[rich2009]

For those who had an air cooled Bonneville (2000-2015, not the Meridens) and moved on to a water cooled Bonneville, are you still happy with your decision? Any regrets?

 

[okitoki]

For those who had an air cooled Bonneville (2000-2015, not the Meridens) and moved on to a water cooled Bonneville, are you still happy with your decision? Any regrets?

my wife has a T120, so I get to ride her bike too when needed.
power wise is definitely better than my SE.... fuel consumption is way way better (best case at 19km/l to 27km/l)
power curve feels more torque from 3-5k rpm on the T120
less vibration, more comfortable on higher speed cruise.
about the same feedback when I was riding the street twin as a loaner from my local dealer.

add: the T120 did have the annoying slow speed surge... this was easily solved with the booster plug (the T120 has Xpipe and Pred Pro installed)

Would I change at the moment?
nah, am still having fun with my SE.... more character? gets lots of attention from the ladies (but mostly from the older ones reminiscing about their old boyfriends riding a bonnie)

my wife does get a lot of compliments from other people too, since she is a small lady riding a big bike... I always joke she looks like a mouse riding on an elephant 😆

 

[scrambler4me]

Really like my 2019 Street Scrambler. Lots of fun but less character/soul than my 2015 air cooled T100.

In a way the WC bikes are less Triumphy than the AC ones.

 

[zoomdude57]

Upgraded from the air cooled Scrambler to the Thruxton R. No regrets as overall a more refined, powerful package that retains the “modern” classic character I was looking for.


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[Hedgepig]

Fortunate to have both , short of spending big money on the engine I can't improve the air cooled much further . The water cooled is just at the beginning of its journey . No plans to replace either .

 

[Ashman]

I have a 2013 AC Thruxton that I loved very much but in 2018 I got a good deal on new old stock 2016 WC Thruxton I still own both bikes but the old Thruxton hardly gets ridden the 1200 is so much better, would I do it again, bloody hell yeah, more torque, handles so much better, feels lighter on the road, smoother riding, even better with a Meerkat and open stock mufflers, able to keep up with all my mates on their sports bikes, choose of ride modes, able to turn off ABS and TC, better for long haul rides.
Anyone want to buy a well looked after 2013 Thruxton with TOR mufflers, upgraded sports suspension front and back.

Ashley

 

[FLY-TRI-GUY]

It’s like asking if u upgrade from carburetor bikes to EFI bikes then would u go back to a carbed bike. I am a little bit of a hard head and it took some time for me to switch from carb to EFI, I still own both a carbed an EFI bike, one air-oil cooled and one water cooled.
So since I live in Florida where our daily summer temps average 92-98 Degrees it definitely sucks to ride a air-oil cooled bike with a big motor and enjoy it especially in the city or light to light ryding, and of course the bikes are going to b running ultra hot and will suffer a little bit on performance under those extreme temps. So I only take my air oil cooled bike out to run on cooler days which we don’t get until November around here but thats when I ride it the most. Super hot humid weather not the best conditions for air-oil cooled carbed bikes, That’s why I like having a water cooled bike too so I can get out and ride more in the hottest months when we reach feel like temps 102! Boxers and sunglasses only required to wear in those temps...lol I know a lot of guys run Engine Ice coolant in their bikes out here who ride there bikes alot in the hottest temps.
so I do go back and forth between ryding a air-oil cooled carbed 1200 cc and a water cooled EFI 1200cc bike which makes sense to me since I am Gemini and I can have the best of both worlds, Old School and Nu Skool, how lucky I am!...FTG

 

[tsmgguy]

The only thing I miss about my 2003 T100 is its simplicity. Its had bullet proof reliability, and great ease of maintenance. While my T120 is the better, more refined bike in any category you can name, I don't trust that I can fix anything that comes up myself. I'm just hoping it doesn't break.

 

[dtmiglin]

I went from a 2013 Thruxton to a 2019 T100 and am enjoying the newer bike quite a bit more. Everything about it is just a little bit nicer. You can tell Triumph had more budget when designing it, the little attention to detail, more little metal bits versus cheap plastics, etc. Though you'll often hear the opposite, I have been more satisfied with the reliability of my water cooled Bonneville. After 35k miles on the air cooled Thruxton, I had to have my throttle position sensor changed twice (and was still dealing with intermittent issues with the bike not being able to start) and the blue plastic cover for the high-beam indicator popped out. After 10k miles on the water cooled T100 I have experienced no issues whatsoever. I can feel the slight reduction in power, but the whole bike feels smoother and nicer and the seat that comes with it is a whole lot better too.

 

[grebmrof]

This question has been asked multiple times. I held on to my '08 T100 after getting my '16 T120. I still like the T100. I don't think the price of the T120 is worth 2x+ over a good used air cooled T100. Having said that, the T120 is better in most everyway to the older T100.

