What do you ride?

[TonUp]

Yeah I know I cant stand to see clean tread out side it bugs the shit out of me. I wonder how much hank wants for his ?

Jimmy

I knew it! LOL

I Knew that you were going to say Hank!

You can be the chicken strip inspector at the BASH. I might have my new tires on the S3 before then so I best go scuff them up proper on Route 17.


Tito


Ton Up!

[JEnfield]

I have ground the toes off my boots size 13 kinda hard to get them out of the way on a bonne. My brother pulled me over one night on a bomber run home from the beach he told me something was wrong with my bike (CBR900RR ) we looked and I asked him what was wrong. He told me everytime I went into a corner sparks come out from under my bike LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Carbide peg guards after I wore the stock ones out.

Jimmy

[TonUp]

Nice!

Peg scraping!



Tito


Ton Up!

[pointagrouse]

So, I've pretty much turned into a triumph guy for now (still a big Duc fan, but the Triumphs are catching my attention for style). Was thinking about getting the Bonne for a second bike. Any feedback on how it rides on highways? I'd probably mainly ride on back country roads, but it would be nice if it could handle the highway well as well.

anyway, some of you Bonne riders, let me know how your experiences are with them.

Thanks

[modre]

if you come from way back, the Bonneville is a perfect bike. They got all the old stuff right and fixed the downside...leaks, electrics.

it's skinny and light enough to tempt you into the dirt, yet does the highway OK...understanding evolution has produced better road machines since...but back when 650 was a big enough bike, this is it.

handling is good
power is good enough
you end up looking at it a lot because it has captured the styling of years ago when the tail end of 800 years of coachworks was replaced by computer design blobs of mass and areas...and people notice and comment constantly...it's infectious.

it's not the fastest so if you crave that you need to do some work and spend some money...but it's a do all bike that just has the right feel.

I had an '02 BMW RT bought new before this one...bought for all the reasons BMWs get bought...and considered a nice piece...I hated it...the first week on the Bonneville I was back home in the zone without regret.

before the BMW I had a GS750EX for 18 years...bulletproof and peppy...but wide and heavy...like-wise the CB750 I had with the Suzuki...before that was an early Yamaha 350 2 cycle cafe and a few dirt bikes from Bultaco Sherpa S, Yamaha RT360, to Penton 175 w/ the KTM.

a little of this, a little of that with a lot of dirt background...I used to play hard...the Bonneville lets you tap into everything without switching to the one at home you wish you had with you when the mood changes.

go buy one...it'll still be in the garage when others have come and gone.

the bike is just right as far as I'm concerned.

[mark]

I love my Bonnie. Perfect bike for Vermont country roads. I've got no problem riding it on the highway too -- although I avoid long highway stretches, mostly because they're boring.

That said, I have my Bonnie set up as a cafe racer. The low bars help with wind blast at higher speeds, and they also make for sporty handling in the twisties. But the aggressive seating position they create also becomes cramped more quickly, so I can't put more than about 350 miles per day on the Bonnie before I get too tired and achy for it to be fun anymore.

With a more upright seating position and some wind protection, I wouldn't hesitate to do longer highway stretches if necessary. The engine easily has enough power to maintain typical highway cruising speeds.

--mark

[pointagrouse]

Thanks for the responses on this so far. I love the look, and I love the idea of a nice cruising back-roads bike. I guess I'll have to take it for a test ride this spring and go from there. As for speed, I have the daytona to take care of that, but it's not very reasonable on the beat up country roads of New England... That's probably where the Bonneville could fit in.

[TonUp]

The Bonneville is what I consider to be "The True Essence of a Motorcycle" The perfect bike for New England Back roads and also the perfect bike for a Sunday morning ride at an spirited pace. I have ridden two Bonneville's and I was very impressed. Great Bike, great sound and performance to match and it looks great! GREAT!



Tito


Ton Up!

[ATriumphGoddess]

Thanks for the responses on this so far. I love the look, and I love the idea of a nice cruising back-roads bike. I guess I'll have to take it for a test ride this spring and go from there. As for speed, I have the daytona to take care of that, but it's not very reasonable on the beat up country roads of New England... That's probably where the Bonneville could fit in.

Heavy sigh.....once again the America/Speedmaster appears to be the neglected stepchild of the Triumph line.
Pointagrouse, give one a look-see.....If you're looking for a cruising style ride, I don't think you can beat the America. Plenty of go, nice and sticky on the twisties, the seating and handlebar positions are awesome for long, laid back rides. I've got the 790 cc engine on my 06, and I have no trouble keeping up with the big boys when necessary. The 07 and newer America's now have the same 865 cc engine as the Speedie.
I had come from a 2001 HD 1200 Custom Sporty....great bike, but I got tired of the up and over the engine seat and the drag bars. Not comfortable for long rides on weather beaten New England roads or weekend aways up to NH, or across RI to CT kind of days....And, the fatter America tires are great on poor secondary roads.

With the America, I'm back down lower into the bike, the handlebar position is perfect- you could always swap out to Speedie bars if you like drags. Plus, the curves on the America are so incredibly sexy.

I'm 5'3", so I popped on the Progressive 412 shocks, and a friend and I customized my seat- shaving out some of the foam, creating a Corbinesque "bucket" for my pretty little behind and popping in a gel insert- to get me that much lower and more "into" the bike. This bike now fits me like a glove, and the gel insert makes a difference for long days on the bike.

[TonUp]

I do like the look of the Speedmaster the best. I just have never ridden one yet. If it has two wheels I want to ride it!

The important thing here is that we are usually smiling, happy, relaxed in a ZEN like state when we ride our motorcycles! Am I right?


Tito


Ton Up!

[modre]

America/Speedmaster ain't it. they're an offshoot of the 60's choppers that got tamed back into a sales floor exercise in style.

the bonne is raw...viceral...oily...sweaty...to be used as a tool to tame the dirt...you carry tools...spit...and sit up to see when you're in to your neck...plant a foot and spin...it's the old war bike that got stripped down and not polished excessively...men ride bonnies...if Fonzy wasn't such a poser, he'd ride one out of town and not hang with those people. I think the little girl was puttin' out.

[ATriumphGoddess]

The important thing here is that we are usually smiling, happy, relaxed in a ZEN like state when we ride our motorcycles! Am I right?

BINGO!!

[ATriumphGoddess]

the bonne is raw...viceral...oily...sweaty...to be used as a tool to tame the dirt...you carry tools...spit...and sit up to see when you're in to your neck...plant a foot and spin...it's the old war bike that got stripped down and not polished excessively...men ride bonnies...if Fonzy wasn't such a poser, he'd ride one out of town and not hang with those people. I think the little girl was puttin' out.

Great description!

I'm a lady, so I don't spit.....But I do carry tools.

[TonUp]

LOL!






Tito


Ton Up!

[mark]

Nothing against the America and Speedmaster, but I agree that lumping them in with the Bonneville and its descendants doesn't really work. The America and Speedmaster are cruisers; the Bonneville is a standard. Different styles of bikes, different riding styles/positions.

If anything, I would argue that the Bonneville is more closely related to a naked sportbike than it is to a cruiser -- all you have to do is throw on a set of low handlebars and you've instantly got a sporty riding position and reasonably sporty handling. What is a cafe racer, really, besides a classic sportbike? Modern race replicas are direct descendants of the classic Bonneville/UJM geometry. They've evolved a great deal over the years, sure, but that's what they trace their lineage back to. An America or Speedmaster traces its lineage back to classic Harleys and Indians, just with a parallel twin instead of a V-Twin.

--mark