Hinckley Bonnevilles

A good friend has sold his Vincent Twin and at 74 thinks he will purchase a new motorcycle. For several years he has also owned a mid 90s Yamaha TDM, which is a fine but top heavy motorcycle. With loaded tank bag in place, it has fallen over four times on him, last time dislocating his shoulder and breaking a rib.six months to recover from that. He never had such problems with the Vincent because it is lighter than the TDM and, more importantly, carries it's weight low.
He has tried out a borrowed Kawasaki 650 Versys and did OK with that on couple of trips so he was leaning (pun) that way with this new purchase.
I'm concerned that the Versus is also a heavy tall bike and his upper body strength is not going to increase over the next few years. Also, both the Yamaha and the Versys are homely bikes, they both have that jet-ski look that so many modern bikes have.
The height is due to the extra suspension used to make owners of these machines feel they can be used as dirt bikes. Anyone who has ridden a real 220 lb dirt bike with proper suspension knows that 550 lb 4 foot tall motorcycles are not dirt bikes, but hell, they sell well!
In NY case my friend is allergic to riding on gravel never mind flying down a single track on a mountainside, so he does not need or want dirt riding capability in his motorcycle.
I suggested he look at the Triumph Bonneville, specifically the T100 as it has spoke wheels and a higher general level of finish, plus a very comfortable seat. With 68 HP it has plenty of power and speed for the road, and what a sweet looking little bike it is! It also carries it's weight low like the old bikes we love.
We had a close look at one today and will go back to the dealer for a test ride Saturday, if the roads are dry.
I don't think there is another bike out there to compare to it, Triumph seems to have created their own category with this bike, which is still their best seller despite all of the success of their Daytonas and Speed Triples etc.

Glen

Glen, the Bonnie is a great bike, my Dad has one and loves it.

One thing to check out when your mate is test riding though, they are surprisingly heavy, yes the weight is low down, but still heavy.

If he's happy with the weight then its a no-brainer as everything else about it is fine.

Nigel, I'm reading that they are around 490 full of fuel, does this sound correct? I find that posted weights are a lot of fibbery such that it is really difficult to ascertain true machine weights from road tests etc. Lazy journalists just use the data given by manufacturers and it is rarely accurate.
For example, a friend who rides a giant BMW 1200RT proudly told me it weighs just 505 pounds dry. In disbelief, I checked and sure enough the 505 figure is an official dry weight number put out by BMW.
I also found a Michigan State Police test of the same bike full of fuel but without any Police equipments. That figure was 679 pounds which is around what I would have guessed after riding the bike. I can imagine how they stripped 172 pounds off the bike to get the dry number. Perhaps they removed the battery and the ENGINE!

Has your Dad weighed his bike?

Glen

Hi Glen

Your old mate won't have any problems with the Bonnie, yes they are heavy but they feel light to ride, I have a 2013 Thruxton and just love it, I have done over 25,000 on it since I brought it new with no problems at all, I am a bit younger at 57 but it feels so nice to ride, I have done a few upgrades to the front and rear suspenstion and the bike handles pretty good, has enough power to get in trouble and they are very reliable, my mate has just done over 100,000 on his 06 Bonnie and he flogs the shit out of it even when he brought it new, takes it to the drag strip as well and he has never done anything to it except the maintenance.

Ashley

The Bonnie is as it always was, a perfect all-around bike with looks, power, handling and great value for the price.

It isn't the best at EVERYTHING, but it is better than many others at several things.

It's "peers" are (more or less) the Kawasaki W650 (no longer available?), Moto Guzzi V7, Ducati Monster 900, for the most part. (Maybe add Honda Nighthawk?)

Anyone that believes a modern Royal Enfield Bullet is anywhere NEAR the same class as a Bonneville is deluded (to put it kindly); the only SIMILARITY is that it is a throwback LOOK with decidedly THROW back power.