 

[JoeDuc]

I went from a '15 mag-wheel to a '17 T100 water-cooled. I would never look back, better in every way, including the ergonomics (for me). I always felt the air-cooled was too compact, and despite my expensive efforts to improve the ride and handling, it just never came together (for reference, I'm 5'11" 200 lbs, and yes, the air-cooled Scrambler would have been a better initial choice for me). The water-cooled is a whole 'nother bike. Love it.

 

[Wishbone_09]

Only thing I miss from my speedmaster is the Mag wheels. T120 is the Knuts.

 

[musicguytn]

Echoing what many have already said. The new water cooled are incredible bikes. I still have my first Triumph T100 Centennial and it still brings joy as a simple, solid and damn near perfect like an old leather jacket. The Thruxton R is just so much better in every modern way but also more expensive and more advanced. You can’t go wrong with either.

 

[rodhotter]

my 18 T120 + 19 street scram are both better than my mag wheeler in stock form. without a doubt T120 has the gooo + even the street scram is pretty good, both suspensions are better as is braking + surprised the single brembo beats the T120 dual discs. my mag wheeler handled great after upgrading suspension + brakes about 2G's later but it was never comfortable for me due to its cramped leg position with slightly rearset pegs + i am just 5-8, seat on mag wheeler was very poor as well IMO!! you will spend less on a better water cooled model than upgrading older air cooled model, but simplicity has its plusses!!!

 

[rich2009]

I went from a '15 mag-wheel to a '17 T100 water-cooled. I would never look back, better in every way, including the ergonomics (for me). I always felt the air-cooled was too compact, and despite my expensive efforts to improve the ride and handling, it just never came together (for reference, I'm 5'11" 200 lbs, and yes, the air-cooled Scrambler would have been a better initial choice for me). The water-cooled is a whole 'nother bike. Love it.

My wife has a mag wheeled '14 that I occasionally ride, and I agree, it feels more cramped than my 09 T100. I've sat on the water cooled T100 and T120 and the ergos are really nice. I'm 5'10" for reference. No test ride yet - I'm afraid I'll have to buy one if I do. 😁

 

[ranger995]

I went from a 2012 Speedmaster (air-cooled, EFI, 865 cc) to a 2017 T120, and there is no comparison. Everything is better on the T120: the brakes, the power, the torque, the feel on the highway, 6th gear, suspension, just about anything you can think of.

This is kinda like comparing apples to oranges, though, as I never rode an air-cooled Bonnie.

I guess a lot of people miss the 360 crank of the air-cooled models. That does not apply to me, though, as I am pretty sure that my Speedmaster, while having the same engine as the Bonnies, had a 270 crank to make it sound like a cruiser.

 

[tsmgguy]

Right, my '03 T100 seemed like a completely different bike when compared to my T120. Except for the styling cues, you'd never have known the two were made by the same manufacturer. As was said of the T120 in the Australian moto press launch, everything that's good about [the air cooled model] is better; everything that was not good about it is gone.

My T120 has been great. The highest praise I can give any bike is that it does everything well, and the T120 fits that statement. Riding mine home from delivery was a real revelation. It's so smooth, powerful, and comfortable. Even the sound is marvelous. Stock. The gearbox and clutch are perfect.

"Too much torque?" No, just very controllable power that's never too much but is adequate for any situation. The T120 has the most usable power band of any bike I've ridden. I hardly ever see over 3,500 RPM.

 

[kingsbury]

Had both for a heartbeat before selling my Bonnie; no regrets at all. Better torque, handling, fuel efficiency, features... really, a very different bike. Just a single downside; the Street Twin definitely runs hotter, which can get uncomfortable in an LA summer. Otherwise, a total blast to ride.

 

[tauzero]

I went Bonnie SE -> Scrambler 900 -> T120. Definitely no regrets.

 

[2wheel_Ted]

I’d do it again, but it would have to be something new that isn’t already offered. I really REALLY loved my former T100 Black. It was the easiest to ride and most comfortable bike I’ve ever owned to date; it felt like a big scooter. Also, I prefer the overall look of the older air-cooled T100s compared to the new one and T120. I unfortunately had to sell it when I moved overseas for a couple of years because it didn’t make financial sense to pay to store it and my other air-cooled bike, a Thruxton. I decided to keep the Thruxton because I was already eyeing the Bobber Black when it was debuted as a possible replacement for my T100 when I moved back to The States.

When it comes to tech, fit and finish (and the amazing 1200 hi-torque motor), the Bobber is definitely a step up from the air-cooled T100 I owned, as well as the Thruxton (but that’s comparing apples to oranges). Still, there‘s a lot about the old T100 I will always miss. As I said earlier, I’d buy again, but not from the current Modern Classics offerings.