Triumph Bonneville

[cb400four_imp]

I was taking pictures of the NYC marathon and on the way home I spotted this Bonnie on the sidewalk. I like the looks of our Honda, but I thought this was also a good lookin' bike. Any owners on this site want to discuss how it stacks up against our big red?

[ingobohn_imp]

I test rode some other bikes before I went for the CB 1100 (in black):
- Triumph Bonneville T100
- Kawasaki W800
- Moto Guzzi V7
- BMW R 1200 R [1]
What I like at the CB 1100 (and the R 1200 R) is that they are classic bikes, but not "I must be retro-ish!" bikes. [2] They are clean, simple and classic bikes but still up-to-date (like having ABS). Especially the T100 and the W800 were too much baroque-retro style for me (and had also other flaws like no ABS, disappointing engine characteristics etc.). A bit in the middle is the V7, it is a bit retro, but it is the regular Guzzi style - and the engine is great. But finally, I opted against the Made in Italy "quality" (a colleague owns a Stelvio and had much trouble with it). I also opted against the Made in Germany quality, because the bike in total did not catch me or pushed up my blood pressure. Indeed the boxer engine was okay, but the front fork thing called "Telelever" was strange, I did not like it simply (and of course also the horrible price of 14.500 EUR (19500 USD) for a used bike, half year old and 9000 km).

I test rode the CB 1100 finally, and knew from the very first meters "that's it!".

[1] And also other motorcycles, but they were other classes of bikes e.g. Enduro
[2] See also my post here: http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread....6#pid17846

[The Spaceman_imp]

I've never been a fan of the I-2 engine layout. But I'd certainly have one if that were the only choice, luckily its not!

[the Ferret]

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/016_zpsb4471463.jpg.html]

The Bonneville above being ridden by my younger brother used to be mine. I sold it to him. I bought it new in 03 and except for a broken spoke put 20,000 trouble free miles on it. He has since put another 10,000 trouble free miles on it. At last check a valve has never even gone out of spec. My wife and I toured all the national Parks in Utah and Az on it. I thought it was a really nice bike, looked good, sounded decent (although not great) with the TOR (Triumph off road) pipes, very smooth motor. It was a little underpowered, and braking power was weak as well...but it was a very fun bike to ride. I enjoyed it alot as has my brother.

Before buying the Bonnie I test rode a Moto Guzzi Breva 750. Owners seem to like them a lot, but I found it terribly under powered..way more so than the Bonnie, and that sideways twist that Guzzis do drove me crazy. Brakes were weak on it as well, and the bike was physically tiny.

I rented a BMW R1200R for 9 days in Europe and found it a very satisfactory bike, plenty of power, awesome brakes, geared way to high and no way to change it, and thought about getting one when I got back to the states but they wanted $16 grand for one and I wasn't going to pay that. I bought a left over ST 1300 for $10K and it's been a great bike. I've put 36,000 miles on it I think.

I bought a used 750 Nighthawk, and 1 new and 1 used Yamaha FZ-1 between the Bonnie and the CB 1100. Sold the new FZ-1 to my son, sold the Nighthawk and the used FZ to buy the CB.

[cb400four_imp]

Thanks for the comments! With test rides so hard to get, it is great to hear from the owners.

[ingobohn_imp]

The most disappointing thing for me with the Bonneville during my 2 h test ride was the "bloodless" sound of the engine combined with the exhaust pipes. To me, it sounds like kicking some screws into an empty beer can. Sorry. No comparison to e.g. the Guzzi V7 sound. Even the sound of the CB 1100 is better. Some Bonnie drivers (e.g. one of my colleagues) mount Zard exhausts or other pipes with better sound (but legal restriction limit here in Germany the options) therefore. The engine has plenty of power (for me), that was not the problem.
If if you are used to a smooth and soft Honda gear box (I owned a Honda Transalp at that time), shifting the gear with the left foot is .... hm ... a bit rustic. Long way to shift and a harsh sound. Only Guzzi and BMW (yes!) gear boxes are worse. (After I test rode the BMW R 1200 R I nearly destroyed my Transalp gear box because I was still in "BMW kick it hard and brutal" gear shift mode with my left foot.)

[Capo]

This one hits home, as I'm the 7 - year owner of two modern Bonnevilles, one of which was my re-entry bike after many years off bikes. Here's my take.

