Triumph Bonneville Black reviews

I had not been on a street bike for 15 years before easing back onto the road with my new Bonneville. What a great way to get back out on the road. The handling is fantastic. The retro style is what really caught my eye. Triumph knows what they are doing cause now I am looking at a Speed Triple. Show less

Wanted to add a different kind of ride/feel to my 05 Bandit stable. I enjoy the smooth power and rock solid stability of the Bandit, but I wanted to add some variety to my riding experience. I looked around and read about and rode a BUNCH of bikes. I bought an 07 black and white T100 from the good folks at my local dealer. Since buying the bike I have made the following mods: air injection blocked, carbs jetted, Norman Hyde toga pipes, Ikon shocks and Ikon springs with 15 weight oil, center stand, Dart flyscreen, Thruxton gel seat, Alaska Leather sheepskin pad, and lever skins. Where the T100 comes from the UK sounding like a polite sewing machine with ultra lean carbs to meet their emissions standards, the Norman Hyde pipes and jetting really brings to life the holligan nature of the Bonnie. The suspension tweaks and Thruxton seat smooth out the ride for me on all types of road. I was warned that folks (young and old) would want to talk to me about the bike wherever I stopped. The warning was spot on. The deep-throated growl and retro look of the T100 are magnets to all age groups. If you are looking for a mid-foot control machine that has major personality, especially after the exhaust mods, I highly recommend any of the Bonnie models. (BTW, the insurance cost for the Bonnies is low.) If you like a bike with a lot of chrome on the engine and a beautiful two tone, hand painted tank, the T100 is the model for you. This is a stand-apart, distinctive motorcycle. Show less

I picked up my Black Bonny in February and have been on it every weekend. You can ride this bike all day with a smile on your face. I ride with a bunch of Harleys and every where we go it is the Triumph that gets the attention. Show less

Over the years I have had many different motorcycles, but my heart has always remained with Triumph. Although the early models were somewhat non oil retainers and not very reliable, Triumph has stepped up to the plate with the new Bonneville. It took a long time for me to decide to go back to a Bonneville, as I had ridden many thousand K's on my previous one in the hot Pilbara heat of Australia, and spent a lot of time repairing and rebuilding the old girl. Reluctant as I was, I dived in and purchased the 2006 model, and believe me, what a fantastic bike it is. If you want something that is a real bike to ride without all the modern technology that will make even a 17 year old look good, buy a japanese sports bike. But if you want a bike that feels like a motorcycle, rides like a motorcycle, and dosesn't cost a kings ransom to maintain, then this is the bike for you. The good lady and I go touring on the Trumpy, fully loaded saddle bags and tank bag, and guess what, it's the perfect bike for cruising through the southwest or doing long stints at a time just soaking up the scenery. If you want to go a heck of a lot faster, book a plane ticket. For me, I will stay with Triumph's Bonneville until I am unable to ride. Show less

It takes its origins to one of the most beautiful bikes of all time, the '60s Bonneville, and it gets it all right except for reliability - unlike its ancestors, the new Bonneville seems rock solid in terms of reliability. The Bonneville was the only sensible choice for me, as I was looking for a do-everything bike, and the biz has become so specialized that it's hard to find. In my experience, the Bonneville is a capable daily commuter, a good weekend cruiser, a perfectly fine cruiser, and plenty of fun cutting through the twisties. Sure, you can find another bike that does any one of these things much better - it won't compete with a GSX-R in the twisties, it won't compete with a Goldwing on long trips, and it's not as agile as a scooter in town - but it does all of these tasks, and it does all of them WELL. With realistic expectations, this bike is amply powerful - on a recent trip to Chicago, the speedo was pointing in the triple digits with plenty left to give, while hauling me, two fully-loaded saddlebags and a roll bag. The only complaint I have is that the stock seat encourages you to get off the bike every couple hours - which works out almost perfectly with the 160-mile fuel range I'm seeing, so it's not really a major detriment. I think for serious touring duty I'd want a Corbin Gunfighter and Lady seat. The bike NEEDS the center stand, and it's annoying that Triumph sells it as an extra when it should be standard equipment. Show less

