Streety has a new sibling!

[terraplaneblues]

In a effort to restore needed balance to my life, I felt it necessary to add another bike. So this week I bought a Bonneville Black. It is as much of a blast to ride as the ST3, but in a more laid-back way. Anyone else have this combo? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Jamie]

You may not love hearing mine.

You read bluesy. You are apparently torn between modernity, hence the Streetie, and nostalgia, hence the Bonnie. There are probably personal episodes between the two that have affected what you refer to as the "balance to your life".... I should know, perhaps, being 59 years of age myself. Except the sequence is ODD. One would rationalize a move from the latter, nostalgia, to the former, modernity. Not the other way around.

Balance to our lives, unless already achieved, is a forward-looking thing. And, unfortunately, not always a laid-back one.

Jamie

[spiki-spikester]

A Street Triple & a modified Bonnie T100 are in my garage. See my website links below

Much as I love the Bonnie it now needs new tyres and new steering bearings & is just not getting a look in since the Streety arrived. They're both great in different ways.

The Bonnie is great fun for a Sunday blast, even if the lack of any top end performance is a drawback when you want to be in "overtake everything in sight" mode. But it has only got about half the HP of the Streety

[Diego]

My Bonneville and Street get along quite nicely, too.

[terraplaneblues]

Jamie, my friend, no need to be concerned. It was written with a wink and a nod. I've figured out over the years that balance come from within, not from motorcycles, but they are a heck of a lot of fun. I enjoy the contrasts the two bikes present between riding styles.

Your comment about being torn between modernity and nostalgia is astute. But I wouldn't use the word torn, I think oscillating fits better. Having grown up in rural Mississippi in the sixties and seventies, it comes naturally, living between the past and the present. I'm sure your familiar with Faulkner's line about the past not even being past.

But it's probably even simpler than that, I'm a somewhat respectable middle-aged professional with a not-so-secret hooligan lurking inside. At least that what my wife says.

[spiki-spikester]

Originally Posted by terraplaneblues

I'm a somewhat respectable middle-aged professional with a not-so-secret hooligan lurking inside. At least that what my wife says.

A common secret on this forum, I suspect

... me, I'm admitting nothing

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by terraplaneblues

Jamie, my friend, no need to be concerned. It was written with a wink and a nod.

Glad you came along right away on this forray of mine into bar room existentialism.

from the hooligan and the (perhaps more arguably) gentleman.

Jamie

[Fconic]

I have a 2003 Triumph Speedmaster 799cc to keep company to my Street Triple

[BradleyJ]

I too have an 01 Bonne and an 08 Striple. I love them both. The Bonne is my touring bike. It has been on many trips around the Great Lakes and has always been totally reliable. Mine has a Triumph solo seat for comfort and Triumph fabric saddle bags to carry tools and spares that I have never needed. For travelling it has a National Cycle windscreen that is similar to the Summer Screen but a little narrower. Good deflector of bugs and rocks.
The Striple is my hooligan side as well. I hadn't had a sporty bike in about 5 years and jumped on the chance to get an early Striple last year. The bike now has the fly screen, seat cowl and yesterday it got the Arrow 3:1 exhaust. It is a blast to ride.
I will take the striple out to a few hundred miles but the Bonne is still the #1 tour rig for me. This year we will circumnavigate Lake Michigan stopping at 2 or 3 aircraft museums and 3 or 4 car museums along the way. I am looking forward to it.
Best regards to all.

[CrazyCam]

Aye, well, this year I seem to have undergone a substantial change.

My Street Triple was planned to be my birthday present from my wife, marking me turning 60. The long wait for delivery kinda spoiled that, but, <shrug> I'm still very happy with the bike.

Keeping my old Honda Hornet 600, with a striple in the garage seemed silly, so it went to a good home.

My two two-strokes, the 125 and the 250 also went to good homes, and I found myself down to only two bikes, the Z50 and the striple.

Neither of those bikes are particularly suited to carrying a pillion, and I am not happy parking either of them in parking lots at supermarkets etc.

So I looked for a "shopping" bike that could also do trips two-up.

I had considered a Bonnie, or a Guzzi V7 Classic, or, possibly a BMW.

An old BMW was the first to turn up, and I now have embraced old fart-dom totally, with a big high screen and heated hand grips on an R850R.

regards,CrazyCam