Triumphrat

yonder

Hey all,

I'm getting ready to buy a bike at the end of this month. I went and checked out Harleys and the ones in my price range didn't get me too fired up. The Nightster and Roadster were pretty cool but out of my range. The H-D dealership was a complete turn-off to the brand.

Then I saw a picture of a 2007 Bonneville Black and my heart started pumping hard. I found that this bike is within my price range, really appeals to me, and doesn't have the social baggage that goes along with riding a Harley. Actually I think the Bonnie is a much better looking bike than the Sportster.

But what I'm most interested in is the opinions of those who have been riding these bikes for 10,000+ miles. How is the bike holding up? Oil leaks? Other engine troubles? Electrics? What do you love about this bike? What do you hate about it? I know there is no such thing as a perfect bike but I want to know what I'm getting into.

I'm primarily interested in a bike to replace my car. I'm keeping the car for really foul weather, grocery shopping, and hauling my canoe around. But I expect to be commuting on this bike daily, going for long rides (300+ miles a day), as well as some more local cruising.

Some of the other considerations:
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 280lb (and falling... was 325 in September 07)
Inseam: 30" ... yes, that's right, I'm moderately tall but I have stumpy legs

I don't really have any interest in racing so I don't care that this bike might get its butt handed to it by Jap plastic bikes. That's not a consideration for me.

MrTwin

I have a 04 standard Bonnie, Replaced rear tire, battery and battery strap. Otherwise no problems.

yonder

Thats great! How many miles are on it now?

MrTwin

9,800 miles

Motorboy

Have you ever repeatedly ridden 300+ mile days on a "naked" bike ??? Very tiring.....

The Triumphs are just fabulous for commuting,,,,, but not really the weapon of choice for l-o-n-g trips unless you know the downsides and are happy to accommodate them....

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If we arn\'t having fun,,,then we arn\'t doing it right.....

Normandy

05 speedmaster with 30,000+ km. One speedo cable and one defective stator, great bike.

yonder

Not repeatedly, but a couple of times many years ago on a H-D Sportster. The vibration was worse than the buffeting but as long as the speed was reasonable the wind wasn't so bad. Interstate speeds were tiring, yes. But on the state roads at 50-60MPH it wasn't too bad.

Of course I was much younger then and didn't have so much *ahem* frontal surface area facing into the wind, so it might be a totally different experience now.

If it turns out to be BAD for long trips (200+ miles), I can live with that. If it turns out to be bad for 50-100 miles trips, that's a different story.

Thrux-ton-up

I've put 30,000 + miles on my 04 Thruxton - the only issue has been a faulty odometer. I did break some rear spokes - but that was on a custom wheel and not a factory problem. I bought an 06 T100 used and have put over 8000 miles on it with no problems. These bikes are very reliable.

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John W. '10 Street Triple R, '05 Bonneville Cafe.
My original Album My Pics

mecscc

2005 Bonnie Black, 18000 miles, zero problems. Stock except for AI removal.

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Monte

"The Old Ohio Preacher Man"

TB-T100

The Bonnie is PERFECT for 50-100 mile trips. Let me restate that: PERFECT.
You might also want to check this thread: http://www.triumphrat.net/triumph-tw...ur-bonnie.html It says a bit about what (few) issues people have had.

Good luck,
Thor

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'04 T100 Black and White (because it matches a dinner jacket)
904, 813, port&polish, Pieman igniter TORS, rebuilt front (valves, springs, etc), Öhlins shocks, tubeless alu rims, JMC alu swingarm, 520 conversion, Ti nuts and bolts
- Ringer