Triumphrat

tooblekain

Hey all:

I'm 26 and currently own a Daytona 675 and have been riding for a couple of years. In this short period of time I have become truly addicted to riding. I love my Daytona and all, but there are days where I just want to "cruise" and be "nostalgic." After some long and hard thinking, Ive decided that the next bike to fit that need would be a Bonneville. Surprisingly enough, I did some calculations in terms of my personal finances and financing projections and it turns out I can afford to have both a Dayton and a Bonneville

I do have a few questions and wanted your guy's input. Please bear with me.

First, I didn't see a check engine light or low fuel light indicator on the 2008 Bonnevilles....do they exist or do they not. If so, where are they?

Second, what can I expect to get in terms of fuel economy and what type of gas can I use? I'm getting kinda tired of using premium fuel on my Daytona and with rising gas prices I want to see if I can save a few $$$. I know the manual states for the Daytona 675 that I can use 89 octane. Can the Bonneville use as low as 87 octane since its not running as high as a compression (I imagine) as a Daytona 675? What is the recommended Octane Triumph says.

Third, I didn't notice any bobbins or place to jack up the motorcycle. Does that mean I have to purchase a motorcycle jack or can I use the same Handy Stands that I use to lift the front and rear of my Daytona?

Fourth, how does it handle in terms of filtering through traffic, lane splitting, turn initiating, maintaining lean angle. I do want to do some "spirited" riding on it as well. I know I won't get the same performance characteristics of a 675, but is it capable of holding on and being more agile than your average cruiser?

Fifth, since the tires are not tubeless, can I add Slime (or any similar puncture sealant) should a potential flat happen? I use Slime when I mountain bike, and I'm curious if the application could be applied to this bike.

Sixth, what are the common problems/reliability issues most of you Bonnie owners run into? I'd like to know so if it happens to me, I can be well prepared.

Seventh, will getting a center-stand significantly effect how far I can lean the Bonnie? Along those lines, how far exactly can you lean this bike before lowsiding?

Eighth, how are ergos and butt comfort for long cruises? Any ergo suggestions to make cruising on this bike longer than say a couple of hours? Surprisingly, I can last 2 hours on my Daytona before having to take a break. How long can one last on this bike before it becomes uncomfortable.

Sorry its long...but any answers and help will be greatly appreciated.

Bonafide

There's also the Scrambler and the Thruxton. Dont get so caught up on the Bonnie so much that you ignore what the other might offer that's different.

dont exist. it's a modern classic. not really much on it in the modern sense except they leak less oil and the lights work better than the older ones.

40-45 mpg .. more if you fine tune and ride like a girl. I'll swap around from 87 to 93 octane and havent noticed any differences. We have 2 Bonnies and a Thrux in our garage.

I dont use those things, but I've seen em used by the Thruxton Cup races in the pits. Jacks are $50 from your local auto parts dealer.

It'll flat smoke your average cruiser. It's no sportbike, but it's quite nimble.

It dont work. All you will successfully do is spray green stuff on the person riding behind you.

Read the forum. There's a couple things that pop up enough to be considered 'common' issues - but nothing that would keep me from buying one. Example: rear wheel spokes have been known to break. Otherwise, the darn things are pretty solid.

Never had a center stand on one of these - so I dunno. You can lean them over til the pegs scrap .. and then keep on leaning. Put on rear sets and keep on leaning til they scrap. Keep on going and you'll scrap the mufflers. The stock springs/shocks suck tho ... think *pogo stick*

The stock Bonnie park bench of a seat sucks azz. The stock Thrux seat rides just fine. There's plenty more options on the market. I typically ride 300 miles in a day on the weekends, but I couldnt go 40 miles on the stock Bonnie seat before my arse and inner thighs were screaming.

Suggestions: 1. START READING THE FORUMS AND USE THE SEARCH FEATURE. A bunch of the questions you're asking have been asked and answered time and time again. 2. Find a dealer that offers test rides and make sure you like the basic config of the bike before you buy it. 3. One of the biggest joys (for me) of owning one (or 3) of these bikes is the endless abilities of modifications.

Kirkus51

Well, 1st mod I did was the centerstand. love it, doesn't affect clearance. make lubing the chain a snap.

The Bonnie doesn't have a low fuel light, just a reserve tank(you have .8 gal in the reserve). Expect 40-50 mpg on whatever octane you use. I use midgrade or premium. 89 octane and you can use 10% ethanol or 15% MTBE gas.

The bonnie has a check oil light indicating low oil pressure, I use that as a "check engine".

The bonnie is quite agile and quick steering, especially compared to cruisers. I have no idea how far you can lean the thing over before it starts to slide (kinda a "death wish" question). Oh, just read you're 26. Bones knit pretty well at your age.

The bonnie's motor is pretty bullet-proof. Cam cover gasket can weep on ya, but it's covered by warranty.

I bought my bonnie because it was very neutral on the ergos. A good seating position for me. not pocket rocket, not bend over cruiser, just right.

I don't know about the slime thing, probably would work. The tubed tires do require frequent checking. I forgot over the Winter and had to baby my girl to the nearest air station pronto. They don't look flat when they're on the centerstand.

All in all I wouldn't trade my Black for anything out there.

Old Scratcher

My centre-stand was the first thing to touch on my Scrambler, which is why I've taken it off & now use a pit-stand (which answers one of your other questions too).