Very nice used Bonnies are some of the best bargains on the market. Typically they have tasteful mods to suspension & brakes, plus add-on goodies. Right now is a great time to buy, as many folks that are tired of having to store their bikes for the winter, sell them off when the thermometer begins to dip.

Your friend may also want to check out the new Ducati Scrambler classic rather than the Monster.

DON'T GET ONE YET.

The new Bonneville model will be announced this week.

http://www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk/Bonneville-Event

worntorn said:

Nigel, I'm reading that they are around 490 full of fuel, does this sound correct? I find that posted weights are a lot of fibbery such that it is really difficult to ascertain true machine weights from road tests etc. Lazy journalists just use the data given by manufacturers and it is rarely accurate.
For example, a friend who rides a giant BMW 1200RT proudly told me it weighs just 505 pounds dry. In disbelief, I checked and sure enough the 505 figure is an official dry weight number put out by BMW.
I also found a Michigan State Police test of the same bike full of fuel but without any Police equipments. That figure was 679 pounds which is around what I would have guessed after riding the bike. I can imagine how they stripped 172 pounds off the bike to get the dry number. Perhaps they removed the battery and the ENGINE!

Has your Dad weighed his bike?

Glen

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Hi Glen,

No, we've never weighed the Bonnie, just going on perception.

When he first got it, I had a T160 which were not considered lightweights in their day. Admittedly (and naturally) mine was not standard, I had removed the electric start bits etc. nevertheless, we were both quite surprised that the T160 felt noticeably lighter than the Bonnie when pushing it in and out of the garage etc.

But overall they are still great bikes in my opinion. As previously posted, a new Bonnie is being launched shortly, but that's only gonna be of interest if your mate needs / wants the extra oomph of the new (rumoured to be) 1100cc motor. But with its bigger engine, bigger silencers, cats, and water cooling, I doubt it will be lighter than the current model.

We saw the announcement date and thought it best to wait, however the existing bike with 68 bhp and good torque has plenty of power for my friend's needs. I saw a dyno chart of a stock Bonneville showing 60.5 rear wheel HP which is more than any stock Commando, in fact it would take a fair bit of modification to get 60.5 rwhp from our Commandos.
I can't recall, is your Commando somewhere around that figure Nigel? How does your Dad's bike compare in performance to your hopped up Norton ?
So although he will wait for the new model, my friend will likely buy the older model, but hopefully at reduced price once the new model is here.
There are no deals on used Bonnevilles here. I have found two for sale locally, both low miles but with higher asking prices than for a new unsold 2014, of which there are a couple to be had.

Glen

worntorn said:

We saw the announcement date and thought it best to wait, however the existing bike with 68 bhp and good torque has plenty of power for my friend's needs. I saw a dyno chart of a stock Bonneville showing 60.5 rear wheel HP which is more than any stock Commando, in fact it would take a fair bit of modification to get 60.5 rwhp from our Commandos.
I can't recall, is your Commando somewhere around that figure Nigel? How does your Dad's bike compare in performance to your hopped up Norton ?
So although he will wait for the new model, my friend will likely buy the older model, but hopefully at reduced price once the new model is here.
There are no deals on used Bonnevilles here. I have found two for sale locally, both low miles but with higher asking prices than for a new unsold 2014, of which there are a couple to be had.

Glen

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Good point ref the RWHP Glen.

I've never drag raced my Dad, he's not really cut out for that! But riding them back to back, the Norton feels faster. Due to the difference in weight I guess.

But I know which one will require more wrenching, and $ ...!

My Bonnie feels massive compared to the Norton. HP numbers don't mean much with the extra weight.

I hope the new bike sheds some weight. The cast iron frame needs to go first.

Only one more sleep and we find out!

