Boner-ville
 

Always wanted one of these, finally picked one up last night.

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/7831/g6ei.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img15/861/zm8j.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img844/1907/i0rq.jpg

Sexy, let me know how you like it. Been thinking of getting a scrambler.

very very nice. That is a schmexy bike that is fun to be on

This is a very derf-sized motorcycle. Much more compact than I expected and it looks positively miniscule beside my WR. A little less leg-room than I would prefer but overall the ergonomics are very comfortable. This is a real standard, not a sport-standard like almost all of the Japanese offerings over the past decade or so.

My 80-mile ride home last night (via expressway, city traffic, and mountain twisties) left me with very positive impressions. It's quicker than I expected; not brain-melting fast by any means but torquier than I thought it would be. And even pretty smooth. The clutch-engagement and throttle response are excellent... a huge plus just coming off a Yamaha FZ6. The transmission is a little clunky but not terrible, and it will probably get better as the bike is broken in.

The real surprise was in the handling. I immediately felt comfortable on this bike from the moment I let out the clutch; it is a very balanced motorcycle. Low-speed maneuvers are a breeze, the budget front-end provides better feedback than other supposedly higher-performing bikes I've owned, and the ride overall is just very controlled. Quick, light steering paired with good straight-line stability.

The build-quality is a little on the cheap side, but I guess my expectations shouldn't be too high for something in this price range. A lot of cheap chromed plastic, and body parts you think at a glance are metal, aren't. Still a very handsome machine and unmistakable for anything else on the road.

It's kind of a bitch to clean... drainage on and around the engine is inadequate, leaving pools of water everywhere to spot/corrode if it isn't blown off. I'm reaching for complaints here, because I really don't have many...

Accessories will include a center-stand (which should be standard equipment on all bikes of this type, but whatever) and racks for my Givi hard cases. Otherwise I'm leaving it as-is.

Very nice! The faux carbs are a nice touch! I looked at the Thruxton but, those things are too cramped for Derf! Not even close for me! I wish there were more true standards that were simple like the Triumphs. Honda did well with the Nighthawk many years ago but, the timing wasn't right and they sat on the showroom floors. Simple, smooth well-handling bikes that did what you needed them to do without a fuss.

The Nighthawk 750 I bought new in 2003 was probably the best do-it-all motorcycle I've ever owned. This Bonneville has a very similar feel and time will tell if it lives up. That Honda took me to school, work, and across the country half a dozen times.

I was strongly considering Honda's new CB1100 as well, but I couldn't find anything within $3000 of what I paid for this Triumph. I think the Bonnie is the [slightly] more attractive of the two, anyway:

http://0.tqn.com/d/motorcycles/1/0/L/k/0/-/CB1100.jpg

The new CB1100 is very nice, but the price for a new one is just nuts.

Nice Triumph.

Congrats on the new bike!

From the pics it looked like you had it home with 4 miles on the odometer. So the dealership had a foot-pump sitting in the box next to the bike outside? :?:

Very nice Triple! I wonder if I can fit it if its derf sized

Looks pretty good, even seen a couple urban "hipsters/metros" with one. Surprised it doesn't have a tach though.

I took that pic before I rode the bike home, obviously. I always bring my little foot pump whenever I pick up a new ride, and this time I needed it. The tires had less than 20 pounds of air in them.

My wife is 5-foot-2, about 100 pounds, and she fits pretty well in the pilot's seat. The seat is low and the bike is small front to back, but it isn't light. Takes more effort than you'd think to push it around the garage, but it's very balanced and easy to maneuver while you're actually riding it.

A tachometer is an option. Of course I would have preferred one, but as a leftover 2012, I didn't have a choice.

Ahh, gotcha. I would never have thought of that... shows how often I change bikes. :lol:

Very nice!

Can she get it off the side stand?

I realllly like the new Honda but, the price is way too high and I was quite disappointed in the power numbers it's supposed to be putting down.

Those Bonnie's are sweet looking... there's a guy here in town I see every once in a while on my way to work... he has one all cafe'ed out... looks awesome, sounds good too.

The Bonnie reminded me today that it is NOT, in fact, a sportbike.

I loooooove the Bonnies. I didn't want to like it as much as I did. My first ride on one lasted 300 miles.

Added a few minor upgrades: Ryjzq (TEC) shocks, OEM center stand (bought second-hand for $50 versus $230+ retail), and a Norman Hyde rear rack / side pannier set. The Givi E21 side cases were left over from my previous bike. I have a kit to attach my Givi Monokey trunk to the rear rack, but I won't install it until I really need it. I like the way it looks as-is.

The TEC shocks are cheap but still a huge improvement over stock, even on their softest setting. They did not include an appropriately-sized spanner wrench and it looks like the pannier racks might prevent shock adjustment anyway. Clearance between the racks and shocks is super tight. Can't say for sure until I actually find the right wrench and give it a try, I suppose.

The racks themselves were a bitch to get straight (still a little crooked, actually) and build quality doesn't quite meet actual Givi standards, but they are the best set available for this model. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to mount the rear signals on the extended stalks attached to the racks; if I do, I'll have to replace the OEM tail-light assembly with a Lucas-style piece. Otherwise, the original unit will have two big, ugly holes on either side to let in water and road grime. I could just cut the stalks off and plug the holes with rubber stoppers, but I'm not really comfortable with the little LED signals buried between the two hard bags.

http://imageshack.com/a/img35/161/weon.jpg

http://imageshack.com/a/img834/807/x7k4.jpg

Last month I took a 2000+ mile round-trip to Michigan and back. I took the scenic route on the way there but had to slab it the whole way home. My ride north took me through a few of the Appalachian "musts" (Deal's Gap, Cherohala Skyway, etc), but some of the remote two- and one-lane connectors were just as good. I tried to hit some roads I'd never ridden before, but ended up in some familiar places by accident. Still a great ride overall. The bike performed flawlessly. I made the following trip in two very long days; it would have been much more comfortable taking three or four:

http://imageshack.com/a/img197/8095/f7st.jpg

Love the chrome rack! It looks perfect on there!

Hm. It would seem all of the photos originally posted in this thread have disappeared.

Anyway, here are some Bonnie updates:

2012 Triumph Bonneville GRAND TOURING
http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-talk...d-touring.html