Triumphrat

stinebiz · 06-20-2005

I'm 37 years old...born in 67, so I'm just a bit too young to remember the Triumph hey-day. Even though at that young age I couldn't distinguish a Triumph from a Honda from a Harley, etc, etc, etc. I recognized the distinct style of the time. That's what appealed to me when I bought my T100.

Naturally as everyone mentions...we (Bonneville/Thruxton riders) get comments all the time about our bikes...at red lights, parking lots, gas stations.... but the thing that has really began to surprise me is the age of MOST of the admirers. Older folks will stop and reminisce...ask questions, but more and more young guys (early 20s) will give me a thumbs up or gawk like they've never seen a bike like this before. I even had one kid hang out the pasenger window of a car to take a picture of me while I was cruising down the H1.

I realize everything old is new again, and I guess the look of our bike is appealing even to folks that never saw them the first time around. It's a good feeling.

Panthermark · 06-20-2005

It's a very good feeling.

Our bikes are NOT retro, they are classics....they are vintage....they are REAL.

Retro is a design for an overpriced kitchen sink at Home Depot.

Some of the bikes on this site could easily be confused for a bike 40 years older.

What we have does not "look" like a bike from a different era, it IS THE bike from a different era.

TrumpetPlayer · 06-20-2005

Well, actually the new Bonneville isn't a bike from a different era, it just looks like it could be upon a casual first glance. It's a modern motorcycle. It has disk brakes, and electronic ignition, and a throttle position sensor, and overhead cams, and counter balancers.

It's not a faithful reproduction of the original, and no one in their right mind would wish it to be. The originals were simple and elegant and beautiful. They were also cantankerous, and shaky, and had reliability issues.

The new Bonnie says "Triumph" on the tank. That means something to a lot of people, including me. It has a classic look that's cool because clean design never really goes out of style. The same phenomenon is at work with the new Bonneville as with the new Mini Cooper.

The new versions of these machines are bigger and heavier than the originals. They have more modern engines, brakes, and electricals. They aren't the same as the originals, but they have enough styling cues in common with their ancestors to push people's buttons. Good design is always appealing.

Panthermark · 06-21-2005

I understand that it's not the same bike from 1964. A lot of things have changed in 40 years. But I think this bike seems to have a "soul". I'm to young to have ever ridden an old Bonnie, but I think the reason I chose this bike is because it reminds me of what a motorcycle (or maybe what motorcycle-ing) should be. I don't need to do a 170 mph on an import, or have an H-D sporty (the only one I could afford) that looks like every other H-D sporty around.

Maybe it's the price and the fact that motorcycles are much simpler then cars. A new Chevy Malibu does not have the same soul as an old one (sorry if I offend any Malibu drivers). But the new and old Bonnie share much more then a nameplate and a retro-look grill.

Or maybe it just reminds me of my dad, just like it reminds everyong else of their dad's/uncle's/friend's/own bike from way back when.

tylerd · 06-21-2005

Hey there Stinebiz!

I am 34 and from what I can tell the exception to the rule in the UK as far as Bonnie age! But...I notice the same trend...younger people are getting into these bikes as super sports bikes get less socially acceptable (and lets be honest, where can you use 160bhp these days?). You can also see them popping up in films (how to lose a guy, Tuck Everlasting, The Punisher), this is a sure sign that the bike has a certain something

As for it being like the old days...well I was thinking how much it reminded me of my old commando (the reason I bought the bonnie) until I parked the bonnie next to a commando at weekend...now the norton was kitted out in cafe racer trim but next to mine it was tiny and very minamilist. I was really surprised at the difference...funny how your mind plays tricks with you! The bonnie is an interpratation for the new age and is much better for it.

Ride safe
Tyler

[ This message was edited by: tylerd on 2005-06-21 02:46 ]

Christov · 06-21-2005

I am 38 and I am on my 3rd Triumph. My first was a '79 T-140D, the second a '95 Speed Triple, and my bike now is an '02 Bonneville. To me there is a lot of appeal with simplicity. The look and feel of the new Bonneville makes it one of the best values in motorcycling... period. I know a lot of Harley riders that seem to get jealous when my "cheap", "little" bike seems to get all of the attention whenever we are parked. There is a lot to be said for not riding a clone. After all, the Bonneville is tracing its looks back to their OWN heritage.
Way to go Triumph!! :-D

oldbob · 06-21-2005

about the old triumphs. they were the machine in the mid 60's. i am 58 years old and have just got back in the saddle after a 35 year layoff. probably would not have if not for the new bonnie. i remember back in 1967 idling around the local drivein hamburger and beer joint with the thump thump of the bonnies pipe sounding like a camed up dragster, getting the eye from the cage drivers and the laddies. that was the good old days. take a 650 bonnie , pipped and jetted, out to the farm road drag strip and totally wipe out the mustangs, corvettes, chargers ect. in a quarter mile by 4 or 5 carlinks. yea, people remember. and when everyone at the drivein place got ready to ride the triumps were the last to move. we waited and had a nother beer while the harley boys were jumping up and down like jack in the boxes trying to get theirs started. yup, just took us one or two kicks and we were gone. today at 58 i smile and remember my younger years and goose my new bonnie up with a smile. some things are just too good to die away.............

tylerd · 06-21-2005

Quote:

On 2005-06-21 05:35, oldbob wrote:
about the old triumphs. they were the machine in the mid 60's. i am 58 years old and have just got back in the saddle after a 35 year layoff. probably would not have if not for the new bonnie. i remember back in 1967 idling around the local drivein hamburger and beer joint with the thump thump of the bonnies pipe sounding like a camed up dragster, getting the eye from the cage drivers and the laddies. that was the good old days. take a 650 bonnie , pipped and jetted, out to the farm road drag strip and totally wipe out the mustangs, corvettes, chargers ect. in a quarter mile by 4 or 5 carlinks. yea, people remember. and when everyone at the drivein place got ready to ride the triumps were the last to move. we waited and had a nother beer while the harley boys were jumping up and down like jack in the boxes trying to get theirs started. yup, just took us one or two kicks and we were gone. today at 58 i smile and remember my younger years and goose my new bonnie up with a smile. some things are just too good to die away.............

Man. that made me go all misty eyed...think I was born at the wrong time! I guess the good old days really existed

Shorty · 06-21-2005

At 52 years of age, I could not afford the Triumph, BSA or Norton's of the late 60's and early 70's on what "Uncle Sam" was paying me while serving in the USAF (I could afford a Honda CB 350 though).
By the time I was able to afford either of the Brit bikes, they were all gone and HD was bought by AMF.
I'm glad that Triumph decided to make a newer, modern version of an old classic. For me and the wife it's kinda like re-living a part of our lives we missed out on.

Shorty

GaryD · 06-21-2005

I seriously doubt there are many present owners who owned new Bonnevilles in the 1960s. Those bikes were much more expensive in the USA relative to the cost of everything else. I know I couldn't even afford a new Cub, much less a Bonneville.