Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums banner

Bonneville: Long freeway-speed rides

28K views 18 replies 17 participants last post by  whoa 
G
#1 ·
I'm new to the forum and I hope to be back often.

I'm seriously considering purchasing a Bonneville T100. It seems perfect for my style It's laid back and classy--quite different from my current Honda 650 sport bike. But from reading reviews I keep hearing one complaint: the bike seems to suffer at higher speeds.

I'm not living in a place where there are lots of twisty 35MPH roads. I live in Utah, where any decent distance ride involves long 65-70MPH stretches across basin valleys. I don't want to drop the money on the bike only to hate long rides because of an over-revving, buzzy engine and uncomfortable ergonomics.

Really my riding area is more suited to a traditional cruiser, but I just don't care for that style. At 6'2" (188 cm) I don't want to ache after a ride and I don't want to throw an engine rod either. This problem is pretty much the only obstacle preventing me from buying the bike now. What do you think?
 
#3 ·
These bikes are very stable at speeds over 100 mph ,top speed is only around 120 mph.
The longest ride I have done was about 385 miles in 6 hrs straight riding ,most of it at 80 -90 indicated.The ONLY problem is that it's just a naked bike and you are out there in the wind ( I don't like the looks of a screen on a bonnie;other bikes look fine with them IMO) .The ergos were fine ,But I have low bars .These bikes love to run at 5 , 6, 7,000 rpm .They ask for MORE.
I read about a guy riding up from Georgia at top speed to Providence in one long ride (20 hrs?).
You won't want to just putt along at 65/70 mph.And the engines are nearly bullet proof;totally over engineered for the average user.
I am also 6'2 and have no issues with trhe size of the bike .Rear sets can help to stretch your legs .On long hauls I sometimes use the pillion pegs.
If you can find a cooler looking bike ,buy it .
 
#4 ·
On 2007-03-20 21:49, RoundelMike wrote:
But from reading reviews I keep hearing one complaint: the bike seems to suffer at higher speeds.
I haven't heard that complaint. :???:
I mean it's no sport tourer, but you can run the highway all day without a hitch.
MY only suggestion would be to at least get a flyscreen. It smooths out the airflow so the air hitting you in the chest is clean, not pounding.
 
#5 ·
I've never heard that complaint either. As a matter of fact - this bike seems very boring (to me) at 65mph - and seems it's happiest running 75-80mph. I'm happiest pushing ton up. AND - I'm running a 17T front sprocket.

I will agree - you have to like riding a naked bike, not to be comfused with riding a bike naked. The wind jostlin you around at highway speeds is an aquired taste.
 
#6 ·
I'm at my happiest when that 800cc twin beneath me is sending a VERY satisfying pulsing sensation through my hands, my heart, and deep into my soul...... at 73 to 82 mph.

I too have never heard/read anybody complain about their Bonnies at freeway speeds. There have been discussions of sprockets, but no complaints of the bike "...suffer(ing) at higher speeds".....

But what do we know,
some of us have only been riding and writing about 'em for a couple years and thousands upon thousands of miles (& smiles).
:-D
 
#7 ·
I have a T100 with an 18T front sprocket and can cruise comfortably at 75-80 mph. With SuperBars this is completely tolerable (if not plush). Its as good as any naked bike I've ridden and better than many...
 
#8 ·
You can always add a fairing. Look for parabellum's online. I love mine. I never have much problem with vibrations. I travel very long distance on mine. Planning on a 2 week trip vegas to canada this summer.
 
#9 ·
Now with Bub's megaphones mine settles in right about 80 as the sweet spot, but will easily go faster. That's about 5-6 mph better than the sweet spot it had with the TOR's. 110 is as fast as I've had it. (all w/stock sprocket) I find moving around, lowering one's profile, using the passenger pegs, etc helps tremendously. Stock, it felt weezy at 75 mph. Obviously there are way faster and more comfortable bikes for freeway cruising, but I think as long as your expectations are reasonable you should be happy with one, I love my T100 for trips.
 
