any triumph bonnie owners?

[Naturebeast]

gday ive looked at a 74 triumph bonnie, and the gear lever is on the right hand side!......is that stock standard 4 which models and when did they switch to the left?...just need to work out which year i wanna focus on finding etc

[Dodger]

Later models had left hand shift and 5 speeds .
5 speed gearboxes are unnecessary ,the bike has enough torque to pull 4 speeds and top gear is the same ratio anyway [if I recall correctly] .
IMHO right hand gearchange is preferable ,simpler because there are no cross shafts and it's more natural to use a right hand gearchange .
I wouldn't worry about the year of the bike ,just pick a good one in first class condition .
Later Bonnies are cheaper because they are less collectable ,the most expensive and desirable ones are the "67 to "70 models .

Don't discount BSA and Nortons they are excellent bikes and BSAs seem to be a bargain right now .

You will have to do more maintenance on Bonnies than modern bikes , but if you keep up the effort they will be just as reliable .

[oldbmw]

They ( and everybody else except Enfield) changed in 1976 to meet Californian legislation. I was not riding then and it came as bit of a shock to find the levers wrong way round when I restarted. Seems I now have to ride dangerously in the UK and EEC in order to comply with foreign 'safety ' legislation. In all probability I will end up riding an Enfield because of it, at least that would be a major consideration. It is the ONLY reason why I did not buy a new triumph twin.

[GeoffE]

Originally Posted by Naturebeast

gday ive looked at a 74 triumph bonnie, and the gear lever is on the right hand side!......is that stock standard 4 which models and when did they switch to the left?...just need to work out which year i wanna focus on finding etc

Hi,
The last with a right-hand gear lever was produced in the factory during June 1975.
Ciao,
Geoff

This link may be of interest? T140.com - Triumph Bonneville History