Why do I like this motorcycle so much?
I had to make a picture of the two of us to figure it out. Image. Part of the fascination with the Triumph Bonneville is the way it looks and the way I think I look with it. Let’s say it allows me to pretend a part of me is like some of my boyhood heros on motorcycles. In an alley in downtown State College, Pennsylvania I found a location that reminded me of the urban landscapes that I pictured the Triumph. That’s about as rough as it gets here. The back door of the Eddie Bauer store. But that is only part of the fascination with the motorcycle. There is a lot more to it than image and myth.
An early morning ride through familiar terrain gave me a chance to compare solitary riding on the Triumph Bonneville to the experience on my Vespa. My intent on the scooter is an unfolding of tension and disposal of noise gathered in my head through the week, an ongoing meditation on two wheels and I was anxious to determine whether I could achieve the same thing on the Triumph. Despite it’s ability to charge down the road it was perfectly able to deliver a relaxed journey, a simple flight along these rural roads. Turning off the road onto a farm lane just to admire the morning light may not be typical Triumph riding fare but in a hectic world it is nothing short of magical. For me. Thundering down the road can wait until another day.
Final thoughts on the Triumph Bonneville. I want one. It’s simple, elegant construction embraces my desire for a simpler life. The classic lines and design trigger the same motorcycle wanderlust now that I felt as a teenager wishing I owned something like this. On the road it handled flawlessly and never left me feeling unsure or unsafe. While it’s power is seductive and speed deceptive a bit of mental adjustment on my part as a rider made this motorcycle mine to command.
Did I say I want one?
I returned the bike to Kissell Motorsports and I have to admit the childish part of my brain kept imagining Craig Kissell saying, “Aww heck, just keep it a while longer…” But there are more motorcycles to experiment with and so little time…
I know how you feel, Steve. There’s something about the Bonneville. When motorcycle enthusiasts see it, it’s the same feeling that scooterists feel when we see the Vespa or shutterbugs feel when we see a Leica. It is iconic.
As much as I enjoyed reading about your adventures with the Bonneville, I can’t wait to read what you pick up next. Maybe a Kawasaki Versys?
I too enjoy your write up on the Bonneville which also on my short list…very nice, simple air cool motor with Fuel injection; not an overload of too much bike, easy to maneuver, comfortable speeds without any sacrifice on comfort; I say get one and add her next to your Vespa.
May you keep on motoring with two bikes. 🙂
Phil
The energy that I waisted on yearning for a bike was exhausting. I found myself pondering the notion of a new bike and thought of little else. This is when I decided to bite the bullet and buy a bike. Since then I have been able to clear my head to contemplate important things such as ice cream!
Keith: You are exactly right in your comparisons. I have a Vespa, a Leica, now all I need to do is complete the collection.
I am going to go with the Kawasaki KLR 650 next. It has long been my idea of a completely utilitarian machine for the kind of exploring I like to do. I have no idea how it will compare to the Vespa or the Triumph and am anxious to find out. As far as the Versys goes… I’ve seen them but had not considered taking one out. So many other things ahead in my head.
Pvino: I definitely see wisdom in having two machines in the garage. You never know when a friend drops by and wants to go for a ride, or when one is in the shop being inspected.
It’s on my short list.
Rob: I have certainly wasted energy on yearning for things but thankfully motorcycles and scooters haven’t been too bad. Cameras, well, at times that has been terrible.
I concentrate often on ice cream. Twice today. Perhaps a third time before bed!
While my original plan was to get seat time on my Vespa ET4 in preparation for a transition to an R-Series BMW, I must admit seeing a new Bonneville makes me go “hmmm.”
The Kawasaki Versys is interesting because it goes out the door (in Seattle, anyway) for about the same price as a Vespa GTS sans accessories…
__Orin
Scootin’ Old Skool
Orin: So many choices. You bring up the Versys too. I guess I will need to take a look and see what’s up with those. I guess I should admit that the name leaves me cold. I do judge books by their cover I guess.
It will be hard to top how I feel about the Triumph. Unless I am shallow and will become infatuated with whatever bike is in front of me….
I rode a Vespa LX150 for a while, and that’s how I came across your amazing website. Then I found myself looking at motorcycles more and more, and I decided to bite the bullet.
At the age of 41 I bought a Moto Guzzi V7 Classic, a similar machine to the Triumph, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. It has Italian character by the spadeful, and beautiful build quality.
I highly recommend buying a motorcycle. It adds a whole new dimension to the familiar pleasures of riding.
Dear Steve:
I would like to play the devil’s advocate for a bit. How do you really feel about the seven spoke cast wheels on the Triumph? I find them somewhat incongruous with the virtually perfect, overall look of the bike. The Bonneville demands traditionally spoked wheels, in my estimation. Are they available as an option?
