Triumph Bonneville, Good or Bad

[skip]

Hi
I'm off to the bikeshop to have a look at a late model Triumph Bonneville for a friend, i've never worked on one and don't know to much about them so if any one can let me know a few points to look out for, ie the good bits and the bad bits. Cheers Skip

[adrian74]

Hi skip, a lot of bonnys suffer from warped brake discs, these will be changed under warranty if the bike is under 2 years old.
Also, take the bike for a spin and accelerate from about 2,000 rpm in top gear, this will show up any ign coil problems in the form of a missfire, this is another common problem with bonnys.
Service intervals are 6000 miles with a major service every 12000 miles.
Its a good idea to remove the secondary air system from the engine as this will make it idle smoother and help stop the exhaust downpipes from turning blue (only takes half an hour), this applys to carb models only as it cant be removed from the new fuel injected models as the ecu relies on it to help keep a stable idle.
Let us know how you get on.

[skip]

Hi Adrian
Thanks for the info, my mate put a deposit down on a brand new Bonneville so it looks like i won't need to touch it for a while. Thanks Skip

[webonnielad]

I've had my ,T100 790cc Centennial Bonnie 4 years now bought new in in 2003.
Rode it stock 3500 miles down to scicily and back from London UK via France,Italy,Austria,Germany,Holland,Belgium,Luxem bourg in 13 days averaging 85mph on Motorways somedays 5-6 hours a day with only fuel stops.
Most reliable , easy to fix bike I've ever owned.
With regards to the advice to rev it from 2000rpm etc etc. Don't do that until you've completed the running in period and the 500 mile service and oil change.
The dealer uses a special low viscocity oil just for the running in period.
During the running in period follow the makers instructions.

You'll love it.
Enjoy.

Jon (UK)

[palace15]

So pleased to hear that the new type Bonnevilles are better than the ones originally turned out from Meriden, I brought a new Meriden Bonneville in 1979, it was a 1978 model and between change-overs, ie T140E with MK2 carbs, points ignition and Smiths clocks. After 11000 miles the timing side main bearing failed, then again 8000 miles later, in the end it was found that the crankcases had been machined 'out of line'
A few gearbox problems etc, and I was on first name terms with Kevin O'Connor in claims and warranty(where are you now Kev?) .
One thing I will 'fondly' remember the bike for was the good people that I met who had stopped for me whilst broken down on the roadside. Owning British bikes was a quick way to learn mechanics fast

[Hooli]

Originally Posted by dave ede

So pleased to hear that the new type Bonnevilles are better than the ones originally turned out from Meriden, I brought a new Meriden Bonneville in 1979, it was a 1978 model and between change-overs, ie T140E with MK2 carbs, points ignition and Smiths clocks. After 11000 miles the timing side main bearing failed, then again 8000 miles later, in the end it was found that the crankcases had been machined 'out of line'
A few gearbox problems etc, and I was on first name terms with Kevin O'Connor in claims and warranty(where are you now Kev?) .
One thing I will 'fondly' remember the bike for was the good people that I met who had stopped for me whilst broken down on the roadside. Owning British bikes was a quick way to learn mechanics fast

tell me about it, i brought a 'restored' customed T140v as a toy. total rewire, rebuild carbs, blasting grit removed from oil tank & swing arm bearings, new oil pump, exhausts that fell of replaced with ones that fit & so on. i finally have a nice toy for sunny days, it even did 900miles in 3 days touring wales with almost nothing coming off.

[oldbmw]

Originally Posted by Hooli

tell me about it, i brought a 'restored' customed T140v as a toy. total rewire, rebuild carbs, blasting grit removed from oil tank & swing arm bearings, new oil pump, exhausts that fell of replaced with ones that fit & so on. i finally have a nice toy for sunny days, it even did 900miles in 3 days touring wales with almost nothing coming off.

back in the sixties for over two years I rode my bike (500 cc Triumph) from where I was stationed in Norfolk back to Cornwall ( 435 miles each way) during that time I had one failure, clutch cable broke one friday evening just as I got off the A11 at the intersection with the A406. I rode it al the way home without one. I never expected to break down, a friend and I went all over the england and scotland one summer, he on a 500 cc Velocette. Mind you a 1961 Velocette 500 still holds the world record for teh most distance covered in 24 hours.

[palace15]

Originally Posted by oldbmw

back in the sixties for over two years I rode my bike (500 cc Triumph) from where I was stationed in Norfolk back to Cornwall ( 435 miles each way) during that time I had one failure, clutch cable broke one friday evening just as I got off the A11 at the intersection with the A406. I rode it al the way home without one. I never expected to break down, a friend and I went all over the england and scotland one summer, he on a 500 cc Velocette. Mind you a 1961 Velocette 500 still holds the world record for teh most distance covered in 24 hours.

Yes, but mine and 'hooli's' Triumphs were 'thrown together' in the 70's in the days of the Workers co-operative....a totally different company attitude.

