Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Superbikes & Imports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/)

-   -   Going the Bonnie way, advice? EDIT: Sultana - My Bonneville T100 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/185187-going-bonnie-way-advice-edit-sultana-my-bonneville-t100.html)

Sharing a ride experience in brief as a build up to the subject.

This past long weekend (Holi), I went on my favorite escapade, a ride through highway, country & village roads from NCR to Kurukshetra and back covering a total of 457 Km. This route is my favorite short trip because it provides for a soul-satisfying experience of riding on all kind of roads which are in great condition while also providing endless thumps relishing the village sights and surrounds. The steed is RE Electra which gallops through the milestones in perfect harmony with the elements.

A brief about the trip, I started from Faridabad (NCR) towards North onto GT road--Sonepat—Murthal—exit NH1 towards Gohana then towards Pehowa (cremation place for the dead of Mahabharata)—towards GeetaSar (place where Lord Krishna preached the Bhagvad Geeta to Arjuna)—to Kurukshetra and then back onto NH1 heading south towards NCR Faridabad.

This route covers 200+ Km on country & village roads where much to my surprise the tarmac has been in pristine condition over many years. The melody of RE thumping through the villages is a treat to the senses. It’s a bit tiring though given that one can’t be fast enough to cover distances in a jiffy but then I don’t want to be. I’ve gifted myself this perfect setup to just unwind while humming a song inside my helmet, ears bearing my coarse vocal cords. And the pauses in between songs propose to listen to the thumps rather? With lush green vegetation on either side of the roads, sparse sighting of villagers attending to chores in farmlands, a hand waves in distance which seems like a welcoming gesture but soon I realize that it’s a warning to come out of the slumber and yield any single inch that RE is claiming its rights to, to make way for the roaring tractor he is on. A bit shaken I talk myself out of drowsiness and the riding continues through the twisted roads of villages, the senses enjoying mild chill in the air, skin feeling warmth under the jacket on a beautiful sunny day, the lungs packing in as much unpolluted O2 as possible while the mild thumping of RE lingers in the background.

Later in the evening after visiting these legendary places, RE is back on NH1 heading south towards Delhi en route to my home, Faridabad. For those in NCR, I strongly recommend a ride through this route.

So, having been riding different REs most of my life I am in complete awe of the pleasure this bike provides on such riding routes. But it still makes me feel incomplete for the most part of the ride due to its inability to deliver power on demand and the refinement after a certain speed. Linking with the story above, on two lane highways or country roads the bullet feels great. It feels like a perfect horse for such course. But on the highways, the bullet just doesn’t cut it with its engine & frame feeling extremely stressed when trying to keep up with other fast moving vehicles else I significantly risk being rammed from behind. The inability of RE to serve me that much-needed torque to overtake a laggard, to get me out of the way of over speeding moron behind me or making available more strong horses to keep me going is extremely disappointing. Then there is the bone-rattling vibrations at higher speeds due to which losing a nut or two is not uncommon (I lost a whole tail light assembly once on a 2003 Thunderbird).

Thus, in essence, it seems that refinement & modern levels of performance are too much of an ask from RE. I’m living with these “limitations” on my 80+kms everyday commute but the truth remains & hurts. While I ‘m usually not inclined towards racing but pulsars or activas overtaking RE at will just sink my heart. If I need torque heavy thrust or high speed, It should be at my disposal delivered gracefully without any fuss. It seems I’d been wanting too much out of RE.

Flashback a few years ago, and for the same reasons when I had RE 500 I went ahead and bought Ninja 300. The RE 500, of course, provided more torque than the 350 and served its purpose but performance wise the bike showed its limit before I did. I hate that, so I decided to ride RE on my usual office commute in Bangalore and look elsewhere for performance requirements. In comes the Ninja for such excursions and in my capacity it never let me down for whatever I asked, whenever I asked. The refinement of the parallel twin and power on demand made my riding days so very delightful. The only grouse I had with N300 was that it was an attention magnet which to me was annoying and embarrassing.

So that was the way biking interests were being managed until when while on Classic 500 en route to Hyd from Blr, a super machine with perfect melodious exhaust zoomed past. I thought damn that must be either the man or the machine on steroids. If I was riding my Ninja then, I would have attempted a chase to know but that bike disappeared even before I could say a cuss word. Another sigh, another moment of ‘I wish’ and it was forgotten.

