all been said but coming from a Tiger 800 the T120 I have is so different, the important fact is how big a grin you get.
Hi there - they all seem very friendly here , as they say you need to ride to find out and get used to it, personally I don't think you could beat the classic Bonnie, I could never get on with feet forward - had an extended run with a Thunderbird, but was not quite comfortable with it at the end, though it was a great ride cruising up the road on it. Besides, my misses said I may end up single if I bought a cruiser
Hi Nige, You say you haven't ridden for near on 30yrs ? I have been riding for almost 36yrs, most of my riding has been bikes with fairings and feet rearset or mid set, took to riding an 08 America - forward set in 2009 and funny thing happened, the std Bonneville's feel weird ! As all the rest have said take Long test ride's back to back if possible, and do them on the same road's if possible too. Don't rush in and then regret your choice ! Unless you can afford more than one bike ... Cheers Mick
Welcome Nige , take test rides and whatever this lot say treat it with caution. They really are a bunch of loonies I ride a Thunderbird 1600 , feet forward position and find it very comfortable. Not sure if yo get it for the America but you most likely do get the riders seat backrest as well. Before I had my TBird I thought what a stupid looking thing that is. I said before the test ride that I would take it off if I did buy it but now I wouldn't dream of it. Feet forward with the back rest feels like I'm in an armchair when I'm on the bike. Please note the above crevat about loonies also applies to me I'll say it before some else does If into cruiser style then the TBird is another one to consider. Newer ones have the 1700 lump which improves the BHP and torque but I haven't noticed any lack of oomph on my 1600.
Wtf happened there? lol. Anyway for what it`s worth, when I was buying my T100 I tried out the Bonnie SE and found it just a tad uncomfortable, so the dealer suggested the T100, mainly because of the slightly bigger tyres and seating position, so glad I did, I took the T100 on the same road for about an hour or so and I was sold, it felt easier to steer and lean in to the bends and in my opinion just seem to handle better. The smile on my face when I got back to the dealer told him all he needed to know and I ordered one there and then. Just my opinion and has already been mentioned try them all out, after all it`s your hard earned money you are parting with so spend it wisely.
Hi Nige, I have recently purchased a new T120 after much soul searching and test riding. I am now 52 and have owned and ridden most bikes in my 33years of riding. I have owned a triumph America on which I completed the iron butt saddle sore 1000, and in all honesty I did love the bike, the only thing I would say about the America and other Bonnies sharing the same engine is that if you are doing a lot of two up riding you may find it a little under powered in certain situations depending on your style of riding and the demands you make of it. I'm not saying that the 865 unit is weak or underpowered generally but it does ( like all bikes ) have its limitations. This is why I have opted for the new 1200 T120 which has much more torque and power than the earlier models. Having said that it took a long time for me to make the decision to pay out the extra £££££s and there was a time when I was going to go with a nearly new beautiful 865 Bonnie . I made my choice as I am not a small man ( fat ass) and do intend to use my bike as always for lots of miles with gear, and often two up. In short I think after owning 40 bikes in my riding career ( often more than two at once hence the number) I can honestly say that Triumph are a great bike to own and ride and my Bonnies have always put a smile on my face both when riding or when simply standing back with a cuppa and admiring their beautiful lines. As for the forward position v traditional I found it took me a while to get used to the forward position but once I did it is very relaxing and comfy , only you can decide on that one. Ride safe and enjoy my friend and welcome back to the world of bikes.
Somehow I don't think it's us that's the infidels Fritz Rides a Beemer and calls us Trumpets infidels !