The crazy thing is I actually loved it, it taught me a lot!

[adrian74]

Originally Posted by webonnielad

I've had my ,T100 790cc Centennial Bonnie 4 years now bought new in in 2003.
Rode it stock 3500 miles down to scicily and back from London UK via France,Italy,Austria,Germany,Holland,Belgium,Luxem bourg in 13 days averaging 85mph on Motorways somedays 5-6 hours a day with only fuel stops.
Most reliable , easy to fix bike I've ever owned.
With regards to the advice to rev it from 2000rpm etc etc. Don't do that until you've completed the running in period and the 500 mile service and oil change.
The dealer uses a special low viscocity oil just for the running in period.
During the running in period follow the makers instructions.

You'll love it.
Enjoy.

Jon (UK)

Jon, i appologise, maybe i didnt explain myself properly, the advice on how to check for faulty ignition coils is relevant to second hand bonnys only as there is no need to check a brand new bike! (new bonnys use improved coils)
Also the bikes do not come with low viscosity oil for running in purposes, they are filled with mobil 1 4t 15w50 at the factory and then they are run on the dyno to for a couple of minutes, the oil is then drained and the bike is sent to the dealership where it is refilled with either mobil 1 4t 15w50 or castrol gps 10w40, this oil is drained at the first service and refilled with mobil 1 racing 15w50 or castrol racing 4t 10w50 (both api sh rated).
I agree with you that they are one of the easiest bikes to work on and they will be around for many years after some of the more expensive and complicated bikes are long gone.

[Dave Milligan]

Hi All,

I have a carby T100 Bonneville purchased in April 2007 and I love it to bits, but the rust which is starting to appear is really pissing me off.

I'm in Melbourne, Australia and the bike has only see rain once and that was in New Zealand at the beginning of December.

Considering the $15,000approx it cost me I'm not happy about the rust blush on almost every piece of chrome except the engine cover on the rhs.

I'll be visiting the dealer when the bike gets back from NZ next week.

My Jap bike (Kawasaki ZRX1200s) is nearly 6 years old and there's bugger-all rust on it and I've never coated it with any rust inhibitor or even polished it.

[adrian74]

Hi, i sent you a pm.

[andypettitt62]

Heres a picture of my Bonny all kitted up for my ride from England to NZ this year.I am only waiting for a Metal Mule top box to arrive to complete it.Most bits of the bike, other than the engine have been modified.I bought the bike from Norman Hyde, who had it as a test bed and demonstrator for some of his products.It is sold as a Bonny GT, and most of the mods he'd made suited what I needed.It comes with a 5 gallon tank, urgraded front and rear shocks,better quality front brake (AP Racing),steering damper,front fork yolk,Givi screen,higher bars, better (louder) pipes giving a bit more power.Things I've done are,heated grips, Garmin 550 satnav,Acumen alarm and gear change indicator,voltmeter,sump guard,more comfortable seat,barkbusters,engine protector bars,mirror extenders,better air filter(able to be cleaned and reused on the road,Mk2 metal mules ( nice but expensive),inline fuel filter for when you but the petrol out of 44 gallon drums,louder horn.I have a spare DID chain and Renthal sprockets to replace the standard ones when they wear.I have a Autocom system fitted so I can listen to music on my satnav while I'm riding.I got a 2007 model as it still has carbs, which would be easier to service if they get dirt in.Its an easy bike to ride, isn't too heavy,gives me 250 on a tank of fuel, feels small for an 850cc, and I love it.I am going to Ireland in May for a test ride, and hope to catch the NW200.After that its over to the Isle of Man for the TT then ,off to Europe for the summer.I'll make my way slowly towards Turkey and then through to Iran for the autumn.

[Mike]

Fancy seeing you here, Andy.

All those mods, and the first thing I notice is the number plate. Retro!

--Mike

[Threewheelbonnie]

Five years ago I killed my F650 in Morocco. I flirted with a Yam XT then got a girlfriend . Needing a proper pillion seat I was torn between the Bonneville and an R80GS. The age and carb set up on the GS put me off so I got the Triumph to "GS-erise". I really think I made the right decision. It currently sports a Ural sidecar (got a dog AND fiance now !!) and with the right tyres will literally go anywhere. It is a real practical bike.

It's never failed to get me home, the only real hassle being water in the HT leads (fixed by stripping and greasing). It isn't built as well as some BMW's, but parts the parts that do rot (exhausts etc.) can be bought cheaply due to the number of people aiming for cafe racer looks.

If you want an R80 GS/ST/R type with say a 75/25 road/off-road split and don't want to get into classic territory I'd really reccomend them.

Andy

[andypettitt62]

Hi Mike, good to see you on the forum.I changed the number plate over because I didn't like the look of the yellow plate on my black and silver bike.I am not exactly sure how legal it is though, as only pre '73 bikes are allowed them.I haven't been stopped yet, and in a few months it wont matter.Also it looks less "British" which might have an advantage going through Iran.