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1967 Bonneville lives again!

3K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  gatornapper 
#1 ·
A beautiful day in upstate NY today, and I'd pretty much wrapped up all the stuff I was planning to do in the short term on the 67 Bonnie I picked up from an estate a couple months ago. So it was time to drag it out of the basement and see what it really was I'd picked up. I'm happy to report it appears to be a real gem. Runs as good as any Triumph I've ever had, idles nice, no bad noises, smoke or anything. Leaked 1 drop of oil after a 10 mile ride. As I was hoping would be the case, it evidently was a perfectly solid bike when the owner got too ill to ride anymore. The speedo/odo work so the 10,250 miles are evidently legit.

What a nice ride! I will say, compared to the TLS brake on my '70, the front brake on this really sucks. But other than that it felt great.

Still have some minor stuff to do, but it's legal (even inspected!), paperwork is now in my name and all is good! Not the prettiest condition but not bad for nearly 50 years old and mostly all original.

Steve
 

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#6 · (Edited)
One more pic of the tank. I'd say it's original. I think all the dings at the front are because the PO had a TR6C top triple on the thing, and I found it was pretty impossible to remove the tank without banging it up. The white has yellowed some and is cracking a bit. The pin striping is worn. Remnants of the "world record speed holder" decal are there.

I think it would look "better" if it had been resprayed at some point. It has a lot of "patina of age" as is right now.

Steve
 

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#7 ·
It's hard for me NOT to love a '67 Bonnie, it's really got to be abused.

Mine is still the favorite even though I have several "nicer", more valuable, and more expensive bikes in the collection.

It's a matter of CLASS.

Plus, it's one of only two bikes that can ever be used to re-create the chase scene from Clint Eastwoods in "Coogan's Bluff"...

 
#12 · (Edited)
I tell you that Aubergine is some seductive stuff! The more times I see it the more times I want it!

Do I have to buy another mo mo now?

It's a good thing I can't afford a real paint job for Doris or she might be wearing the wrong color dress!

:wink2:


ETA

Oh god they make the MetalCast paint in purple! Enough coats will make it a nice dark shade!

Gonna have to test THAT out!

:wink2:
 
#14 ·
The white is like old English white.I have my bike in purple and off white at the moment.I used a VW car white and a Ford purple velvet metallic with gold striping.My purple is not like aubergene though. I thought the 67 colours were one of the best of the 60s colours.
 
#15 ·
You could try a light cutting polish like T Cut to clean up the white. Personally I think the shade is quite different to Old English white. I would be careful cutting the Purple since it was a Candy finish and very thin, you could rub through to the ground/base coat. I would be more inclined to give the Purple a good wash and then buff with a soft wax. Several layers of wax over a few weeks should start to add some depth to the finish.

As to whether or not it's factory. The stripes and the rough masked edge under the badge would certainly indicate so.

I was very tempted to finish my 66 in 67 colours after painting this tank for 67 TT. It's a stunning scheme.



Regards
Rod
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the comments on the paint. I'll do nothing other than clean it up and wax as has been suggested.

Was pondering Paul's comments about the '67 exuding class and being his favorite. I think I get it. I have a mostly stock '70 (not original, not restored - but a parts collection and made to look stock). The '67 is a bit purer. The '70 is somewhat more cluttered in appearance, what with the reflectors under the tank, the horns hanging down, the less-tidy taillight. I like the scallops on the 70's tank, but they do look relatively busy. The SLS front brake on the '67 stinks functionally but it looks cleaner than the TLS.

The colors on the '67 tank and relative simplicity of the pattern along with the stainless fenders looks pretty nice, I've gotta say...

With that said a '70 Bonnie is still a beautiful bike.

Steve
 
#21 ·
Being on the road on business this week, have a little down time. So for bed time reading last night, I was looking at the '67 parts manual. Just a few curiosities... Is there supposed to be a handlebar operated choke? Did all US bikes have knee pads? How about a steering damper? Was the fork lock key supposed to be the same as the ignition key?

Mine had a TR6C triple tree on it with a damper. There was a "proper" (albeit chromed") triple tree in the parts box so I put that on and elected to retain the damper, whether it's proper or not. Ignition key doesn't fit the fork lock. Obviously there aren't knee pads and there's no choke...

Thanks,
Steve
 
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