__________________
"They told me I was goin to have to work for my living, & all I wanna do is ride." Jackson Browne (the Road & The Sky)

Orpheus

89 octane. 865cc Bonnies get high 30s/low to mid 40s mpg if you are an "average rider". If you carry a million pounds of gear and twist the throttle like I do, you'll get 30.

I just use a jack and jack stands, but I'm also lazy and use my enormous bash plate.

It will beat the average cruiser in terms of overall performance, and it definitely has better handling characteristics. It can shimmy a bit in turns. A Superbrace fixes most of that.

With 30L side panniers, I filtered traffic in San Diego and continue to lane split in Orange and Los Angeles counties. No problem.

Leaky cam cover gasket, leaky oil galleys. That's all I've run into in ~22,000 miles.

My longest day with the stock seat and pegs was ~650 miles, from Zion National Park to Denver. I wanted to die. If you really want to use this sucker to put on comfortable miles but are worried about peg dragging, 1) get some Oberon or other shorty pegs and 2) get a thicker seat with foam set up for touring. I barely lean my Bonnie at all, so I have modre's peg lowering kit and the Triumph solo seat + rack kit.

BERT1FLORES

I think you'd like your new Bonneville.

__________________
Aka 2112
Age and treachery will always trump youth and skill.

Brooksie

I think a Bonnie is a great compliment for a D675. The Bonnie is very relaxed riding position, but it may suprise you by how well it handles. Unless you have your heart set on a new bike with two year warranty, a nice clean used one should fit the bill.
1) There is no fuel ligh. Odometer and reserve. Old school.
2) Fuel depends on how you ride. Mid thirties around town agressive and low forties on the highway. Figure around 150 miles on the highway just to be safe.
3) Center stand is available from Triumph. Recommended.
4) Great handling bike with nice mid-range punch and upright riding position. Great town bike. Great touring bike. Fun in corners (you will scratch).
5) Never heard of slime fixing a shreaded tube.
6) Bike is very reliable and mechanically robust.
7) You're not buying the Bonnie to race it. Center stand can get in the way if you get WAY over. You'll be through the pegs first. It handles well with room to spare.
8) Bonnie feels like a Gold Wing compared to the D675. And I love the D675 for distance work. The Bonnie will work better because it has taller tires and longer wheelbase. Get a small deflector for the "touring" jaunts.
Get the Bonnie and enjoy it. It's a bike you may keep for a very long time. It's like a great big happy Golden Retreiver, not a pit bull. It'll always make you smile.

roxythruxton

All I can tell you is just ride one . And you will see why there are guys here that have the Bonnies that took the Horsepower plunge to a 60hp stock Bonnie ( Trust me it won't stay stock long ) . The grin you will come back with will be you determining factor it you truly want one or not.

Go get your test ride .

__________________
Long Live The Limey:D
BIR#220
Yep. I've got some mods .

tooblekain

Thank you all for the replies and information. I did take the plunge and took delivery of one today. I rode through the mountain backcountry in San Diego and let me tell you that this think can TURN!!!

I was pleasantly shocked how well it turns on corners. I was easily scraping my shoes and on occasion scraped the metal knobs on the bottom of my pegs. I did feel an ever so slight weave and wobble when taking some tight turns but nothing too intimidating.

Coming from the 675, its like I had to make a few adjustments. The riding position was very relaxed, but the footpegs felt a little bit more forward than usual. Got used to that relatively quick. There is little or no engine braking so I had to engage on the brakes more. Plus the brakes aren't as top notch as my 675 so I had to brake sooner on some corners. The toughest part to get used to was passing vehicles. I was used to my 675's torque and horsepower and realized that when passing vehicles on my Bonnie, I had to downshift and practically cane the throttle to pass. My fastest top speed on it that I saw (not by trying or anything) was 90 mph.

I did run into something interesting. When I was descending down Palomar Mountain, I noticed that my bike would hiccup or when I want more throttle it would be delayed. At first I thought it was because of the altitude affecting the carbs...but after 3 miles, my bike eventually died. I thought the worst...but hoped it was only that I ran out of gas. I pulled over to the side, flipped the switch to RESERVE and sure enough it fired up. Here's the kicker though....My bike died out at only 85 miles!!!

Now that I know the first sign of running out of fuel, I do have a question for you all: Can I flip the fuel switch from ON to RESERVE while I'm riding or do I have to pull over, turn off the bike, flip the switch and fire it up?

Please bear with me because all my vehicles have been fuel injected and I've never dealt with carburators in my life.

Old Scratcher

Here's the kicker though....My bike died out at only 85 miles!!!

Now that I know the first sign of running out of fuel, I do have a question for you all: Can I flip the fuel switch from ON to RESERVE while I'm riding or do I have to pull over, turn off the bike, flip the switch and fire it up?

Please bear with me because all my vehicles have been fuel injected and I've never dealt with carburators in my life.[/quote]

It depends on how quickly you can reach down & flip the lever.
If you haven't slowed down too much, it should just fire straight back up again. If you have slowed down, you'll need to go down a gear or two before bump starting the motor, or you'll lock the back wheel up.
You should be getting more than 85 miles to reserve from a full tank. 120-140 miles is the usual range.

__________________
"They told me I was goin to have to work for my living, & all I wanna do is ride." Jackson Browne (the Road & The Sky)