I bought my Scrambler after my KLR started leaking oil after 125,000 km or about 75,000 mi. I had just returned from a trip to Ushuaia. I presently have 36,600 km or about 25,000 mi on my Scrambler. I live in British Columbia, Canada. The bike slept outside all winter with a small heater under the bike cover. I installed a sidecar to keep from falling over on ice and snow. I rode the bike across the continent, from Kimberley BC to Washington State, to San Francisco, then to Charleston SC and back in January 2007. The bike has withstood minus 20 degree Celcius or about minus 10 F and 300-400 mile days in this weather. What more can one reasonably ask? The Himalayas next! One year old and never ridden in summer months because of my job. Show less

Hi Riders, I have to tell you, the new Triumphs are great. 300 mile days are no problem. Fun on dirt roads. Easy to ride. I have two BMWs and love them but the new Bonnie is the first bike I pull out to ride. Currently looking into getting a Scrambler. I have done some things to the Bonnie. Different, flat track style bars. Triumph off road pipes, rejet and remove the air injectors. I put on a Lucus style tail light. The instructions said to relocate the turn signals...so I did. Both front and rear sets are now relocated to a box in the shed. I added Konis to the back. Progeressive springs up front with a Race Tech fork kit. When I get the Scrambler, I will do the same mods I have done here with the exception of the shocks. I will go with Olins to get a better off road shock. I have worn out the stock tyres so I need to replace them. that's it. Great bike. Great fun. Lots of looks and comments. And it may be just the easiest bike to ride. Show less

I found my bike adverised in Queensland and the price seemed good at so I took a flight up there from Sydney and rode it back the 900k trip (it had 8000k on the clock). Took about 10 hours and rained for the last hour but no probs whatsoever except my physical discomfort. My 3 bikes prior to this were all Bonnevilles an '84, a '85, and last, a '79. So the electric start alone is like heaven! I get people at traffic lights and just about everywhere asking me about the bike, I think it looks fantastic and is comfortable. I don't like the lack of noise but I know that can be fixed when I want with sports mufflers. It's all good quality chrome and fittings. I don't have a garage so occasionally it gets rained on with no cover and no signs of rust yet although the black paint on the bolt heads for the handlebar clamp polished off! Agree with the fact that an extra gear may be good but changing the rear sprocket size could be an alternative? I don't particularly like the ignition switch position and I can't seem to tighten the mirrors anymore so they swing in a bit at speed. Would also like to be able to easily swing the seat up and have a small tool section as on older Triumphs. Anyway I got to go and have another look at it! Planning to do a photoshoot of it with a model next week so if you wanna see some pics let me know. Show less

I'm a 57 year old man returning from my first Bike Week in Daytona Beach. After seeing the new 2007 Bonneville T100 there, I went directly to my local dealer and took delivery of a red and black T100 on my birthday on St. Patrick's day. Lucky boy indeed! My last Bonnie was a 1970 model which I bought in the Navy overseas for $979 and rode in Detroit before I was forced to sell before moving to California. I cried the day I sold it. Have ridden Hondas since but there has been nothing like the Bonnie... until now. When I got on, it was like a 40 year flashback. You CAN go home! The folks at the dealership are top-notch. Show less

After 30-plus years without a bike, I chose the Bonneville because I had one as a as a teenager and loved it. The tangerine and opal white was similar to the one I had way back then. I bought the bike sight unseen after considering the Speedy and the America. When I picked it up, I knew I had made the right choice as I prefer the upright seating position and the extra punch of the 360 degree crank. After two victory laps around the dealership parking lot, I felt so comfortable that I made the 90-mile trip home without a stop. The first time I twisted the throttle, I knew it had enough pucker factor for my 55 years. Pucker factor is still effective after over 5K miles of getting used to it, and the bike will kick a Harley Sportster to the curb. Much to its credit, this bike is lighter than the basic cruiser, very stable, and handles well in any kind of traffic from 30 mph stop-and-go to 80 mph on the interstate surrounded by 18-wheelers. I have had two 400-miles plus days with no discomfort. I have had no mechanical problems, period. As far as the above ratings go, comfort level becomes a five with the addition of a King and Queen seat from Triumph. I also added the Triumph high-back sissy bar, which is not untastefully high. Quality also becomes a five with the changing of the headlamp to a sealed beam. The extreme angle differential between low and high beam of the factory lamp does not provide safe, adequate lighting for both settings. A brighter bulb did not solve this problem. I am surprised this setup passed DOT muster. I just love this bike, and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a sound, reliable, comfortable motorcycle; especially the Baby Boomer who always wanted a Triumph. Show less