Life happened and I had to sell off RE 500 & Ninja 300. The long sojourn in Blr ended and I moved to NCR for a new job. But ‘that’ bike which zoomed by me on Hyd highway was tantalizing me in thoughts. Now in NCR, infrastructure is way better than Blr for every day biking so I should have a bike and went shopping for RE 500 but the waiting period was a bummer so bought Electra (can’t live without RE no matter whatever its shortcomings are) and got on with life.

Back to the present day, during the recent trips over past year or so I felt that there were multiple instances when additional power esp. on highways would have helped to avoid few close shades or to just go faster. I’ve been riding long enough on my stars to get away with close calls found wanting for more performance from the bike. On highways power on demand is not just a want but a need most of the times and the refinement with which the machine delivers it is keenly sought too. About 6 months ago, I’d started figuring out which stallion would it be for high performance courses and let RE be for what it’s for i.e. for mildly spirited commutes & rides. The pursuit started to find out a bike out there which is the combo of performance and elegant style. Here’s what I’m looking for not necessarily in that order:

650+cc, Healthy dose of power on demand; upright or very slightly committed riding stance, reasonable mileage; Reliable; minimum or nil off-roading capability is fine; comfortable in city (200kms/week) & touring capable (few short or long rides); great exhaust sound; pillion friendly; not an attention magnet but still provides exclusivity factor and nimble to ride around. I guess any of these bikes would cost a lot for spares & accessories with HD being the costliest.

So over the last few months, I had been reading about upcoming N/Z650/900, Versys, Triumphs, Bennellis and below are my thoughts.
N650, I will always be conscious about the attention these fairings pull plus I won’t be doing justice to her overall sporty nature for what it’s built for. It sure would deliver performance but elegance?

z650/900 would be no attention magnets (due to being naked kind I think), provide upright seating, Japanese refinement, power on demand, nimble, nice for short to mid touring etc. but their appearance doesn’t appeal a great deal. And due to the higher height of pillion seat, I think that my wife or friends won’t be happy being pillion on either of these.

Benelli 650s – Test drove them, liked the IXIL exhaust sound but then that’s about it. I really like the SBK exhaust sound but then how long on a ride would one enjoy it? They lacked the soul and practicality too. Moreover, reliability, servicing intervals and just one dealer/svc center in NCR isn’t comforting at all.

Versys: It’s huge for my size. With difficulty, I could get it out of parking for TD and then nervously tip-toeing most of the time wasn’t a nice experience. I generally believe that with SBKs it’s the bike which chooses you, not the other way around. The engineers at Kawasaki made this product keeping a particular biker’s mind & body in focus. For versys’, it wasn’t me.

Harleys: The ‘streets’ are neither good looking nor have the soul of HD IMO. The Sportsters might be impractical for everyday use and above that a. I rode my friend’s Iron for a few days and I didn’t find it nimble or practical for riding in the city. The exhaust, torque and attention was great but didn’t really enjoy after a while. Is there any other bike in Sportsters which I should consider, a bike which comes close to what’s coming next below.

Bonneville: A visit to Triumph’s India website and the looks of Bonnie appealed significantly. YouTube video reviews, exhaust note videos didn’t impress much so I decided to TD the bonnie and see her in flesh. The moment I saw blue bonnie at the dealer’s parking lot I was drawn towards her. It looked like the way “that bike” was supposed to be. Up close, I was floored by her looks. This is the Bonnie-T100. The bike may look just plain jane to the uninitiated but it checked all the non-mechanical check boxes then and there. I fired up the engine and that day on Hyd highway flashed through my mind. The exhaust sound from the two peanut silencers just blew me away.

Test drove T100, Street twin & T120 and I just can’t get over the experience of T-100 in every sense, be it the looks build or performance. T-100 shares the engine with street twin and frame with T120. It looks and feel way better than the other two. Performance wise, this bike is on steroids with a relentless power surge in every gear at the slightest twist of the wrist. This is the bike which provides power on demand while looking elegant, royal & modern. She is what we get when we build a motorcycle with Ninja and RE souls. The peanut exhaust sound is such an aural pleasure (all RE lovers would love it), and when combined with muscular body and mechanical performance she is a perfect blend of classic times and modern technology. Where could I wrong if I were to buy this British icon? Is there another such bike which can also be a it merciful to the pocket?

I’m a bit confused if T120 could prove to be better than T-100 for my usage. The heated grips, center stand and other non-performance related features didn’t really appeal to me over T-100. And performance wise, I couldn’t feel any significant upside over T-100 in the less than 10kms TD I did in the city with sparse traffic. So, it seems it's all pointing towards Bonnie T-100.

