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New Bonneville in the works?

19K views 75 replies 54 participants last post by  Ringadingdoo 
#1 ·
#2 ·
I sorta hope it doesn't. Once the classic twin is "modernised" then it will lose some of its appeal. There is the Speed Triple etc if people want to go faster with better handling. A larger engine feels uneccessary for the type of motorcycle that it is. Every year companies go with larger engines to differentiate the next model from an earlier model but is this required for the classic twin market?
 
#5 ·
In time, the market will become saturated with Bonnies as we know (and love) them. This new version will probably be produced alongside the modern classic line and may extend the life of the motor/chassis. Like the intro of the T100, America, Thruxton, Speedmaster, and Scrambler, this approach keeps a good idea at the fore...
 
#7 ·
How can you be 'between' the Thruxton and Tbird? Do you mean on price? Because I can't see any other comparison point on the bikes. Their only similarity seems to be a parallel twin motor. One might as well say 'I don't see any reason to add a model between the Street Triple and the Trophy'. They both have triples, but after that the similarity ends...

I wouldn't mind a higher spec version of the Bonnie or Thruxton. But I don't believe they should replace the current spec for it. Some upgrades might be in order, but more than improving the performance of the standard models I'd rather see them hold the price point down.
 
#8 ·
Kind of torn on this one. Where it would be nice to have a bonneville that didnt need all the normal upgrades right off the showroom floor, that is where I consider half of the fun owning my thruxton to be. All the tinkering and upgrading, but I know that is not everones thing.
 
#10 ·
Part of the appeal of the Bonnie/Thrux/Scram is they are a blank canvas. Keep them dirt cheap so people can add on their own mods that suits their own riding style and budget. The HD Sportster is a similar concept - some people may ride them stock (imagine that...) but the fun is turning them into your own custom. That said, i expect its tempting for Triumph to differentiate the market with niche higher spec'ed versions
 
#11 ·
Part of the appeal of the Bonnie/Thrux/Scram is they are a blank canvas. Keep them dirt cheap so people can add on their own mods that suits their own riding style and budget.
You've nailed the best aspect about buying a Bonneville/Thrux...The relative ease of modifying/maintaining these bikes yourself is part of the ownership experience. Lots of aftermarket support to help the core styling that you get in stock form.
 
#12 ·
better suspension + brakes is always welcome, the factory can volume buy + install cheaper than a single purchase, but i like an upright riding position. i would be great to pick options like the mini cooper allows, i would not mind waiting for a custom build at a fair price. triumph's upgraded model's are a bargain compared to buying ohlin's goodies outright
 
#19 ·
so, compared to the new norton?

If Norton does come to the USA, with the popular cafe style comeback, maybe Triumph recogonizes a market opportunity.

If it had better forks, trick swing arm, brakes, hydraulic clutch , adjustable shock, maybe an extra does of torque , arrow pipes, a riding position like the standard bonnie, price it under $10k, it would be ?
Awesome
terrible?
 
#21 ·
Triumph built a Street Tracker a few years ago, based on the Bonne, as a styling exercise. It's sitting @ Barber's museum right now. Looks sharp! This mule looks very much like that Street Tracker. The next time you're in the museum, look for it. It's currently parked outside the theater on Level 1.
 
#24 ·
I agree with Aussiematt and bonnieblack on the first page.
I have a Sprint. What I'd buy next would be a lighter Bonnie.
Not bigger not more powerful but light with torque.
The best idea should be power to weight.
The MOST IMPORTANT to the survival of the company is that it be
indestructable.
 
#30 ·
Improvements are always welcome. If the Bonnie the Bonneville were PERFECT....We'd not throw our wallets at it to improve suspension, performance, etc.... Many bitched when FI was introduced to the classic line, remember, now most accept it as an improvement in performance and reliability.

I,ve seen that Street Tracker at Barber and it's beautiful, but I don't think it was built my Triumph. I do know the motor was built up by Dink of D&D Cycle in Pensicola Fl. He also built the motor on my Scrambler.

