[himanshugoswami]

just one word- WAIT!!!!

the updated bonnies are just round the corner. As they say in the Apple ads- what's new?.....well everything!

The new Bonneville street twin is simply gorgeous and will be worth the wait. The current lineup looks archaic in comparison.

[Haroon]

If I understand your post correctly, your main requirement is a good daily premium commuter which has reasonable power, must be comfortable and must not be an attention grabber.

With these in mind (and since you also did look at the RE which should be in the 2 lac + range), my personal opinion is your 10 lac budget is an overkill. Ofcourse its your money and your decision so I respect that. Any bike in that price range is going to grab attention, some less some more. Besides, daily commuting means more kms and more scheduled services which also means in some cases these premium bikes may have a little waiting for some critical spare parts to arrive etc and not to forget premium service bills! Furthermore, daily commuter means that normal parking lot scratches, broken indicators, twisted mirrors, switchgear being fiddled/damaged are all part of the experience even if your origin and destination are secured parking spaces, the bike will have to face the above when you have to attend to some occasional errands and riding in crazy bumper to bumper bangalore traffic. I mean it wont happen from day one, but if it happens you have to be ready for it.

The Bonneville is a great bike and will surely work as a commuter but unless you want to do some extended weekend rides/touring etc, you wont be getting your money's worth from it.

Have you considered the KTM390. Maybe with a little cushioning of the seat etc, it should tick most boxes for your commute.

Good luck with your decision and dont forget to keep some money for good riding gear (probably you already have them since you are riding the avenger)

Ride safe

[Odeen12]

Wait for the new Bonnie. If you can.
I don't know how expensive will they be, but they launching in February.
From a commuter POV I have friends here in Mumbai who ride their Bonnie to work everyday.. And are super happy. The good part about the bike is that, it looks low key, sometimes even passes off as a RE.
Reading your daily struggle with commute, the SE edition would have been a good option and value for money than the T100. Probably you want to have a look at a used SE edition Bonnie. And then later upgrade after a year.

[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by harishpr

So, my fellow brothers/sisters/citizens, please help with following:-
1. Is it really worth 8+ lakhs ?
2. What is the average cost of Service ?
3. With only dealer in bengaluru, have you experienced high handedness ?
4. Is it better to wait for upgraded model in 2016 Bonneville Street Twin , or go for the existing one ?
5. Is it really a good daily commuter for 50 Kilometers drive per day?
6. How is the drive quality ? can it take the roads of bengaluru and still be kind to my back ???

Please help !!!!

I've lived with my Bonnie for a year and some and in that period, we've done some incredible miles.

The short answer is that no, it's not going to be a great commuter unless you make some significant mods. For one, the seat gets very very painful for long rides. Second, the engine heat is bad if you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Third, the stock suspension is not ideal. Fourth, the brakes aren't exceptional and finally, you'll never, ever get roads clear enough in the city to stretch her legs. Also, the t100 has tubed Tyres and they can be a pain to fix for minor issues such as punctures.

Surprisingly the Classic 500 has a nicer seat, better shocks and isn't overkill for traffic.

I suggest you wait for the new bonnies (I hear they're doing an IBW launch) and see how those turn out. They've seemed to have fixed all the issues I've listed above with the Street Twin and T120 on paper sounds amazing.

I love my bonnie but I've made my peace with her drawbacks. And so during the week, I either walk or Uber or drive to work (8 km each way) and on Saturday and Sunday, she gurgles her way to a long ride.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by harishpr

So, my fellow brothers/sisters/citizens, please help with following:-

Please help !!!!
[/b]

As probably the oldest owner (duration-wise) of new gen(EFI) Bonnie in the forum, my views are as follows:

Originally Posted by Haroon

If I understand your post correctly, your main requirement is a good daily premium commuter which has reasonable power, must be comfortable and must not be an attention grabber.

With these in mind (and since you also did look at the RE which should be in the 2 lac + range), my personal opinion is your 10 lac budget is an overkill.

The Bonneville is a great bike and will surely work as a commuter but unless you want to do some extended weekend rides/touring etc, you wont be getting your money's worth from it.

I fully concur with Haroon's opinion above.