BMW has raised the art of ugly cast wheels to a science. It took a while for me to get beyond these as another distraction on the now vintage K75, which is an acquired taste in the first place. I have come to love the German three-spoke cast wheels, whicvh are one of the bike’s vfew inherent weaknesses.
You portray the scooter as a tool of meditation. I suspect the Vespa carries you along as you rearrange your thoughts. Don’t you think the Bonneville would end up telling you what to think?
It would always start out as a suggestion, at first. Just like the action of a lover taking you “upstairs” to a candle-lit room is a suggestion.
Did the Triumph you rode come with a tach? I understand they offer a model without one. To me, the instrument cluster on the Triumph should always be black, and it should always include a tach. A motorcycle without a tach is like a woman without mystique.
I knew a guy who rode a Triumph without a tach. He was aware that there was something missing from his life… But it took him a while to find out what it was.
I am willing to bet that you will be delighted by a few other machines… You will appreciate their mechanical efficiency… You’ll be amazed at their different approaches to power. But ask yourself this question, how would James Dean and Steve McQueen feel about them? The reason I ask, is that the “James Dean” tint is clearly evident in the first picture of this blog episode.
And if I may be so rude as to suggest something to another of your readers here, I’d like to tell Orin there are two R-Bikes from the 70’s, in near flawless condition, on Craigslist in the Philly area. In my estimation, only these BMW models challenge the Bonneville for looks. Yet 40-year-old bikes will never match new engine technology.
Fondest regaerds,
Jack “reep” Toad
Twisted Roads
Steve, I am very afraid to test drive anything else just because I fear I will catch the fever. I love my scooter but sometimes dream of a more touring type of machine. I definately have the Bonnie on my ‘fever’ list. In spite of what Jack says, I like those wheels. Spokes can be a real pain in the butt and I guess I am not that old fashioned to like them better.
I like spoke wheels as well and find them carefree.. With a few modification on the Bonneville..engine guard, change of tires, exhaust lift, and firmer shocks.. you have an essential dual purpose machine just like the scrambler.
Ride safe
Phil
Glad to hear you had a fun time on the Bonnie. When I wanted to move away from my Ninja 650R to something else with a little more classic feel, and a little more relaxed ride, the Bonnie and the Guzzi new V7 Classic were ones that I was considering. Eventually decided I wanted to try out a lower riding style and went with a Kawi Vulcan 500, which in many ways is similar to a Bonnie, just with a cruise-ier spirit and style. (Looked at the Triumph Speedy but it seemed a little too bulky for me. The Vulcan is a smaller bike.)
I also use a Yamaha XT250 dual sport for when I want to explore some of the unimproved or less-improved roads. Similar to what you might find fun in the KLR650. The KLR is just a little big for me for that kind of riding. The XT250 is more like the Kawi Super Sherpa, and is great fun with 250 cc’s just like your GTS 250 (or my GT200).
Looking forward to hearing what you think of the Dual Sport type of ride next.
-tochaman (from MV)
Chris: The Moto Guzzi V7 Classic is a great looking motorcycle. The classic cafe style machines are something I could really go for. Before I bought my LX150 and was thinking motorcycles I used to sit on a new Moto Guzzi Breva 750, a red one, imagining that as my ride. Then I would wander over to the Bonneville and do the same thing.
Amazing I went out the door with the LX150!
I agree with your recommendation on adding a motorcycle to the riding fleet by the way. You’re not the one I need to convince though!
Jack: I’m not sure if the straight Bonneville or the Bonneville SE comes with anything but the cast wheels. You would need to upgrade to the Bonneville T100 for that. And to get a tachometer.
The spoked wheels on the Triumph looked fine to me but I have a somewhat eclectic taste maybe. And as far as a tach goes I noticed it didn’t have one but I always shifted by ear as a kid. Bad habit maybe?
As far as no tach being like a woman without mystique…. I’m not sure I agree. I would liken it more to a woman without jewelry. Who cares…
I do agree though that the Triumph might lead somewhere that is not my idea. I see it as a big dog that needs some obedience training to teach it to sit, heel, and come when called. And like most obedience training issues it’s all about the owner and not the dog.
I definitely would have to be careful not to let the machine get the better of good sense. Maybe the inherent risk in two wheeled machines that can go fast….
As far as the James Dean tint goes I am shopping for cigarettes.
cpa3485: The fever is easy to catch and I am not sure what the best therapy is for it. I’ll let you know how I deal with it.
Pvino: The Scrambler is a nice looking machine too and I am anxious to try one out. It’s heavy though and I wonder about it’s dual sport capabilities. Though I guess it isn’t as heavy as a BMW 1200 GS Adventure!
tochaman: I’ve seen the Vulcan 500s and they have a more pronounced cruiser style that the Triumph Bonneville. Much more in line with Triumph America.
I’ve rider cruisers and so far have not completely warmed to the feet forward riding position. But perhaps if I rode one more that would change.
