Triumphrat

Stevehat

Hello All, Currently own a Honda VLX. Looking to upgrade to a Bonneville America. Is there a thread or web site that gives a thorough review of this particular Truimph? Looked at one yesterday and it was beautiful.

Some of my questions were;
Gas mileage, dealer says 40 mph? (seemed a little low)
Highway cruising-how does it handle, which windscreen works best, (not gonna do two up, wife wont get near a bike)

Great forum by the way,
Steve
Palm Beach County Florda

indy288

mileage: 50+++ (depends on how happy you are with the throttle) . highway speed: the sweet spot is around 80. handling: i rode the dragon three times back to back. i was not disappointed. the america and the speedmaster are very well balanced,reliable and usable cruisers. i have 11,000 very good miles on mine. joe :-D

dazco

I hate to differ, but i would say most people here seem to get more like 42-44. I seem to get around 42-43. As to highway cruising, absolutlky beautiful. I doubt you'll find another bike in this weight/cc range that handles better, and few if any as good. Even strong winds don't bother it much. I think it's probably due to the longer wheelbase due to the raked forks. At least in part anyways. You can also cruise effortlessly all day at an indicated 85, which like most bikes (most if not all bike have optomistic speedos) is probably more like 80-82. And at that speed the bike becomes real smooth. It'll probably cruise at 90 just fine.......i've spent many a mile at 90 w/no problem. But of course the faster the less MPG.

EDIT: i forgot........mine came with a 16 tooth front sprocket which i changed to a 17. Your's will come (assuming you buy a '06-'07) with a 18, so you'll see slightly higher speeds at any given RPM. So at 4.5k RPM it should be maybe 83 instead of 80 MPH.

[ This message was edited by: dazco on 2007-05-24 09:09 ]

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2005 Speedmaster, Neon Blue, Thunderbike pipes, snorkel removed, UNI filter, drilled airbox, 130 mains, TBS needles.(2 shims) And speaking of Speedmasters, HERE'S MINE

odatbob

I have had my 07 america for 3 months..have the roadster screen and no problem..I am 5foot9.Just fueled last nite after normal driving and registered 40 mpg...going to go over to walla walla this weekend and will report highway mpg/trip/mpg when I get back.Up over chinnook pass(4000+),down thru yakima valley,etc.Should be good indication of unit..will still fuel about 100+miles and then no surprises.Enjoy your new bike..hopefully your not shy as you will have to communicate with all ex-triumph owners who sold their 1960+ bike and have regretted it ever since!!!

worldspeaker

"Even strong winds don't bother it much. I think it's probably due to the longer wheelbase due to the raked forks"

Don't mean to interupt this thread at all but can you elaborate on the steadiness in the wind. Drove my car back from Vegas last night in very strong winds (usual for that area) and I kept imagining riding a new America instead of being trapped in the car but was concerned about what the wind would do. I am also looking at an America and appreciate all opinions on this thread.

Dave

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Dave

dazco

I'm not saying the wind won't affect it.....i'm saying it's very good RELITIVLY. It's just a very very stable ride compared to most bikes, at least the ones i've owned. I see harleys on the freeway all the time with the back wheel wonbbling slightly back and fourth as tho it's in a speed wobble. I see that with even the biggest harlys. The speedy and america are just as stable as you will ever find in a bike this size IMO.

But yes, in very strong winds ANY bike or even car will be less stable. But to this day i'm still suprised at how relitivly stable it remains in winds that i know would even sway my car.

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2005 Speedmaster, Neon Blue, Thunderbike pipes, snorkel removed, UNI filter, drilled airbox, 130 mains, TBS needles.(2 shims) And speaking of Speedmasters, HERE'S MINE

danf_florida

I am very satisfied with mine. About 45+ miles to the gallon (depending on throttle input). No windscreen, but full face helmet (I wear a wind breaker that is washable when it is covered in lovebugs). Added saddlebags and luggage rack. I like the smoothness over what I have seen on HD's. This is my first bike after taking a 20 year break, and I couldn't be happier.

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2005 TBA, AI removed, debaffled pipes, added tach, leather saddle bags, backrest, and luggage rack, K&N Air Filter.

Bushrat

Not sure what a US gallon is but I return about 4.75 litres per 100 kilometres. That would give 295 kilometres for a tank of fuel or 185 miles working on a 14 litre tank. I would reduce this amount by a little as the tank would be bone dry at this milage and I'm not sure what is left in the tank when it splutters. This would be because it would be too heavy to push!

LightningJack

I just purchased a new '06 America 7 weeks ago, and love it. My mileage has varied from 40-50mpg, depending upon the style of riding. Regardless, the suspension is superb and it handles very well for me. On highway cruising, I hang on tightly to the handlebars (no windscreen), but it seems to handle crosswinds fairly nicely. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
Check out the Road Tests section of MotorcycleCruiser.com . Although it shows a review of a 2002 America, they are pretty similar to mine the 2006 790cc, though as you know the '07 has the 865cc displacement. There are numerous reviews on '02 models if you search around a bit, though I've yet to see reviews on later models.
Best of luck on your decision and enjoy your new machine.

DOUBLEL

I have an'06 America - avg about 42mph. I put the Roadster screen which has done well, put the TOR pipes (sounds great and got a little more horsepower), and I put the 19 tooth sprocket (makes you feel like you have a 6th gear on the highway, yet I didn't feel I lost any low end power). As said by the others, the bike handles good on the road and have never felt like I get pushed around, even when big trucks pass. I now have about 5,500 miles and have had zero problems. You won't go wrong with the TBA or the Speedy, Good Luck!