Originally Posted by djpeesh

The short answer is that no, it's not going to be a great commuter unless you make some significant mods. For one, the seat gets very very painful for long rides. Second, the engine heat is bad if you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Third, the stock suspension is not ideal. Fourth, the brakes aren't exceptional and finally, you'll never, ever get roads clear enough in the city to stretch her legs. Also, the t100 has tubed Tyres and they can be a pain to fix for minor issues such as punctures.

I love my bonnie but I've made my peace with her drawbacks. And so during the week, I either walk or Uber or drive to work (8 km each way) and on Saturday and Sunday, she gurgles her way to a long ride.

Again what's being said above is an expansion on what Haroon has said and I do agree with the above as well

Now my opinion on your questions

1. Is it really worth 8+ lakhs ? I feel its definitely VFM considering its build quality
2. What is the average cost of Service ? Below INR 10K once in 10K KM average after the mandatory warranty services
3. With only dealer in bengaluru, have you experienced high handedness ? Keerti is one of the more customer friendly vehicle service centres I have experienced. Even though my bike is a direct import, they do give it personalized attention and care as though I had bought it from them.
4. Is it better to wait for upgraded model in 2016 Bonneville Street Twin , or go for the existing one ? It depends on your urgency to start riding
5. Is it really a good daily commuter for 50 Kilometers drive per day? No; I would say that you would be unkind to the beast to keep it as a commuter bike alone.
6. How is the drive quality ? can it take the roads of bengaluru and still be kind to my back ??? Not really. The roads in Bangalore is a tough challenge to any and hence this would be an unkind comment I believe. But having said that I haven't had any issues in this regard in Bangalore (on my Bonnie) except I make sure I wear a thick trouser or jeans, when riding to town, least I suffer from the engine heat. But that's Bangalore traffic

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by harishpr

So, my fellow brothers/sisters/citizens, please help with following:-

Before I suggest you anything I would second with the thoughts of Haroon, r_nairtvm and djpeesh. Ram and djpeesh have been riding the Bonneville for long and their feedback according to me is invaluable both in terms of riding experience as well as after sales service.

1. Is it really worth 8+ lakhs ?

That is a very valid question mate. 8+ lakhs can buy you two decent motorcycles. One a RE CL350 or Electra 350 for commuting and another Kawasaki Er6n or Ninja 650 for weekend riding. You can hit two birds with one arrow. Along with other features both these motorcycles have reasonable good pillion comfort which your wife will appreciate if she decides to ride pillion. But if you are hell bent on buying a Bonneville then listen to your heart and go ahead with your decision.

2. What is the average cost of Service ?

The average cost of service will be higher for a premium bike like Bonneville along with pricey spare parts and labour. Considering you will be using it as a commuter one also has to factor in the mileage per litre of petrol.

4. Is it better to wait for upgraded model in 2016 Bonneville Street Twin , or go for the existing one ?

It is always better to wait for the upgraded model as it will come with more standard features and equipment.

5. Is it really a good daily commuter for 50 Kilometers drive per day?

Mate I sometimes use my RE Tbird500 for commuting and although it is a good commuter I feel I am not able to justify its power and its potential. Meaning in a city like Bombay(similar to Bangalore) one cannot exceed speeds over 50-60 KMPH on city roads and 70-80 KMPH on highways during commuting hours. The result is all that 27 BHP and 41 NM of torque is wasted while being stuck in stop go traffic. It is like when I am ready to open the throttle I have to break due to traffic situation and slow moving vehicles due to crowd. Most of the times I end up riding my Standard 350 which has adequate power to potter around in city traffic and has an ultra comfortable seat to keep me pampered.

I would suggest you to take a comprehensive test ride of the bikes you have shortlisted and then decide. Happy Choosing.

[madhukar_n]

I am also considering a Bonneville T100. I had detailed talk and test ride there last week. The info coming from there is that the old bonneville is getting renamed as Street Twin.(it is coming with a 900cc liquid cooled engine and few other newer things).
There bonneville will be now only Bonneville T100(as is now - 865 cc with air cooled) and a new Bonneville T120(1200 cc with liquid cooled).
The classic will be T100 and T120 only. Street twin is for the urban rides and also less frequent long rides, so probably maybe a bit sporty.

