Bonneville 865 T100 Vs Street Twin (which Is Bigger)

I bought a new street twin but sold it after a year, found it too small for me and I am 5ft 9. Now have a 2007 Thruxton 900, it's still a small bike but slightly bigger than the street twin. Both good bikes though.

 

Have you tried the Street Scrambler ? .. when I was looking to trade my 865 Bonneville Newchurch in for a Street Twin the dealership sent me out on the Scrambler and I just loved the higher riding position which I think would suit your height much better than the Street Twin. I bought the Scrambler and would certainly recommend giving it a try. Much more power in the 900 than the 865 engine where you need it, and a joy to ride.

 

I test rode a Street Twin but didn't like it at all, the power delivery was OK but I wasn't impressed by the handling which felt a bit too vague to me and I didn't like the feel of the bars as I thought some slightly higher wider ones would be more suited to me. I didn't think changing the bars would be much of an issue bit the dealer told me because of the fly by wire throttle and other electronics it was a choice between standard bars or ace bars nothing else would fit.
I later rode a second hand 2012 Bonnie fitted with some strange set of higher bars which looked pretty naff but I found I quite enjoyed it as sitting more upright suited me and my riding style. I went on to buy the older bike and have since fitted a pair of old 60's Trophy bars ( the wide ones), a set of loud pipes and generally put the bike on a diet with cut down mudguards and side panels which probably doesn't do much in real terms but somehow makes the bike feel lighter and I now have a bike which is very nimble round town and through the lanes, looks good and sounds good. Best of all it worked out about £2,500 cheaper than the Street Twin

 

I have a new Street Twin and really like it. One of the selling points was cast wheels (tubeless tires). I always carry a flat tire kit and can do an emergency repair on the side of the road. Has happened to me before. Can't do that with spoked wheels. Just something to consider.

 

Coincidentally I had my T100 in at the dealer today and the courtesy bike I was given was a Street Twin. First off, bikes and how they feel are quite dependant on the individual and I'm 6' 1" and already had too many mince pies! I have a 33" inside leg which while not a particular problem for me, it does mean the bike feels a little cramped for me. Getting straight off this and on to my T100 felt like I'd just got onto a motocross bike, accepting that I have non standard suspension and have 10mm or so of additional height. Even so, the T100 felt significantly bigger, more spacious and quite different as far as accommodating my legs goes.

The suspension was the next very conspicuous difference. It's unfair to compare apples and oranges because my bike and this are very different and the suspension components come from different ends of the spectrum. The standard kit made me feel like I was getting kicked up the backside and the front was no better. At 60mph or so over a poor surface the Street Twin was exhibiting very poor control and almost had me out of the saddle at one point when traversing a series of bumps. It was almost as if the suspension couldn't recover and the ride got rapidly worse.

What I'd conclude about this back to back comparison is that if you're less than 5' 6", have an inside leg of 28" or thereabouts and proportionally short arms then this bike would be OK. The only caveat being that a suspension change and set up for your weight should/must be budgeted for. It also needs bar end mirrors unless you're particularly narrow across the shoulders.

Not a bad bike by any means, but it's not going to be for everyone.

 

Having tried both, I found the Mk1 Street Twin to be noticeably smaller than the 865cc, air and oil cooled T100. The Street is also about 40lb lighter, and it shows.

The Street, to me, felt more like a Meriden twin than the T100 does.

That said, the various “hipster” seats on the T100 and Street are universally awful, as is the “ironing board” on the T100. The original, shaped seat on the Street is definitely better, but the Street has nowhere to put proper luggage.

However there is the option of the Burton Bike Bits grey-top Seat for the T100, which has a good shape and more, better padding. The 1960s bench seat on my Sportster leaves any of the Triumph seats, dead in the gutter for comfort.

So I think my T100 with aftermarket seat, Triumph luggage rack and throw-over guards is a better choice overall.

 

It's actually about 20lb difference and the 865 bonneville (cast wheel) is 10mm lower on seat height.

 

These figures seem to be a bit elastic, depending on who quotes them. Spoke wheels are heavier than cast, for example. Seat heights generally seem to quote the T100 as taller than the Street. I also suspect that some sources don’t differentiate between the T100 and T120.