BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

So the R is in the shop getting the 24K service. I took it in Thursday afternoon so they could work on it Friday and they gave me a Triumph Bonneville loaner. The dealer calls and says we will not be able to get to my bike til Monday, Is that Ok? well what was I going to say, no big riding plans so what the heck.

Well I just went out for a 50 mile ride to see what this thing is like and I must admit this bike is a kick to ride.

Well this little Bonneville is like the antitheses of a BMW. Small, low, simple to ride with gobs of torque and a surprisingly wide, smooth power band. This bike is basically an engine with a seat on it, a seat which BTW is like sitting on a picnic bench, flat and hard.

Anyone else here ride one of these?

ken k

No...but I would love to ride their new Tiger!!

Not sure what today's Bonnie is like but back around 1975, my first new bike, after a succession of used Japanese machines, was a beautiful Triumph Bonneville.

Your description of the wide, flat powerband and engine torque are exactly what I remember. The seat was also as you say - flat and benchlike but not at all uncomfortable. The handling and braking were also much better than what I was used to. I had no trouble keeping up with the fast guys on Nortons but was always behind the Italian machines, so I sold the Bonnie and bought a Guzzi, then a Ducati.

I now wish I had kept the Bonneville, especially when I see pictures of the Triumph Velocette.

Charlie

Buckster wrote:No...but I would love to ride their new Tiger!!

My BMW dealer is also a Triumph dealer, whcih explains why i got the Bonnie loaner. But a few weeks back another local Triumph dealer had the Triumph truck in with all the bikes for demo rides and I rode the Tiger. I figured I would ride that since it was most like my R. Very nice bike, the engine is similar to the Bonnie's except it has water cooling. I think it is bigger too, don't remember. Very smooth and actually very similar to the R, perhaps with a bit mroe power. It is a tall upright bike like the R.

I wish I would have had more time to ride other bikes but I had to leave. I would love to ride their Thruxton. That bike has to be a hoot to ride...

ken k

I had the choice last week from the same dealer which loaner to use for a couple days, the Bonnie or the 07 R1200R. I chose the R and enjoyed it very much, lighter, quicker, improved over my Rockster. I'm keeping the Rockster for now because I love it so, and a daughter in college in Fla. helps me to love it so.

I have always loved the retro look of the Bonneville. Reminds me of bikes when I was a young fella and what I always wanted but could not afford as a teenager.

Happened to meet a fella riding the Rocket III the other day in Seneca Rocks WV. He loved his Rocket but commented that Triumph says to use only their synthetic oil (at $20 per) and the bike uses 5 quarts but the interval is 10K. Seems expensive to me. Sharp bike though!

Wayne

I came across a guy on a new looking Triumph Bonnieville once..We stopped at a red light togeather..He looked at my bike..I looked at his bike..

We were all alone..He gave me the sideways nod of the head as if to say..let's have a race.

The lights changed and he got a slight jump on me then I changed to second gear and blew past him..and kept increasing a gap on him..I was grinning in my helmet.

I slowed at the next red light and he came alongside and said..Jeeez that thing goes doesn't it..Is it new?..I said thanks..It's about five years old..His eyes went wide and the light changed and we took off togeather..nice and slow this time..(no need to prove a thing anymore)..

DJ

rockstercliff wrote:I had the choice last week from the same dealer which loaner to use for a couple days, the Bonnie or the 07 R1200R. I chose the R and enjoyed it very much, lighter, quicker, improved over my Rockster. I'm keeping the Rockster for now because I love it so, and a daughter in college in Fla. helps me to love it so.

boy, you got to choose???? i was just given mine. Not complaining however, although an R1200R would have been sweet.

ken k

I got to ride Chitown's R1200R up at The Rally. Boy, am I glad I don't have the $ to get one. What a different animal! Wheelies with just a twist!

The "New Bonneville's" are indeed a fun bike, not fast and the handling is, to be kind, "vintage" and the stock brakes fulfill the legal requirements of most U.S. states. I don't mean to sound like I'm bad-mouthing these bikes, but in terms of performance by modern standards they are somewhat lacking.

However- throw a little time and money at one and you get a bike that's a lot of fun to ride, and draws attention wherever you park it. I particularly enjoy it when people walk right past uber-expensive H-D's and fawn over the Bonneville.

Mine is an '03 and I've had it a little over 3 years...

Ed, I love the look of your bike.

Here's the Bonneville I rode about a month or so ago. I really liked it. Now to figure a way to get one without the wife killing me.

jb

DJ....bad boy...shame on you for taking advantage of that poor fellow on his Bonnie.....

The Bonnie barely breaks 60 hp (advertised) vs the R1150R at 85 hp.....and both weight about the same, give or take a few pounds, no race there.

In your defense and rightly so he egged you on...right!!!!!