The modern Bonneville is a fantastic, versatile bike with a good deal of character, and a beautiful array of models and colors and editions to choose from. I've taken my pair in somewhat opposite directions, one more cafe, one more traditional retro, but the point of Bonnie ownership is that the bike is a canvas which allows the owner to personalize the bike in so many ways. And the aftermarket industry for the Bonneville range is tremendous and somewhat affordable. I doubt that we'll ever see one develop to that extent for the CB1100 unless the model lives for 10 plus years and sales are robust. Our forum members are certainly leading the way, but the relative paucity and price of aftermarket stuff for the CB, combined with the one year run in the US, is still a bit limiting.

Triumph ownership is definitely more 'soulful' than Honda ownership, IMHO, as the Triumph brand is a bit more focused, low volume and has a pretty distinct heritage. A lot of people across the age and bike spectrum get misty over Triumph, But a lot of that is marketing, and strip it away, how do the bikes compare?

I say they compare somewhat like their forebears did. The Bonnie is more elemental, not as polished, not built or finished to the same spec as the CB. But it is sportier and a bit edgier than the CB, a bit lighter, and I find the combination of the vertical twin snarl (with aftermarket cans) and the surefooted handling to be more engaging than the CB.

The CB1100 is a better all around motorcycle...there, I've said it. But my Tiger 800 is a better all - around motorcycle than the CB, so you can view this from a lot of angles. If I had to keep only one bike for the rest of my life, it would be the Bonneville. But the CB would be a close second, and in a few years, I'm not certain that sequence would hold. They are both distinct and significant motorbikes, and I don't consider them duplicative, only different...and if you own either, or both, count yourself lucky.

[gsisk_imp]

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/016_zpsb4471463.jpg.html]

The Bonneville above being ridden by my younger brother used to be mine. I sold it to him. I bought it new in 03 and except for a broken spoke put 20,000 trouble free miles on it. He has since put another 10,000 trouble free miles on it. At last check a valve has never even gone out of spec. My wife and I toured all the national Parks in Utah and Az on it. I thought it was a really nice bike, looked good, sounded decent (although not great) with the TOR (Triumph off road) pipes, very smooth motor. It was a little underpowered, and braking power was weak as well...but it was a very fun bike to ride. I enjoyed it alot as has my brother.

Before buying the Bonnie I test rode a Moto Guzzi Breva 750. Owners seem to like them a lot, but I found it terribly under powered..way more so than the Bonnie, and that sideways twist that Guzzis do drove me crazy. Brakes were weak on it as well, and the bike was physically tiny.

I rented a BMW R1200R for 9 days in Europe and found it a very satisfactory bike, plenty of power, awesome brakes, geared way to high and no way to change it, and thought about getting one when I got back to the states but they wanted $16 grand for one and I wasn't going to pay that. I bought a left over ST 1300 for $10K and it's been a great bike. I've put 36,000 miles on it I think.

I bought a used 750 Nighthawk, and 1 new and 1 used Yamaha FZ-1 between the Bonnie and the CB 1100. Sold the new FZ-1 to my son, sold the Nighthawk and the used FZ to buy the CB.

Awesome comparison picture. I have the same rear bag on mine! I was originally looking at the Bonneville and chose the CB1100 instead. The CB just felt perfect when I sat on it at dealer and a short test ride confirmed my decision. It is bigger and heavier but once it's moving, it's pretty nimble. I am a sucker for the classic style so both bikes were high on my list.

My first bike was an early 80s Yamaha Maxim 650 which is quite similar to the CB100 in terms of performance. The CB doesn't have a "tingle" at 65mph, thought (Yeah!)

I recently rented a FJR1300 in Las Vegas and rode that around the desert. Great way to see the area and totally worth the rental dollars. If I could afford two bikes, that bigger Yamaha might be the 2nd.

[Mike_imp]

I've owned two Bonneville T100s in the last 6 months. A 2003 and a 2006. Just let the second one go to make room for the new CB1100. The Triumphs were fun and retro and handled well. However with the stock exhaust they sounded too tame and did not have near the power of the new CB. I would own another again provided it was fuel injected (2009 or newer). It's the only non-Honda bike I'd consider.

[ingobohn_imp]

My colleague bought last year a Bonnie T100, and the first thing he changed was the stock muffler (replaced it by a ZARD exhaust).
When I test rode the T100, my complaint was also the bad sound.

Well, Triumph had issued the new 2014 Bonnie model with a different exhaust which should give a better sound (as Triumph says).