Triumph Bonneville SE - 6 shots

[DaveB]

Hi Chaps..

It was 'that' time of the year again today.. the annual service and MOT for the Daytona and below are 6 shots of the courtesy bike I got this time.. a Bonneville SE I didn't really know what to expect.. it's been a good many years since I've ridden a Brit twin and memories of that do not serve as a shining example of British engineering (it was a Norton Commando 850 Electric btw) OK, I had a Suzuki GSX1100 at the time which was superior in every way but I'd expected more from one of my childhood dream bikes.. the Norton Commando Having done 50-odd miles on the Bonneville SE today, not only was I pleased with it, I was sad to give it back. Unlike the Daytona, the Bonneville goes at speeds more in keeping with my years Anyway.. enough of the cr@p. Here's a few shots of the little lady











and finally..


Had a brand new Street Triple last year but for some reason, didn't take any shots of it. Nowt wrong with it at all. In fact it proved you can have a great deal of fun on a mid-range bike

ATB
DaveB

[Effoh]

Mr. B,

Never been into bikes mainly because of fear and life experience that riders never come 1st when snot comes down...but..that (sorry) she is gorgeous. Can't help wondering what she'd look like in racing green................and, and, and...she's got pegs on the back for Miss B......... this is the bike you are looking for.........you do not need to see your bank account.....

[Tako_Kichi]

Certainly looks nice and retro.

[DaveB]

Believe it or not, the first thing Mrs B said when she saw it was 'that's got a nice seat' towit she threw her leg over the backend and tried it out. The SE has a very low seat (think it's around the 28" mark) and accordingly low foot pegs to match. When I fit the rear seat on the Daytona, the pegs are too high to be comfortable (which bothers me not as I don't use em) but I see her point. At 'normal' road speeds, the engine is very smooth and the gearbox is particularly slick. It's fast enough to blast past cars should the need arise (it did a few times today ) without being so fast you're in another county before you can slow down.
I'm unsure how comfy the seat would be at anything approaching a couple of hours and beyond and for long distance stuff, the lack of fairing would restrict ones progress to no more than 80mph (not in this country of course where I, like all my fellow drivers/riders adhere strictly to the maximum permitted road speed). I've not had a bike without a fairing for years and the thought frightens me a bit. I remember well hanging onto the GSX1100 for grim death (the last bike I had without a fairing) and had to fit a fairing in the end. The weekly jaunt from Pompey to Faslane was just too much otherwise AND.. I was much younger then Oh.. I think they do the SE in a sort of red/white and green/white as well as the blue/white shown above

Larry.. yes, it is very retro.. the 'Bonnie' has always looked that way

ATB
DaveB

[speedbird591]

They've done a good job of keeping the retro Bonnie looks. I don't know if it's intentional but they've also managed to make it look a bit fat and bloated like most of the original Bonnie riders do now! Thanks for the pic, Dave - it's a godsent opportunity to post a pic of the model it was styled on (with a rather youthful speedbird aboard - long before I was a speedbird, of course. I was a toolmaker in them far off days).

It's a 1963 650cc T120, about two years old when the pic was taken. It was the first of the unit construction engine/gearbox units so a purist would say that a '62 was the last classic Bonnie.



Ian

[DaveB]

Hi Ian

Thanks for posting that smashing shot I wonder how much that bike would be worth now? You'd like the 'new' Bonnie. It looks very similar to your old girl but has (I'd imagine) a very much sweeter engine one which doesn't leave a trail of oil across the countryside It comes in 3 flavours.. basic Bonnie, Bonnie SE and Bonnie T100. The basic version has non-metallic paint and wire wheels, the SE as above (to celebrate 50years of the name.. I think) and the T100 has metallic paint, wire wheels, different exhaust and a higher seat. The 'Speed Merchant' of the twins is the Thruxton (which I also like!) which has a classic cafe racer look and a tweaked engine which delivers nearly 70bhp (the tweak taking it from 61 to 69 I think). Oh.. even though they don't look it, the engines are fuel injected now too and cc has grown from your 650 to 850.. 853/856.. something like that

Pity you don't still have your 650 mate. In good nick, it'd be worth a lot more than you ever paid for it and it'd be useful for nipping out and about on when you didn't quite feel like peddling

ATB
DaveB

[speedbird591]

which doesn't leave a trail of oil across the countryside

Whaat? How can they call it a Triumph? One of my favourite T-shirts (which I'm still slim enough to wear, thanks to pedal power ) is a Triumph one from the 'Oil Leak' brand which I find rather amusing. Oil Leak on eBay

Thanks for mentioning the Thruxton, Dave. I've just been over to the Triumph website to have a look. It's GORGEOUS! I love it and I want one - NOW

And it's nothing to do with the model, either (well, maybe a bit ). But what colour? Red or black. Black or red? Oh dear oh dear oh dear ... I thought I was over all this.



Ian

[DaveB]

Yes.. I thought I was over it all too but every year before, during and after the service/MoT.. it all comes flooding back again. The Thruxton in red is an absolute blinder.. I love it with a passion

By the way.. my Daytona must be 'Genuine' as it does weep a little oil from the final drive shaft seal from the gearbox.. despite having the seal changed last year!

ATB
DaveB