Triumph Bonneville (2004) 790 - Wheel building?
 

Can anyone kindly point me in the right direction please?

I have just bought a lovely 2004 790 Bonneville.

The bike has only 4,900 miles on the clock and is now in top condition apart from a few flecks of rust on front and rear wheel rims.

The bike was standing for 1 year unused in a garage. The fool that left it there (rich 60 year old passed his test and bought it on a whim) failed to cover it in WD40 during storage.

I paid £3,200 for it.

Having given the bike a deep clean, I'm happy with the result apart from the rust on the rims.

I was wondering where I might get the wheels re-built? I live in Kent.

Or, perhaps I should bite the bullet and order brand new wheels? Ouch that's expensive.

How much can I expect to pay for new spokes and rims? I rather like the idea of stainless steel instead of OEM chrome ones....

Any help and advice glady accepted..

Central wheels Birmingham.

Don't buy more from Triumph, they rot like crazy and snap spokes if even mildly pushed.

Andy

Thanks Andy,

Any idea on the likely costs of doing this?

I'd prefer to put SS rims on instead of chrome but cost is a big factor in this regard.

The bike is looking pretty apart from the wheel rims. Very surprised the frame is almost mint.

The engine is also mint apart from a small area where I spilt some rust killer! I have bought a small pot of Triumph engine black paint to put matters right there. Luckily it's in the middle of the engine where liquid tends to collect (the pit in the middle). Stupid me, things always happen to me like this.... dohdoh

I am thinking of fitting a tacho clock conversion (£200 on Fleabay) but that will come later.

Also some new SS brake hoses to front/rear brakes.

I have always wanted a low mileage Bonneville (Hinkley) and now my wish has come true. Really looking forward to riding it next summer. I sold one of my beloved XT's to pay for it (£1,600 mates rate).

I have heard good things about these machines. Mine is a 2004 790cc model. I have heard the carb version is better than the later fuel injection models? The larger 865cc engine only gives an extra 6HP increase in any case.

I wanted one because of (serious) spinal problems - I find it increasingly difficult to mount my XT's and my other half finds them uncomfortable on pillion. The Bonnie apparently pulls well with a pillion and is much more comfortable than a big trailee.

I see the OEM seat is like an armchair compared to the XT seat. :thumbup1:

Those of you who know my love of the XT will know I keep all my bikes in top condition and I want to look after this new addition exactly the same...

I might be forced to sell the other XT to pay for the Bonnie bits. :helpsmilie:

I am eager to learn just what these things can do and how well they do it.

Thanks for your valued advice Andy.

I'll start with this as I put it all down to organise my generally cluttered and confused mind:

https://sites.google.com/site/threewheelbonnie/

I had my 2004 790 from 2004 until 2012.

My last quote from central wheels was if memory serves £700 for them to spoke and rim the rear hub in stainless. This was one of the reasons I sold up. The bike was a tad past it's best after 8 years abuse from me, not much point buying 700-quid wheels for a 1000-quid bike . Keep an eye on evil-bay, I had a spare bought off there for a couple of hundred quid during my snow-sidecaring phase with it. Like most Hinckley Bonneville bits though they go for big money because all the brit bike people (who claim to despise the overweight Hinckley) want the bits (the oil leaks no doubt preserve them better :innocent: ) .

I could never tell the difference from the 790 and 865 loaners except the Scrambler whose 270 crank is great at 20 mph and useless by 65.

Tour, ride dirt roads, loon round the local B-roads, yep, it'll do it all and make you smile. There's negative stuff on the web page too, range was the big killer for me. After the Wee-strom I'm tempted to get naked again :nono::freezing: but fancy the Guzzi V7 for it's 22 litre tank. You can solve this if you have £700 quid :eek3:. I had an extension tank made by a grass track tank bloke.

The Triumph K&Q seat was the first extra bit I bought, well worth it. E-bay again if you are happy to wait for a decent but not massive bargain. I sold mine for over half of what I paid.

Get the OEM coil :thumbdown: off BTW, about as waterproof as tea bag and half as useful. The Ghost of Joe Lucas can be heard laughing if you hold one to your ear :smartass:

:mchappy: Enjoy it and drop me a line if you think I can help. It was a good bike for me.