The price of the street twin is going to be more or less 7.5L is what they mentioned.

I am very inclined on the T100 and am also waiting to ride the Versys 650 before i decide.

[Axe77]

Does anyone know if the new street twin has a 5 speed or 6 speed gearbox? Thanks

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Does anyone know if the new street twin has a 5 speed or 6 speed gearbox? Thanks

From the reviews I have seen, its 5 speed gearbox.

Edit: Confirmed as per this link

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

From the reviews I have seen, its 5 speed gearbox.

Edit: Confirmed as per this link

That's a bit disappointing. They've made some wonderful changes with this iteration of the Bonneville (adding ABS etc included). When I briefly TD'd it though I felt it would have benefited from a 6th cog. That it remains 5 speed is a pity.

[dinu2506]

Did a DIY on my Bonnie today. As most of you would agree, the stock horn of the Bonnie is sad, real sad, not at all fitting the character of the bike. I had a pair of horns which used to do duty in my Civic long back and were in good condition. I had swapped the stock horn of the Bonnie with the High tone of the Civic and it made a good difference. But I always had the wish to mount both the horns - Lo and High. Did not want to strain the stock wiring, so decided to install the 4 pin relay and associated extra wiring. Googled a bit and got an idea of what needs to be done. Being a long weekend and first day of 2016, thought of doing this myself. Took some rough measurements and bought some good quality wires, connectors, a 4 pin relay (they call it cut-out). Had all the tools with me. Also located a place to mount the horns - at the skid plate mounts. Decided that the relay can be mounted where the stock horn was which means I can use the stock wires as-is. Started off by making the wiring harness at home, then installed it on the bike. Used coloured wires for easy traceability - Red from Battery to Relay with an inline 15A fuse. Black from horn to relay, Green from Horn to ground. The stock wires do directly to the relay. Also used a sleeve over all the wires to give a neat look and also provide some heat protection. The inline fuse is neatly mounted using the battery stay (no photo, sorry). End result - Fantastic, I'm just loving it. Sounds just right complimenting the character of the bike. Some pictures. Hope you like it. Need to change the plastic ties to black from white.

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

just one word- WAIT!!!!

Originally Posted by Haroon

With these in mind (and since you also did look at the RE which should be in the 2 lac + range), my personal opinion is your 10 lac budget is an overkill. Ride safe

Originally Posted by Odeen12

Wait for the new Bonnie. If you can.

Originally Posted by djpeesh

I've lived with my Bonnie for a year and some and in that period, we've done some incredible miles.
The short answer is that no, it's not going to be a great commuter unless you make some significant mods.

THANKS ALL FOR WISE ADVICE
The itch around bonnie vanished in a week & finally booked Yamaha R3 today. Meanwhile, I took test drive of following before deciding (1 week of Leave from office & Extensive dealer hoppings)
- Triumph Bonnie
- HD Street 750
- HD Low
- KTM Duke 200 & 390
- Yamaha R15 and R3
- Honda CBR 250
- Mahindra Mojo
- Suzuki Jixxer
- Benelli TNT 300

I will post a detailed experience of each of these test drives & thought process that finalized the Yamaha R3 deal in a new thread in a couple of week, I thank you all for your advise & wish me for R3.

[dinu2506]

Another small improvement in utility done. Relocated the funnily positioned ignition switch from the left side of the headlight ear to the right side just below the fuel tank. Bought the ignition relocation kit from Triumph Riders India and did it myself. Need to open the headlight as well to pull out the cable slack which is available inside the headlight dome. Some pics of the relocated ignition switch. Pretty convenient now.

[mohan]

Originally Posted by pawan_pullarwar

Installed RE Continental GT suspension on my Bonnie, and now it glides on potholes, no more jerk. The best part is, now handle feels super light, don't know how. After installation I was confused, whether its in my mind, so I test rode showroom bike back to back, and that super light handle is very good improvement. Increase in ground clearance too, worth upgrade. I am very much satisfied now.

Attachment 1283729

How does your setup improve "ground clearance"?

[Randhawa]

Peeps a small question, how can we get the 68 bhp from our 61 bonnveille? If already answered and discussed then just the link will do. Search comes up blank.