Advice Needed For A Newbie - New Generation Bonneville- Which Year To Choose?

Welcome to the forum

I'm sure someone will come along in a minute with sound information to answer you. All I can safely say is that you've made a good choice. Ultimately I think your final choice will be directed by the depth of you pocket.

Oldfart

 

Hey Gotholine,
You sound similar to me, always dreamt of owning a Triumph (especially a bonny).I am a fairly new rider with limited to no mechanical skills. I wanted a Bonneville and loved the classics, so look and asked about an early Bonny. I didn't want to have to tinker and maintain the bike, just ride it (Lazy biker). After many chats and a few test rides on both old and new bikes, I went with a new T120. The reason was handling, modern features (ABS etc) and mainly the lack of mechanical maintenance needed. Just ride the thing and get it serviced every 10,000 miles.
Well thats my two peneth.
Happy shopping and whatever you decide...You will love the brand!

 

Hi and welcome in

I can't help with which model Bonneville to choose as that is individual personal choice. All I can advise is that you do your research so that you know exactly what you get with each variant, and bear in mind that there are a lot of well cared for low mileage Bonnevilles available, so take your time in choosing a particular bike and try to see as many as you can.

When I was looking for my Bonneville (almost exactly a year ago), I specifically wanted a carb model, and I found a one owner 2007 Bonneville 790 with less than 5000 miles, and a full documented history. The bike has been faultless and is such an enjoyable bike to ride...love it!

Good luck with your search, and keep us all updated with your progress.

 

Welcome to the forum

You need to decide on your budget as the others have said and what exactly you want. We would all love a classic 1960's Bonnie but they cost a bit (although probably cheaper than a 70's Jap bike now!) and maintenance could be a problem unless you are prepared to get your hands dirty on a regular basis.

You have a choice between the older air cooled models, ranging from the 790cc and later 865cc carb models to the later (post 2008 I think) fuel injection Bonnevilles, which are all 865cc. The T100 is closest in looks to the 60's bikes with spoked wheels and more chrome if that's what you're after.

You then have the new generation of water cooled Bonnies with 900 or 1200cc available but obviously budget is a factor here.

 

As others have said, it starts with your budget but I also suspect you may be a lady of the female variety so seat height might be an issue.

The specs for the air cooled range are here:
https://www.triumphtwinpower.com/triumphbonnevillespecs.php
Check out the SE model.

while current bikes are available on Triumph’s own website. 60s and 70s Bonnies in good order are collectors’ items and priced accordingly. However, you still need to be sufficiently athletic to leap up and down on a kickstart........and own a drip tray.

 

Hello and welcome to the forum Gotholine.

 

Hi Gotholine and welcome to the forum
See that you’re from Newcastle
Why not pop along to Triumph Newcastle and sit on a few bikes
Better still ask for some road tests

 

Gotholine.
Yes budget or PCP is the way to go. Take some time and ride a few Bonnies you will know when your partner comes along. Yes the older Bonnie's do need a lot of fettling. So start with the newer models and just keep testing till the steed says buy me I will be your best friend and it will happen. Also remember between now and January end money talks so haggle and haggle some more the stealer want your money and you are in command. And don't be scared to say this is my number when you starting speaking sense phone me and walk away. Real nice to see another Lady rider here. Do keep the post coming and talk to us here in the asylum the inmates like stories even what you did last week. Picture always goes down well so the bike you test hit the upload a file button bottom right corner and the inmates will tell you what they think.
Regards
Joe.

 

Hi, Gotholine!

Welcome to a terrific forum and a great community. I responded to Callumity's post because from my perspective I think he brought up some excellent points that I didn't see in your original post i.e., kickstarters, drip trays, and seat height--related to choosing an older bike. In addition, dilligaf's advice to go sit on bikes at the dealership and test ride if you can is terrific advice. Others have also provided you with super helpful information, DaveD in particular based on the considerations you talked about in your original post. I've had a 2012 Thruxton, a 2016 Thruxton R, and currently have a Speed Triple RS.

I, like you, don't have the knowledge or skills to wrench on my own bikes nor is it really an interest of mine. So I have taken that into account in my choice of bikes. For lots of forum members here, working on their bikes is part of their love of motorcycles and there's lots of great advice to be had if you choose that route.

There are numerous variables to take into account in addition to model year, some of which well may be more important. One of the coolest things about Triumphs if you like the more "retro" or vintage look is that Triumph has put a lot of work and love into their Modern Classic line of bikes. So you can get a new bike that looks vintage but has modern features. Here in the US you can usually get a newer bike with low miles for a variety of reasons--didn't really like riding, thought I'd like this bike and didn't, spouse said "take that thing back!". I can't tell you how many times I've checked the mileage on a used bike and have been amazed to see how low it is. "Used" but new. Consider it a treasure hunt.

Dig in, research, test ride if possible, and, like you are doing on this forum, ask questions and solicit feedback. Good luck with your search and hopefully we can be helpful! And, as many who have responded to your post have recommended, determine your top priorities and go from there. But also go look, sit on, ask questions, and be open to what you just might find. Your priorities just may change as you do that. Most importantly, have fun!! And please keep us posted.