The Yamaha 250XT is a great bike. It reminds me of the Yamaha XT225 Serow that Lois Pryce rode on her Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego ride.
It’s raining right now but I do plan to pick up the KLR today. Hopefully the rain will fade by the end of the day.
I kinda felt the same way about cruiser style “forward controls” too. Sometimes, depending on the bike, forward controls would stretch me out too far in the legs. Other times a bike would stretch me out in the arms. I went with the smallest Vulcan for now because it didn’t seem to create those issues for me at my particular body size.
One thing I remember about the standard peg/controls on the Bonnie and the V7 were that they seems to interfere with my ankles when I put my feet down. I had to consciously keep avoiding them. That isn’t an issue with the forward style and is one benefit of those for me.
I like the feet position that my GT floorboards give me and I found I can kinda come close to that with some floorboards on my Vulcan instead of the standard round pegs. I found some “mini” floorboards that fit and allow some variation in the foot positioning beyond just standard round pegs. It makes a pretty big difference to me in how the forward controls now feel. I got used to the forward shift lever and brake pretty quickly, it was the actual feet postion while riding that was what I had to work on most.
Hoping for a dry day soon for you so you can check out the KLR. But, as a kind of “adventure” type bike, going for it in the rain may be just part of that particular riding experience.
Looking forward to your next pics on it.
Steve:
I found your article on the official Triumph website
http://www.triumphmotorcycles.com/usa/News_11425.aspx
can’t wait for your KLR review. I like them but they are too tall for me. The Versys fits perfectly
bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
I am glad you have discovered first hand that a motorcycle, the right one, can indeed approximate, perhaps even match, the scooter in head decongesting, that need to clear one’s brain of the week’s debris. For me, I think it’s being able to get out there early that is most important, something about entering the day early before the critics, muse, and other junk wakes up and begins to weigh me down and become hefty by day’s end. IMHO.
Steve,
The subtle rebel…where you’re standing, you are blocking out the NO part of Positively No Parking.
I’ll have to go back to the photo again and see if you have a semi hidden finger there also.
Tim
tochaman: I had the same issue with the Triumph pegs when I first got on it. I was used to the Vespa foot set up with nothing in the way when I put my feet down. I adjusted pretty quickly though with putting my feet down. It’s just something you learn when you get on a new machine.
My bigger concerns about foot position is that I want the feeling that if I need to move quickly I can. The sort of laid back feet out position on the cruisers doesn’t inspire any confidence in me. I suppose I could learn to ignore it but I’m not sure I want to.
I like being able to stand up on the pegs when I need to or pull up some weight from the front tire to get over that stray 4×4 post on the road or a gigantic dead groundhog I didn’t notice until the last minute. Certainly not common but it does inform my thinking about this stuff. Probably irrational on my part…
bobskoot: Someone sent me the link to the Triumph news piece. It looked pretty nice. Always nice to get a little recognition for something you love doing.
Sojourner rides: I’m finding out first hand what I already suspected — a motorcycle will do just about whatever I could do with the Vespa with two possible exceptions — riding in snow and maneuverability.
I don’t seek snow out but since I ride through the winter I just get caught in it. I wouldn’t want to be on something as heavy as the Triumph in the slippery stuff. I like knowing I am strong enough to manhandle the Vespa around and keep it off the pavement by strength alone.
The other is that I suspect there will be nothing as simple to maneuver around for pictures than a scooter. I stop a lot and I mean a lot. Turning the Vespa around, parking, opening the seat and grabbing the camera for a picture is a lesson in simplicity. A motorcycle never will be. I just need to gauge my tolerance for the process involved with a Triumph or other motorcycle.
Sometimes I don’t think I ride but instead I am out taking pictures. I just happen to get there on a motorcycle or scooter.
Maybe I need to leave the camera and notebook and home and just go for a ride!
I totally agree with what you said about the “ease” that the scoot allows you to go about shooting pics, much more so than while out on the MC! When I’m on the scoot, it seems like I’m more inclined to interact (stop, shoot pics, explore other paths, etc) with the locales I’m riding thru. When I’m out on my MC, I’m enjoying seeing those locales as I ride thru them, but my interaction is more with the bike itself and with the activity of the ride. Different pleasures for different moods I guess.
And about the “standing on the pegs thing”, you are totally rational! I haven’t found a good way around that yet when riding the cruiser. It is much easier raise up to negotiate bumps and stuff on the scoot or on standard peg. I actually have to compromise and kind of “pull” on the bars a little, to raise my rear off the seat to help going over bumps. Maybe there is a better technique, but I haven’t found it yet.
Yes, leave the camera and notebook at home and let your focus be just on the ride for a try. But please do that in moderation, because we all still want to enjoy the pics you bring back from your rides, so we don’t want to encourge you to become a “rider only” too much!