With the above I hope you can gauge the kind of biker I am and what I am looking for. I'm leaning over to you for your thoughts on my considerations and advice.

Cheers!

Interesting read about your bike transition journey Wangdu :)

Since the Bonneville is always on my radar as a possible second bike in future, I am always reading up or looking at Youtube on this British piece of metal and follow the Bonnie threads with interest here. Ofcourse, with barely 20kms riding experience on the older T100 I don't qualify enough for an expert commenter as well! Anyway will share my few cents if it helps you.

Not sure if you have seen this bluntly frank and sometimes hilarious review of the new T100 (his frank review of the old Bonnie SE is also fun and informative):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOY2iTf2GQ8

From his review, logically the T100 is better in a few aspects as compared to the T120 for the extra money being paid out. I am myself in love with both these classics rather than the Street Twin esp being a 6 footer. However, personally my only gripe is that although the spoke wheels completes the Classic look of the bike, spoke wheels and TUBE tires are a pain when you have a puncture. Ofcourse, as long as your commute is within the city, we can always park the bike on the side and arrange to get a puncture wallah or take the wheel to them, but out on the highway on a solo ride, its a lot more inconvenient. But that said just the spoke wheels is not a reason to put this beautiful bike out of contention. However with the Street Twin, that has alloys and tubeless tires, its accommodations may be a little limited for taller riders, but in the looks dept I dont think the Street Twin comes anywhere close to the T100.

You really cant go wrong much with the Bonneville in which ever avatar! Good wishes with your decision :thumbs up

If you have not watched Haroon's video already, don't watch it. It will break your heart. If you have watched it, then read on.

For the riding experience you seek and the place you are coming from, most of the options you are considering will fade into mundane in no time. From reading your post, only two things come out. You need character in your motorcycle and you need SOUND. Then you need to dominate the road. Only when you have these things at about 120% of your expectation level, you need agility in traffic and speed in the open.

Do not go for the bonny, it will disappoint you in a short while. It's a retro machine, and it was rejected by the market several times in the past. It is not a bullet, nothing like it. It could not stay in production without a shot in the arm every few years, and yet it died on the production line quite a few times. Bullet is a humble machine and yet it has held people's fancy for 60+ years. You have gotten used to many small things which build the character of a Bullet. A machine with slightly more speed and nothing of the character will not keep you amused for long, even lesser when you factor in the big bike price tag. And do not forget the lame exhaust note, you may not think much of it now, but later your heart will bleed.

Test ride the Ducati Monster 821. It will blow you over, for sure. The only gripe which you could possibly have with this bike is a little more committed stance for the rider and at least a basic level body balance for the pillion. But the ride, the relentless never ending torque, the orchestra and the handling will compensate more than enough. The superior chassis geometry, 100+ bhp on the rear wheel and kill me now torque will deliver the ride you seek.

The monster is the only street friendly bike in the current scenario which has managed to prosper for 25 years without ever falling out of peoples' fancy, it takes some character to achieve that. Plus it delivers your requirements - city agility, out accelerate everything on the open highway, lean and brake in the lean, never ever feel scared with the traction control watching your back, glide beautifully on twisty single lane country roads, exhaust note to provide rhythm to your songs. Get the dark if you don't want attention, get the Red if you want to bling bling. As much as you prefer to avoid attention, a lifetime Bullet man can handle a little bit of that, no problem.

Be done with retro and check out what happens when things are kept up to date.

And just one more thing. After first service, take the monster back to the spot on Hyderabad highway where that superbike crossed you. Say the cuss word aloud and give it some gas. You might just be able to catch up with that superbike and see what it was.

I’m still blown away by bonnie even after reading so many subpar reviews on internet, how the bike is so-so in performance, fun to putter around on for beginners, a ladies bike and never really a winner in any comparison. Yet, whenever I read about it on Rat forums, both young and old speak of how their Bonnies are a real hoot to ride around on. After experiencing Bonnie for almost an hour, I am more inclined towards thoughts of actual owners on the RAT site and dismiss the so-so reviews of the professionals.

The thing that Bonnie really shines with is that high torque over the widest possible range of revs. I think it is the greatest attribute that an engine can possess. In my test ride I could feel that with Bonnies wide power band makes for very docile, relaxed riding, and great pulling power coming out of corners.

Yes the puncture thingy is always there with spoke wheels but shiny spokes look amazing though. With alloys there's a higher risk of bending them if we repeatedly hit any of the zillion pot holes at high speeds in our country.

