[susan3004]

BACKDROP

My initial tryst with the ‘TRUMP TWEN’, as Punjabis would pronounce it, was at Delhi, where a relative possessed a Triumph motorcycle. I enjoyed going to their place as it gave me a chance to climb it smell the fumes of petrol. I loved the distinct roar of the motorcycle which exuded meaningful power when the throttle would be given a wring. Memories faded away as there was lesser time for me to go to that place and also that subsequently after the gentleman was no more, the motorcycle was sold off as scrap to a mechanic. However, the images cast in my mind did not wipe off completely and there was always a desire to ride the similar model of Triumph, which came out as the descendant, namely, the Bonneville.

I came across the Bonneville in 2006 at Cape Town, South Africa during one of my trips. I took the opportunity to hire the motorcycle and could ride it for approximately a thousand kilometers. This ride had set my mind to remain devoted to this particular model. Albeit, this inclination only occurred subsequent to a rejected Harley Davidson ride.....Why? Well, it was because the HD proved itself to quite bunglesome and not as alacritous as the Bonnie apart from the unwarranted vibrations being generated.

After all these years when the moniker finally came to our shores, I was sanguine that I would own the Bonnie.And sure enough,on 24th March 2014 I acquired the Triumph Bonneville T100 which remained much desired over all these years.

[susan3004]

FOREWORD ON THE MARQUE

To many, Triumph epitomizes the very best in British motorcycling and today, under the guidance of John Bloor who purchased the name in 1980s, it is once again a major marquee.

The company’s illustrious history stretches back to the early years of the century, but perhaps the true glory days began when it was bought by Ariel owner Jack Sangster in 1936. He immediately set the design talents of Edward Turner to work, creating one of the most important motorcycles of all the time, the Speed Twin. The Speed Twin was often copied by its rivals over the next quarter of a century, but rarely bettered.

In 1951 the company was sold to the BSA Group and a new era began which saw Triumph as a major dollar earner with not only the latest version of the Speed Twin, but other models including the 649cc Thunderbird and 499cc Tiger 100. Later with the introduction of the twin carb Bonneville even more sales success came Triumph’s way.

But even the introduction of the Trident three-cylinder model in the late 1960s couldn’t stop Triumph and its parent BSA hitting the financial rocks in the early 1970s. There followed the workers’ co-operative, which failed in the early 1980s, before John Bloor rescued Triumph and recreated the legend.

[susan3004]

THE BONNIE

The Bonneville was the old Triumph firm’s most famous model, and one of its longest lasting. It was launched in 1959 as a high performance twin carburetor version of Triumph’s 650cc parallel twin, the Tiger 110, and was called the T120 Bonneville to denote its supposed 120mph top speed. Its name came from the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA-the famous speed testing venue where Johnny Allen had ridden to record 193.3mph(311kmph) aboard a Triumph powered streamliner, known as the Devil’s Arrow’, four years earlier.

That original T 120 Bonnie produced 46bhp, hot stuff for Brit twin, billed by the moniker as “the highest performance available today from a standard production motorcycle”. In 1960 Triumph gave it a restyle, abandoning the traditional headlamp nacelle and big mudguards for a lighter, leaner look. That helped make the Bonnie a huge success, especially in the American market that was Triumph’s most important n the sixties.

Triumph updated the Bonneville many times over the years, the main changes coming in 1963, with the introduction of a ‘unit construction engine’ and gearbox, and in 1973 when the motor was enlarged to 744cc to power the T140 Bonneville. Needless to say the T140 Bonnie didn’t manage 140mph, but it did stay in production for another ten years – being built by the Meriden workers’ co-operative for much of that time – until the closure of Triumph’s old Meriden factory in 1983.

Even after the demise of Meriden factory the Bonnie wasn’t finished. After John Bloor had bought rights to Triumph name in 1983, he allowed spares specialist Les Harris to build the T140 under the license in Newton Abbot, Devon, south west England. But production finally ended in 1988.