Andy

A short piece written for the Thumperclub rants section that may help you get into the feel of the Bonnie: :innocent:

I own a Triumph T790. That is the name given to my bike by engineers. Men of Hinckley using one of the most modern CADCAM systems in the world who's company is the fastest growing motorcycle brand in the world. These modern engineers made an aircooled twin that met 21st century emissions legislation while keeping to a design employing the best Japanese design principles from the last decades of the 20th century. This bike will cruise at 90+ MPH, will turn in over 60 mpg if not pushed and has 6000 mile service intervals. Put knobblies on it and go anywhere and do anything.

So, what did the lazy ****wits in the marketing department do? The named it after a *****y town in America where sometime in the Jurassic period they managed to get some semi-mobile oil leak to run for long enough to break a speed record. Goodness knows how they found anyone daft enough to ride the thing on the tyres they used and with the brakes they had, but they did. Now fair do's to the boys back then struggling to start it by rubbing pterodactyls together, but face it, that was a whole lifetime before I was born.

As a result of this laziness, I have to deal with cooing old fools drooling over my bike, telling me how they rode one during the war. Now, much respect to anyone who might have charged those Russian guns, but they didn't, Napoleon was dead years before my T790 even rolled off the line. I'm sure whizzbangs and endless Charlie Chaplin films do nasty things to the mind, so I humour these chaps. Then however there are the train spotters. They arrive in Volvo's, break there necks to get there and then it starts. "Ooh, it's not real". "They tried to copy a b-series pre-67 acetylene tank cover on what is plainly a poor copy of a bike that should have a the mid '65 left hand Whitworth thread one" . I reach for the GPS mount to put them out of my misery.

Giving the poor thing THAT name has worked. People buy them and dress up like George Formby (before he invented his grill). They probably get together on bank holidays in Brighton and hit similar people who have roundels on their zimmer frames and listen to different wax cylinders on their tape players. I have no problem with this, I just don't want to join in.

I ask one thing. Please. Do not think that because I ride a T790 that I want to be Steve McQueen or do things with Mars Bars to blond women who are old enough to be my grand mother. (Please don't even mention things like that, I can't remember it, so yes, stands to reason I wasn't there). I ride a T790 exactly because it doesn't have Lucas electrics or leak oil or need it's tappety jibbet adjuster replacing every 45 yards. I just like my T790 because I get on it, press the button and enjoy the ride.

See, didn't even mention ****ing BONNEVILLES.

Andy (Age 36 and 3/4) http://www.thumperclub.com/smf/Smileys/default/grin.gif

I bought my Bonnie a year ago and love it. Mines a carbed 865, I have never had a ride on a 790 but can't imagine there being much between them.

At the start of this year I fitted the tacho conversion kit, quite straight forward however I have just noticed some moisture getting behind the glass. I also added a dart fly-screen and changed the bars for something a less cramped for my liking. I then added a Scottoiler and fixed the common cam-cover weap, wouldn't be a triumph without an oil leak so I'm told! I get 140 miles from a tank before switching to reserve, If I was going outside of Europe I would probably stick some Rotopax fuel canisters on, easier and cheaper than having a new tank made.

Here's a picture of mine after a few days up north.

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/9...bfa07613_c.jpg
Home by fraser2312, on Flickr[/IMG]

Nice pic thanks for taking the time to post it here.

Mine is very similar - It's black with a custom white tank and front mudguard. The black engine covers have been replaced with chrome versions (a very expensive upgrade from what I'm told). It's only done 4,900 miles and is in superb nick apart from the damn wheel rims which have been left to rust.

I'm told the difference between the 790 and 865 is hardly noticed if at all. An extra 6 HP isn't much and can often be gained by merely changing the exhaust/OEM air box.

I know a chap in Kent Neil. who rebuilds / builds wheels from scratch or uses your hubbs. He did my wheels albeit on an F650.
He can use your hubs and fit them in Excel rims and re-lace them with S steel spokes- Possibly! I have not asked about your bike-
pm if interested

I had a pair of DRZ wheels rebuilt by Welcome Page

He did a splendid job and the price was very reasonable