And if T100 does get a flat somewhere out there, finding a puncture-wallah who can remove/fit-back the wheels would itself be a challenge. On my RE trips, risk of puncture remains but can be done easily in the vicinity. With T-100, this would be a concern to carry around but not a deal breaker. Agree as you say that T-100 is unbeatable in the looks department. The ST although feels lighter and is more flick able it just didn't appeal in the looks part lacking that 'substantial'/'muscular' feel which I like.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks Sen2009 for your thoughts. You got my requirements absolutely correct. Actually I had read about 821 too and will try and get a test ride soon.

On a lighter note, the monster resembles so much like Ephialtes of movie '300'

Well, the monster's looks are opposite to that of bonnie. It looks 'mean' with overgrown shoulders, the way a monster should but I doubt if it would appeal much to me.

Exhaust note didn't sound great at least on you tube. will check it out in flesh.

performance wise, it matches with the Bonnie in the rpm range we use most in city. i.e. 2k-5k with most often hovering around 3k.

Bonnie's torque 80 @3250 rpm; power 54 bhp @6000 rpm
821's torque & power is similar at same rpms (referring to torque/power burn up chart of 821 on Ducati's site)

I believe the most rewarding aspect of the Bonnie was its surprising power across the rev range. Now l'll not get defensive here, Bonnie won’t hold a candle to a STriples/Monsters out there on expressways or highways where the RPMs can be red lined (100+ horses unleashed on 821). The problem I see with such monsters or rather with me is my if-I-have-it-I-might-as-well-use-it addiction/downfall, STriples/Monsters and the likes would probably lead me to really bad situations.

Let's see, the shortlisting continues.

Define top 5 criteria that you are looking for in a bike, rate the bikes against each of this after long enough test drives. That will help you shortlist the right bike.

I personally like the bonnie for its simplicity and reliability. The new street twin has all the safety features also and it makes a perfect sense as a daily commuter + medium touring bike especially if you like relaxed touring. Issue with Striple / Monsters etc is they are not at all comfortable to ride for long hours, and the tune is such that they like to be kept in the boil which is not an ideal situation for indian riding conditions.

Wangdu,

When I began reading your post it seemed like a travelogue; by the time I reached the end it made absolute sense and is useful in giving my 2 cents!

The Bonneville is not a bike you will overgrow soon, neither is it a 'rejected' bike. That is as far from the truth as you can get. On the contrary it is a motorcycle that continues to deliver modern tech and performance with a classic look. The newer range has everything that one would expect from a modern motorcycle - safety, technology, usable torque with a wonderful parallel twin engine and good looks.

I haven't tested the newer launches yet so can't comment on their exact performance. However, my guess is that their soul is closer to the 865 Bonneville and from what I've read as your requirements a modern classic like the T100/120 will meet (or exceed) them. To me the soul of the motorcycle is the most important and after owning and riding the 865 Bonneville I can tell you that the bike does not disappoint.

I rely on it enough to do couple trips with my wife across different parts of the country and despite some tough terrains I have put this motorcycle through, it continues to perform flawlessly.

I would suggest that you also consider a preowned 865cc Bonneville T100, it offers a lot of motorcycle for a significantly lower amount. If not, the newer T100 seems to fit the bill quite well for you. The decision between the T100 and T120 should come to the test ride and affordability.

Happy hunting and do keep us posted on what you decide. Would love to read your experiences more.

Cheers,
Sting

p.s: The video (and the brilliant mag wheeled Bonneville video by the same guy) is hardly a criticism of the T100 - it seems closer to dry British humour executed really well.

Hi Sting, Thanks for your thoughts.

Is your Bonnie with spokes? if so what do you plan to do if you encounter a flat or if you had? Also, is the Tirump svc network knowledgeable enough in NCR to fix non-trivial issues per your experience? And is the turn around time efficient enough for the usual parts. I guess there's only one svc center in Okhla/Delhi?

Yeah, this is one bike which my wife also liked at the first look. She accompanied me once on Ninja but that was it with that bike. A few rides with me on RE since then.

For going the preowned route, my concerns are
a) I prefer to rear up my steed myself and then appreciate my hard work I did to enjoy the pleasure riding a stallion, you know. But this can be overlooked if the bike on offer is "obsessively well maintained"
b) I'm head-over-heels for the Blue T100 which is very focused search in 2nd hand market - again can be let go in lieu of a good bike
c) worries of crudely maintained bike by wannabe bikers. I have 'painfully' witnessed richie-rich folks red lining their newly bought bikes and I don't see many options here on team-bhps. Could you please share pointers to trust worthy sources for preowned Bonnies?