I'm thinking the new Thrux & Tracker will have a modest increase in displacement.... BRING IT!

Regards, Paul
 
#31 ·
For those of you that haven't seen MCN this week (it's a Brit weekly motorcycle paper) the pictures show what appears to be a factory test mule snapped by a professional photographer. The bike has all the hallmarks of a bike in a far from finished state. It appears to have an adjustable steering head and cobbled together tinware suggesting that geometry and styling are still being worked on. Much in the article is speculation (engine displacement etc) but in this raw state it would not disappoint Bonnie purists. It still looks like a 'classic' even with upside down front forks etc. Should it ever reach production stage it would be interesting to see if it is a hyper Thruxton or a new incarnation altogether ie a street orientated dirt tracker.
 
#34 ·
A Thruxton "R" with a big bore boost to 904cc (an inexpensive mod the factory can do), keep the stock cams for EPA (let the owner opt for aftermarket cams because they're easier to install than a big bore kit), an Arrow exhaust, good suspension, maybe not the expensive Ohlins but some good USD forks and equivalent rear shocks, keep the same ergonomics, shave some weight off (lighter wheels and suspension) and add a bitchin' paint job.

This might add $1500 or so to the price but I think they would sell all they could make.

Then they can start on a Scrambler "lite" model with all the same mods as above.
 
#35 ·
Did Harley lose its appeal because it went from 74 to 96 cubes......essentially no, they are still a Harley.
Did Honda wreck the mold when they produced 350 through to 1100 inline fours that basically looked similar, not really.
Did Ducati, did any motorcycle manufacturer????
No, no, no. So upgrading the power and 'cc's of a motor is a well trodden progression path for all makers.
I see it as being no different for the Bonnie. I've always lamented the low power [torque and hp] of the Bonnie. Give me twin discs, +1000cc and adjustable suspension in a Bonnie package and I'll buy it.
Don't keep gilding the lily with stupid paint jobs/different pipes/handlebar changes/cosmetic fairy floss and calling it a new model - thats something any owner can do with a can of spraypaint and a few bits of pipe with a welder, its not a NEW model.
So I'm all for an upgrade in a classic package.
And don't tell me to buy a Sprint or some other Jappo/Euro look alike, they may perform but they look like sh!t to me. Plus they are as removed from a classic bike style as you could get.
 
#37 ·
I'd like a traveling bike. A six gallon tank, dual discs, comfy seat, better suspenson, and a 1000cc motor would do for a start. Both the Norton Interstate and the later BSA A65 Spitfires had beautiful big tanks that could be the basis for such an endeavor.

 
#38 ·
A friend has just been over to the Triumph factory in the UK, seems that the aircooled twin will be killed off when euro5 emmisions come into effect.

Triumph is probably going to offer and end of the era special, as they have done in the past.

Here's hope for the future.....1000 -1200cc, 270deg parallel twin, stacked gearbox, water cooled hot rod....yeehaaa!!
 
#43 ·
A friend has just been over to the Triumph factory in the UK, seems that the aircooled twin will be killed off when euro5 emmisions come into effect.
Euro 5 is proposed to come into effect in 2020 with the precise date and the specific requirements to be confirmed by 2016.

http://www.fema-online.eu/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=299&cntnt01returnid=15

So the Bonny as we know it has a few years of life left in it even if they can't make it conform to Euro 5 in its current form.
 
#39 ·
Like anyone I like and chase more HP however adding cubes because "bigger is better" along with a material increase in the price is not the direction a manufacturer should automatically take. Did HD make their big twins more sought after because they went from 88 to 95 cubic inches? Now, if a new engine is needed because of stricter emissions standards then it makes sense to build in optionality to increase the engine size. I still believe some appeal will be lost if our classic twins become more complicated (water cooled, ABS, USD forks, etc). I like the simplicity that these models offer in an increasingly technical motorcycle market. Once the twins get "modernised" and prices increase, there will be a lot of competition in the $10,000 plus price range. The again its probably inevitable...
 
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