Glen

worntorn said:

We saw the announcement date and thought it best to wait, however the existing bike with 68 bhp and good torque has plenty of power for my friend's needs. I saw a dyno chart of a stock Bonneville showing 60.5 rear wheel HP which is more than any stock Commando, in fact it would take a fair bit of modification to get 60.5 rwhp from our Commandos.
I can't recall, is your Commando somewhere around that figure Nigel? How does your Dad's bike compare in performance to your hopped up Norton ?
So although he will wait for the new model, my friend will likely buy the older model, but hopefully at reduced price once the new model is here.
There are no deals on used Bonnevilles here. I have found two for sale locally, both low miles but with higher asking prices than for a new unsold 2014, of which there are a couple to be had.

Glen

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Even if the existing bike is a better fit, waiting a bit should mean he gets a better price on it after the announcement.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/10/27/20 ... SOC&dom=tw



Yeah, so if he wants a bike mine's for sale...

Not good news for Norton.
Considerably more power than the 961, fantastic looks and, if it's anything like Triumph's other watercooled engines, bulletproof and smooth.
I expect the prices will still be reasonable in comparison to the Norton. The Thruxton r is doin it for me.

Glen

worntorn said:

Not good news for Norton.
Considerably more power than the 961, fantastic looks and, if it's anything like Triumph's other watercooled engines, bulletproof and smooth.
I expect the prices will still be reasonable in comparison to the Norton. The Thruxton r is doin it for me.

Glen

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Me too Glen. I'm very impressed and very interested. Will be hassling my local dealer as to when they'll have some to look at and test ride.

The engine approach is interesting, the T120 has a lower CR and heavier crank for the 'high torque' motor, the Thruxton's have a lighter crank and raised CR for me power and 'revier' delivery.

I'll be wanting to test both and see what they're like

I will be taking a look at the Triumphs at the show on Thursday. Triumph seem to be being very coy about BHP figures and weights, so it is very unlikely to be any lighter that the older model, which is a pity because just playing with one at the local dealers, it seemed to be a bit of a heavy lump, it might well lighten up when being used but it's the pushing around garage/ campsites etc etc that is getting more difficult.

chasbmw said:

I will be taking a look at the Triumphs at the show on Thursday. Triumph seem to be being very coy about BHP figures and weights, so it is very unlikely to be any lighter that the older model, which is a pity because just playing with one at the local dealers, it seemed to be a bit of a heavy lump, it might well lighten up when being used but it's the pushing around garage/ campsites etc etc that is getting more difficult.

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Might see you there!

chasbmw said:

I will be taking a look at the Triumphs at the show on Thursday. Triumph seem to be being very coy about BHP figures and weights, so it is very unlikely to be any lighter that the older model, which is a pity because just playing with one at the local dealers, it seemed to be a bit of a heavy lump, it might well lighten up when being used but it's the pushing around garage/ campsites etc etc that is getting more difficult.

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You push your bike around the garage/campsite??? what is the motor for then, anyway I have no troubles pushing my Thruxton around when need to, they are heavier than the Norton but once they are going the extra weight is no problem at all, you don't even feel it, I push my Thruxton pretty hard and alway to the limits when I ride with my mates (they all have sports bikes from BMWs, Ducs and jappers) it might not be as quick but they do have troubles losing me and its plenty quick enough for me, but I do like the new 1200 Thruxton's R, be very intresting to see one and maybe take one for a test ride when they get to my nearest dealer, but i am happy with what I got now.

Ashley

I weighed my 2006 T100 when I first purchased. 478 lbs with half tank of fuel. I then removed the AI stuff, replaced silencers with Staintunes, and Hagon shocks, and then re-weighed – 465 lbs. It’s tough to get the lard out of these new Bonnies.

The Hinckley Bonnies do carry their heft lower than the typical 4 Cyl bikes, but the 865 does require technique to get back vertical If you drop it. Not like a 750/850 Norton, which I can and have strong armed back up after an incident.

The Mag wheel Bonnies are about 15lbs lighter than other models due to the cast wheels, which are 17”. The wheels improve the bikes handling, and provide a better selection of available tires.

The bike is trouble-free and would be perfect for an older gentleman.