Triumph Bonneville
MSRP: $7699
Caretaker: Trestick
Measurements: 5'5"/NA/30" Inseam
Odometer: 2862
Miles Since Last Issue: 858
Observant readers might recognize this Triumph Bonneville, since we used it for the "Beginner Bikes" story in the October '09 issue. That very same Bonnie showed up in the Cruiser garage as my long-termer. Because it had already been functioning as a test bike, it already had over 2000 miles on the clock. Unfortunately, the first day I rode it home, it came up lame with a blown fork seal. So off the Bonneville went back to Triumph, eventually reappearing with a brand new fork leg.
One of the reasons I set my sights on the Bonneville is that I wanted a practical and comfortable urban runabout I could have fun with too. With our office relocation bringing a significantly longer commute, I'd be riding in to work much more frequently. My new commute is mainly city streets followed by a short blast on a free-flowing freeway. The Bonneville with its light weight and narrow profile fit the bill perfectly.
The miles I've spent with the Bonnie so far have been a blast. Its sharp handling dispatches the curves of the local canyons with ease. It's like riding a piece of moto-history without the inconvenience and unreliability of vintage iron. I particularly like that the EFI system is cleverly disguised as carburetors, keeping the retro flavor alive.
I like to live with a stock bike for a bit to figure out what I want changed. My plans are to keep modifications relatively simple. The very first thing that I had to take care of was the glaring lack of a helmet lock. HelmetSecure came through with this lock for a full face helmet. It's more secure than a typical D-ring lock. It fits to round handlebars and locks with a key. The integral steel cable then goes around the chinbar of your full face helmet and sits securely on your bike.
My big extravagance will be the exhaust. I'm dying to get a set of Arrow pipes on it and because they actually come from Triumph they would be an easy purchase for a buyer. Stay tuned to see what I come up with.