Bloor started Triumph production at Hinckley in 1991, and has waited a further decade before building a twin. Triumph’s explanation for the delay is that initially they were determined to get away from the British Bike Industry’s old fashioned image and forge a reputation for modern, well-produced machines.

As of today, it might not have the performance of its hornier predecessor of more than four decades ago or even its throaty roar but Triumph resurrected Bonneville is a modern machine with none of the quirks of foibles of the past.

[susan3004]

WHY BONNEVILLE?

I had been using my Royal Enfield LB500 since last seven years and also prior to that a Bullet standard 350 made way for this after serving me judiciously for ten years.

As luck would have it that I was in Hyderabad and the company decided to open up one of its showroom here. My gratitude to mobike008(of course, another Bonnie owner) who gave me the directions to the showroom. I didn’t waste much time in reaching the showroom and it was no surprise that that I ended up getting nostalgic, though, because Triumph has made every effort to ensure that this new bike jogs the memories of all those for whom the Bonneville name still has a real magic. The new Bonnie’s looks mirrors that of a late – Sixties T120 to a degree that makes even the average Harley-Davidson seem half hearted, from its aircooled parallel twin engine format, two tone paint scheme and ‘eyebrow’ tank badge, to its peashooter pipes and its chassis layout.

I did not waste much time in taking a decision that this baby has to join up in my garage.
Booking amount was paid to Rebel Motorcycles and the delivery of this white and gold beauty was promised within the week. Well, they did keep their word and I got this machine home.

[Axe77]

Congratulations on acquiring the lovely Bonnie T 100. The white gold combo is the most beautiful looking machine among the Bonnie stable that have been launched. Hope we can see a few more pictures of the bike as and when you get the time.

Happy riding.

[susan3004]

TECH TALK

The engine’s power output meant that it had to be physically bigger than Triumph’s old twin, but it was kept as compact as possible. Getting the unit’s look right has necessitated reversing the five speed gearbox, to put the final drive chain on the right. This has allowed a traditional Triumph layout of big clutch case on the left, and a small triangular engine cover on the right.

Traditional features include a 360-degree crankshaft, with pistons rising and falling together. Twin balancer shafts prevent the traditional parallel twin vibes, but Triumph tuned these bar-end weights to give the bike some of the feel of an old Brit machine. The new bike has fuel injection, albeit to retain the looks the throttle body has been shaped like carbs and also been provided with a functional choke!

Chassis layout seems to be old fashioned by 21st century standards, not least the way the twin-downtube steel frame hold the fork at 29 degrees, identical to the geometry of the late –Sixties model on which this bike has been based.

Suspension comprises non-adjustable forks and twin rear shocks. Wheel diameters are a traditional 19in front, 17in rear and naturally they are wire spoked.
The seat is low enough to make foot down maneuvers easy for most riders, at the expense of lack of padding that might mean discomfort on a long ride. Ignition switch is to the left of the head lamp, keeping a clean view ahead of the slim tank.

The main stand has been omitted to make the price as competitive as possible but at least they don’t appear to have skimped on paint and chrome, though exhausts are blued in time honoured fashion.

One thing Triumph’s engineers couldn’t recreate, at least legally, is the sound of an old Bonnie. This one fires up on the button (there’s no kickstart) with a typical blend of mechanical whirring and overhead cam whine, inevitably sounding disappointingly bland. Triumph has come with accessory silencers, which may also add up useful bhp above the stock 68 being generated.

The newcomer’s sound might not match the original article, but its performance certainly does. Triumph make much of the fact that 90 per cent of Bonneville’s peak power output is delivered everywhere between 2750rpm and the rev limit. What it translates to on the road is effortless acceleration from a standstill, instant response through the mid range, plus enough low –rev grunt that you can come right down to 50kmph in top gear, and still accelerate reasonably rapidly.