Cheers!

Have you considered the Ducatti Scrambler?

Classic looks, Super light, reliable though air cooled engine, huge options right from exhaust systems to other accessories, looks like a peach and pulls like a plum. The handle bars on the icon are tall and wide. It has torque equivalent to the street twin and around 20 BHP more.

I'm surprised this option hasn't been mentioned yet!!

And Burns like a barbecue :D

The flip side of an air cooled engine. As long as you are on the move doesn't pose a problem. And on the highway, you wouldn't care less.

A mate of mine, who's also a resident here recently got the older bonnie into his garage. Now this is a guy who already has a duke 390, a versys 650, and kind of did all his early touring on a bullet 500.

I think its been 2 months since he got the bonnie home (second buyer).

And in that two months both the versys and the duke havent seen use.

Now you could blame it on "new toy" syndrome. But his experience has been that the bonnie's torque curve is so useable, that its become the go to bike for him to commute. And when on the highway, the lower seat height makes the bike easier to manage for a bit of soft touring.

Now I am considering a test ride of the newer ones myself, because I want whatever the hell it is that this guy's smoking.

Wangdu, Interesting dilemma that you got there. On second thoughts, it doesn't sound like a dilemma as you seem to have already made up your mind for the T100. So, why do you want us to convince you to buy it?:D

Let me share my 2 cents with you and this is coming from an ex-Bonnie owner

Back then when I was in market, I test rode the Harleys and other naked bikes and when I rode the Bonnie, it was an instant connect and that connection grew phenomenally over the short period that i owned it. Like most I was looking at buying something in the 6-8 lakhs range back then and rode several bikes in that price range and wanted to give Harley a chance but, was sorely disappointed with them. They felt like 90's bullets with immaculate finish and spell binding marketing to boot.

I wrote a brief comparison report between the Iron 883 and Bonnie and you can read it here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...onneville.html

And, my ownership report of the Bonnie is here :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...edit-sold.html

When I got the Bonnie, I was so ecstatic with it's torque, smooth like butter engine, negligible heat from engine (only for the first few thousand kms) and rode it like I stole it. I buy something if there is an "instant connect" and thankfully all my so called "instant connect" bets have been outstanding as I loved owning them. Recent obsession being the Versys which is also something I'm completely enjoying owning it

Bonnie saw several short breakfast runs, long highway rides and many touring destinations too and covered ~ 12,000kms in 8-9 months and had my relocation abroad was not on the cards, I would have never sold it.

It still pulls at my heart strings and will always remain a special bike and if budget permits, actually more than budget if wifey permits I will get this beauty back in my garage as a second bike

It's an almost perfect bike except for its hard suspension (way softer than the Harleys, btw and low ground clearance.

It's plain naive to call the Bonnie a reject as it's fan following is legendary and people enjoy its classic look, torquey motor and extremely pleasurable ride. New street twin from Triumph is probably best described as a "Reject" as it took away the Bonneville's character and made it a modern bike with all gizmos added to it and took away its soul in the process.

I hate the new street twin:)

From Ducati's range, Monster 821 is a very snatchy bike and is neither linear in accelaration nor has a smooth engine. Scrambler was never a big attraction to a large segment of people and that is the reason Ducati is not doing great in selling them in great numbers.

Let's not even talk about the Benelli unless you are desperate for a cheap inline 4

Since you already wrote off the Versys, I think let's not even go there but, my personal opinion is that V is far more superior than the Bonnie in how it rides and smoothness of engine and overall riding pleasure !!!

Considering the limited options in this price range and considering that you need a modern bike trapped in a retro look, T100 is an almost perfect bike that you can buy. You can ride it gently or give it the gas when required and give some big bikes a run for their money. And, their build quality is legendary and can last you an entire lifetime

Go get your T100-You will not regret i

Goodluck !!!

Hi there Mobike008, great to see your response. Well it was because of your ownership thread that I started thinking seriously about Bonnie in the first place. I've read & re-read Dkaile's thread on HD & your thread on Bonnie and then of Versys. On the one hand your thoughts were pulling me to Bonnie while on the other Dkaile's(Dheeraj) superlow was not letting me off the hook. This was all i did while you mods kept on rejecting my membership application :D

Well, on V it wasn't me who rejected the machine but it was other way around. I'm 5'6" and the bike just wanted me to get off the saddle asap (ditto with striples).

