“Love the torque and the characteristics of the engine and the bike on the whole. I do find the throttle a bit "snatchy" and the rear suspension is a bit hard though.”
“I got off a FJR1300 and on to the bonni it felt as though I was on a toy. At first I believed I had made a big mistake, but over time I first learned to live with it's limitations then took on the challenge of making it more acceptable to me and make it do more than it originally wanted to. I now love this little bike and it never ceases to amaze other riders of larger and supposedly more capable machines how it stays with them all day on long days out with some hard riding. Never as fast in a straight line but it will and does run all day. GOOD BIKE!”
“Our expectations of bikes can often be guided if not fixed by what we are told - factually, or anecdotally. Mine was rooted in a machine of the same name having been one of the best motorcycles on the road when I grew up - in the 1960s. The reality can take time to set in as we adjust to a bike. Coming from even such a mild sports bike as Suzuki's SV650 as I did, is quite a leap onto a 2004 Hinckley Bonneville. Someone not very up on the new Bonnies even described it as a cruiser, which almost killed it for me. I say new Bonnie...
It is a used example, which I acquired in 2012; third owner. It has about the same horsepower as the SV but is far heavier - and the handling feels rather more like a barge. Also in my shed at the time was a 1962 Triumph Tiger, which handled tighter than the Bonnie and felt lighter. It's where the mass is - and whilst clever people go on about centralisation, I'm old school sit it low. So I dropped the yokes down the stanchions, a few mm at a time, until reaching a happy medium of 10mm. It leaves plenty of clearance, but now suddenly I can enjoy that wave of torque and get it turned with a gentle shove - if it weren't so heavy it'd skip about like the Big used to...
I'd prefer to turn my lights off when I like. I still think batteries are over-worked and indeed the one breakdown I had was regulator rectifier. Did Triumph in Dublin have one? No. So be prepared to seek after care elsewhere. Anyway, the battery was sick too and since, all I had was a fuse. This was heavy rain (race week, IOM 2017) and it dripped from the HT leads onto the horn. Fixed once dry, but needs more of a look. Yeah, so, an on off switch for the lights as I was saying - not least to avoid dazzling skittish horses.
For it's age, the finish is quite good. Chrome is just starting to go on wheel rims (this is spoked). Paint is only bubbling where it's had knocks and chips. It came fitted with a King and Queen seat which I had narrowed; got rid of the buttoning too as it only holds water.
Sometimes you hit neutral on the upshift if you're pushing. But the box is positive - why the heck are they so noisy? I sometimes hanker for a 6th gear, but if I ride it like a classic rather than searching for lap records it pleases my pillion immensely and I arrive less fraught too.
A repeat of the record-breaking Bonneville it is not, even minus choking airbag fittings, Air Injection (pah stupid idea when there are diesels out there killing us in 1000s) and a re-jet with TOR silencers fitted. In fact doing the ton was less fraught on my old Suzuki GS450.
I suppose they got the look close; but even bearing in mind production costs how did they get it so heavy? I shouldn't moan too much. I've not worn or broken anything yet. It's currently on DID Gold chain with M&P sprockets - regular oiling and cleaning keeps them going well into their upper useable reaches.
Sorry, I keep flitting about but it's as I remember stuff. I hated the Mickey-Mouse shape of the tail light/indicator cluster. Fitted a chrome Lucas light but the Chinese winkers kept blowing bulbs - too cheap to be serviceable, so the hideous old Triumph indicators are back, care of a Bandit rear indicator bracket and a Triumph re-locater at the front. Replacing a bulb in these is a joke as the lens screws also retain the shaft over an inner plastic one. Move it slightly and it's a right juggle - don't mix the self -tapper screw up with the threaded one either.
With 80 quids worth of pannier bars we can chuck soft luggage on and go all day. I find I'm just canted forwards enough to lean on the wind without killing my wrists. A smooth approach just brings delight after delight. That valanced rear mudguard is a bit fat boy (I'm still getting used to new tyre dimensions but my bum is most grateful) but at least it sits away from the wheel. This bike is Cardinal Red which is not quite sange rosso but it's Boy's Own cool. Bikers and 'other homosapiens' all comment favourably. I tried with 60s-ising it (silencers, black number plate etc) but I realised that what I've got is the motorcycling parallel to the 'Burst Les Paul re-issue, or the Re-Issue 54 Stratocaster; All the cool, with much much less time spent greased up in the shed.
Compared against Kawasaki's twin it has more power and go but I wonder if at these speeds I might be paying for that in petrol. When I think back to what we did to British bikes with added chrome and piston/barrel/carb kits I think Triumph hit the mark (please shave a few pounds). What they've done with subsequent Bonneville models with up to the 1200 this year must surely satisfy many older riders like myself - and introduce many younger riders to a license-friendly bike that will (with some tweaks) skip about the back-whacks or deliver you majestically to longish distance places; and it's not so focussed as to chuck you off on the bumpy stuff.
If I had money and garage space I would get something a bit more old-git racer for solo runs, but for the rider with regular pillion, a 60s head on and the need to commute and enjoy a proper bike - the Bonnie ticks the boxes as you trendy folk say.”