[susan3004]

OPINION

At two quintal plus, the Bonnie isn’t particularly light, but it doesn’t feel like a heavy bike. Just twist the grip and that grunty motor sends it shooting off, regardless of revs. There’s a slight quickening at about 120kmph as it heads towards a top speed that, with an aerodynamic rider and plenty of run up, would probably top 190kmph plus. More to the point, the Bonnie feels as though it would happily sit at an indicated 140kmph, uphill and down, until the 16 litre tank runs dry – which in most cases would take over 200km.

Vibrations are well controlled by those twin balancers, and doesn’t tend to be uncomfortable, but I do find myself looking for an extra gear at times.

The braking is adequate for almost all situations, especially the front which is quite powerful by single disc standards. No complaints, either, about Metlezer’s rubber which on dry roads at least gives enough grip to scrape the pegs.

The Bonnie works best at a leisurely pace, moving gently along with its rider enjoying the scenery plus the bike’s docile power delivery and neutral handling. My take on the bike is that it is a capable, simple yet practical bike with the bonus of uniquely nostalgic charm.

[mobike008]

Note from Mod : Thread moved from Assembly Line to Superbikes and Imports Section. Thanks for sharing

Sandeep, let me officially congratulate you on the fantastic bike. Love the T100 in this color and having ridden with you when you were in Hyderabad both on your Bullet as well as with the Bonnie, I think this bike suits your riding style perfectly which is clean, fast and precise

I must also add that the pictures have come out quite nicely and indicate the old world charm of the Bonnie perfectly.

Wish you many happy miles on your Bonnie and also wish that you get to ride the bike ( knowing well that your not in a position now to ride it at all)

Please keep sharing on this thread as you moving forward in your journey with your Bonnie !!!

[susan3004]

Thank you mobike008.

The T100 does handle very well and there have been no issues in cutting across in the city traffic. The only thing which had restricted me was the initial running period, about which I was serious enough.

I was able to report for my first servicing on the tenth day of the purchase of the motorcycle. Those 800km were done with a lot of care and I always stuck to the rev limits. My riding was not only restricted to highways or city confines, but also a bit of off roading near Gandipet.

I realized that the bike had enough torque to pull out cleanly in non tarmac conditions in those controlled RPM.

Some photos from various rides....

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Congratulations on this lovely motorcycle. I am not sure how I missed this one.
I have to admit the colour scheme really looks royal.
Wish you many more happy miles with the legend.

regards
Rachit

[HyperRetard]

Congrats on the bike, and wish you many happy miles.

Though the bike does look tiny standing next to the Bullet. Is it an illusion, or is it actually true?

[createrkid]

Is it just me or does mobike008's bonnie's front wheel look a little tiny compared to the other T100's?

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by createrkid

Is it just me or does mobike008's bonnie's front wheel look a little tiny compared to the other T100's?

The T100 comes with 19 inch front wheel whereas the Bonnie SE comes with 17 inch front wheel.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by HyperRetard

Though the bike does look tiny standing next to the Bullet. Is it an illusion, or is it actually true?

As Abhinav rightly mentioned. T100 comes with 19" spoke wheels while the Bonnie SE comes with 17" alloy wheels. This 2" makes a world of difference in how a Bonnie SE vs. Bonnie T100 handles

Originally Posted by createrkid

Is it just me or does mobike008's bonnie's front wheel look a little tiny compared to the other T100's?

IMO, Bullets are normally bulbous looking and doesn't have a great aesthetic sense design-wise and is around 185kgs whereas the Bonnie T100 is 230kgs. Despite the much heavier weight of Bonnie, it looks smaller due to it's clean design

[barcalad]

Congratulations on the ride, man. A very fine choice indeed! Ride safe!

I don't know how many riders here have taken a TD of the Bonnie at Triumph Bangalore. I happened to do one, a couple of months back, and the TD bike had custom exhausts (gold in colour) which were insanely loud and deep. During the entire course of the ride, it attracted a lot of attention, primarily because of the exhaust sound. My point being, aren't TD bikes supposed to be strictly stock and not with some custom fidgeting?