G
#10 ·
On 2007-03-20 22:18, d2mini wrote:
I haven't heard that complaint. :???: [related to weak high speed performance]
I mean it's no sport tourer, but you can run the highway all day without a hitch.
I've spent the past few minutes trying to find a link to show someone griping about Bonneville freeway performance and (surprise) I haven't found one. In the magazine where I first heard of the Bonneville, the author did say that he wished the bike had another gear, and I suppose that over sensitized me to comments like "it's a good around-town bike" and other such phrases in reviews. I was just scared of buying something...well, slow.

The comments have been really good, thank you. I'm actually quite happy to hear of positive experiences with the bike at higher speeds. It makes my decision process A LOT easier. Besides, I really did want to be sold on the Bonneville. :)

I've kept saying that my next bike will have a windscreen, and I'm going to look into the shielding options mentioned here. My current bike is a "naked" style also, and the wind buffeting can be almost violent. I don't want to ruin the classic look of the Bonneville with some huge cruiser-esque windscreen though, so it will take some consideration.
 
#11 ·
I agree with everything said, my 790 runs all day at 80-90mph, 2-up in 35degC heat and there's no point at which the vibration increases or you feel it's too much for the engine. Fit flatter bars (so you can ride the wind) and a fly screen (eg Dart) for additional comfort and of course some people fit bigger sprockets to raise the overall gearing but it's not essential. None of these mods are expensive or difficult.

I've tried larger screens and found that there's always a point at which you get buffetting around the head, not nice, plus bar mounted screens can affect handling in X-winds.

I don't know what revs a V-twin runs at 70, I suspect it's a lot lower than the Bonnie, but it's a different engine. I suspect it's that comparison that makes people think the Bonnie is over-revving. It isn't. It's a different kind of engine.

Riding a bike is a physical experience. You wouldn't expect to be able to ski all day if you were out of condition. same applies to riding a bike imho.

Cheers
 
#13 ·
If the 18T isn't enough, I just put the 19T sprocket on my bike about a week ago. I spend a great deal of time on Houston highways, and the 19T sprocket made a world of difference when I'm crusin' in the 80-90mph range. Naturally, a bit of torque is lost in the low end, but not much.
 
#14 ·
This summer, I rode for hours at end at 70-75mph. Could have gone even faster , but norwegian speed limits are low and tickets ridiculously high, so I called it good.

I have a dart screen and a bagster tank bag, both helps relieving the wind pressure. As my riding also involves a lot of twisty roads, I've kept the stock 17T sprocket. But if I mainly rode freeways etc , I'd opt for the 18T.

I also bought a set of Sport touring bars but not put them on yet, as I found the stock bars pretty comfortable.
 
#15 ·
I have the 790 with the 17t sprocket and I have run for hours and hours many times at 75+ with no problems.. At first it seems a little high revs but after awhile you just dont notice it. I was going to try an 18t but never bothered.iMy friends suzy volusia 800 seems like it is working alot more than the bonnie on the hiway even though the revs are about the same. The parallel twins are made for the revs..
 
#16 ·
RoundMike,
I have a triumph windshield on mine and it doesn't detract from the classic look at all. I strongly suggest the windshield. I have just returned from a 1200 mile trip and mine prefers 72 mph on freeways/highways, no problem at all, it is also very comfortable, even with the stock seat.

you can see the bike with the windshield at my website, scroll down, to the left hand side, there is a link "Bike show winner" click on it and you can see the windshield.
www.clevercreek.com

Lisa
 
#18 ·
I'm in SLC, and my T100 loves it here. I think the bike is awesome around the Wasatch Front. The canyons are fun, there are loads of places to ride in Utah, there is also the Utah British Bike Club. They have plenty of rides all throughout the riding months, and almost all of their rides are off the highways. Check out the Utah British Bike Club website - http://www.utahbritishbikeclub.com some of the upcoming rides are listed on there. The rides to Torrey, UT are supposed to be awesome, I didn't get to go last year.

Robert
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top