Triumphrat

Thruxtonian

This is not meant for you scramblers out there. I'm referring to a standard Bonnie or T100. When I first got mine, the riding position and the ease of standing on the pegs got me wondering how it'd do on dirt roads and easy trails. I ended up finding a large grass parking lot which had some sand and minor bumps, and tried it out. Didn't seem too bad, but went into the garage the next day only to find a flat rear tire. I now know it was a coincidence, but it bothered me at first.
So now the new issue of Rider is out with the Bonnie 50th on the cover, and the article mentions how the bike is well suited to backroads/dirt roads. Got me wondering what other peoples' experience with this is. Really the main thing that's keeping me from getting out and exploring is all the nice chrome/paint. Especially the low pipes...That's why true dirt bikes have that cheesy looking dyed plastic stuff, huh.

__________________
Lance

dledinger

I take some dirt trails/roads pretty regularly.

Makes it hard to clean, but that's about all.

MES

I take mine on fire roads and the like. Longest I did was 28 miles. You just got to go slow and pick your way through it.

88blkbird

Are we talking about being off road by choice?

drharveys

Or just getting to someplace that's a bit off the beaten (or paved) track.

The Bonnie's fine for the odd dirt or gravel road -- all those expensive plastic parts made my BMW's very cautious "trials" bikes!

Gob-ny-geay

I've had my Bonnie on the occasional Farm/dirt/gravel road, and through some wooded areas. Mind you, not like a demonically possessed dirt bike rider, but fast enough. My son and I go once in a while. You need to stand on the pegs all the time or your rear end gets mangled, and I guess I'm getting a little too old for that! I get worn out after about 1/2 hour or so.

Handles pretty well, but if I was going to do this regularly, I'd change the tires to some big knobbies, and raise the suspension up some 3 inches or so. But then I couldn't do the asphault "twisties" as well. You have to choose one or the other I guess.

And yes, it takes forever to get all that mud and grass out of the nooks and crannies. But well worth the fun and braggin' rights afterwards over a tall cold one!

__________________
"I found myself homesick for a place I've never been to."

CAPTDON

By choice- NO! Went down a road here (paved or was ) called Martin Grade. A beautiful road w/ a canopy of trees over it for 15+mi. My bud on his BA (now passed away) said "Its open & construction cant be bad"? My only off road experience( Bonne wise) 1st & last - I hope! A mess to clean up after! & if ANY high spots, grnd clearance will be a problem. A BB or was when we started. Still finding evidence of that ! I gave him crap about it for a while!! I wish he was still here to laugh about it!! EX Giggy here.

__________________
CAPT D

dfeaster

I have been off road twice. Neither time was intentional and both were expensive. They are too heavy to intentionally ride off-road IMHO.

--dfeaster

ohiorider

Gravel and mud .... yes. Intentional .... no. In 2006 we took two Bonnies from Cleveland, OH out west. The first unpaved road was up a neat thing in Southern Utah called Mokee Dugway, a switchback road that had been cut into the face of a mountain. Bike did fine on this, but I had to ride the rear brake to keep the rear wheel from breaking loose under power going up the hill .... lots of washboard surface on this road.

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n...t=IMG_6655.jpg

The second unpaved section ran for several miles out of Yellowstone toward Cody, WY. There'd been a landslide and the paved road was mostly gone from the eastern gate of the park toward Cody. Muddy and slick, and really unplanned, the Bonnie did fine. Nice that I was so close to the ground. Was glad I wasn't on my GS trying to 'paddle' thru this stuff from a high saddle. Lots of stop and go traffic because of the one lane status of several sections of road.

I'm guessing if you (a) didn't take roads that were designed for dirt bikes with lots of whoops in them, and (b) you didn't mind cleaning up all the chrome after your off-road adventure, the Bonnie would be fine on unpaved roads.

But a moto crosser it ain't!

Bob

__________________
03 T100 Lucifer Org and Silv: 122/42 jets, TORs, 18T, UNI filter, no AI, Polaris bellmouth, Metz 880 tires, Prog. 440 shocks (105/150 springs), 11-1124 fork springs, Thrux fork caps, gaiters, MotoTwin low bars, 6024 lamp, htd grips, 12v outlet.

mikeinva

I love to take mine in my back yard and play it cuts good dounuts lol.

__________________
Why do I feel young on my bike