Yes, the ST looks to be no where related to Bonnie's heritage so that was an easy pass.

Neither of the Ducatis could connect with me even through laptop screen. Really, I'm not meant for them.

The way it stands now is that most likely this British icon T100 will be giving company to my another machine of British heritage -RE in the stable. Also scouting in 2nd hand market too just in case I get a well taken care of Bonnie which is easier on pocket. But my heart wouldn't take a used one though.

and yes, when I finished my test ride of Bonnie I had an as wide a grin as yours when you test rode one. Cheers !

Hey guys, Firstly, Thanks to all who shared their thoughts on this thread.

Ever since I took the test ride of Bonnies, they found the deepest love spots in my head fighting for space with my long time infatuation, the Harley.

My final shortlist from the Harley stable were the Street Bob & 1200 Custom with the latter being the favourite. I test rode both for ~5kms and I was pretty disappointed perhaps largely because I rode the Bonnie a few days ago. What I really liked about Harleys was the aesthetics. The shining chrome, the masculine looks, and the head turner it is plus it would be a dream come true for me since that day back in the late 80s when Arnie showcased it on T-2. The main points which I didn’t like about these two Harleys were really bad vibrations, no agility in the city and unrefined ride quality. Additionally, the extremely low GC, dangling cables on bob, very low seating position further spoiled the interest. Then the stock exhaust hardly bore any resemblance to the sound of Harleys my senses were expecting, and to get there Vince&Hines or Screaming Eagles at approximately 1.5L more.

That still keeps the 1200 custom in striking distance cost wise but I realized that once this big boy is home it will be just a “big show”, rarely used in the city and to ride as a cruiser most of the times but then I wasn’t in the market for cruiser alone. Another aspect where I felt inconvenienced riding the 1200 custom was the upfront position of gear lever and rear brake pedal, that's designed for cruising or sparse traffic riding, not the type we experience here.

Experiencing these bikes in flesh was so much different than seeing on the screen. I also realized that with my requirements Harley wasn’t a place to be in the first place and I feel Harleys (sans the ‘streets’) are best suited for long open highways or streets made per infrastructure in the west, not for here in India.

Seemingly disappointed but satisfied that I’ve now experienced Harleys, off I was to meet Bonnie as if she was calling out for me. My HD loving heart dejected & grumpy like a young child having seen his team lose took the back seat or rather excused itself from the proceedings and let the bonnie heart take control.

Test rode the Bonnie T-100 & T120 again for good 20+ km and my initial choice of a week ago was reaffirmed, the T100 still ruled my heart. The T120 although with more power & features would be just satisfying the greed factor and not be a significant difference to T100 per my usage. The periphery of Delhi was choc-a-bloc due to police barricades (in preparation for Jat protest in NCR) and my thighs felt quite a lot of heat from T120 engine. The two features of T120 I liked were the engine smoothness with 6th gear at high speed & better braking (twin disc setup at the front) but these wouldn’t be missed on T-100 per my usage. The ride comfort is equally impressive in both with the suspensions being tested on the left most uneven side of the road. The Bonnies build up acceleration in a way like no other, it’s to be felt to believe. And oodles of torque made available at low rpms is just phenomenal.

In a nutshell, key factors that made me select Bonnie were the sheer ease & refinement with which Bonnie provides respectable power, agility, heavy yet easily flick-able bike, bassy sounding machine (like RE) and a simplistic yet timeless beautiful design. It’s a dream combo of everything that Ninja & RE together would be; a perfect machine for the daily commute and short to medium distance rides. Really, I couldn’t ask for more, I just so love it and so do the kids.



And it was time to help me out of the misery of indecisiveness and pay the booking amount.


This lovely beauty by the name of Bonneville T100 got my eyes wet a bit while doing that. No other possession in my life made me this emotional. With this much madness going around through my senses, I just can’t wrong.

Congrats Wangdu! A great decision, the blue white combination looks stellar.

To your questions: I have the mag wheeled, blue/white combination. Waited 3 months extra to get this colour combination when I bought it! The reason for the mag wheeled version was solely tubeless tires. In the 865cc variants the decision was easier to take since both the T100 and A3 (mag wheel) retained the classic looks. The spoke wheels will have a lot of advantages in our riding conditions.

My ownership report is detailed here which includes experiences on service and spare parts: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ides-home.html

Hope you get the T100 delivered soon. Ride safe and look forward to an ownership report.

Cheers,
Sting