Two Motorbikes

I’ve had the Bonnie for a little over three weeks now, so as they say on the college essay questions it’s time contrast and compare. 

I must admit that I haven’t gone to the NT often, as the bloom isn’t off the Bonnie rose. However, last weekend I took it to New Hampshire to see the New England NT boys and put 772 miles on in the process. It handled like a dream because of the small front tire, minimal rake and trail. And because I kept the rpms up, it was a peppy as all get out. I packed light for the three day weekend, so light that one of the panniers remained empty for the entire trip. She cruised along at 80+ on the interstate and handled the mountain passes (Crawford and Pinkham Notches and the Kancamagus Highway) without any trouble. We had four NT’s together and they garnered in a lot of questions and interest. “What is this bike? Where did you get it?” Stuff like that. The fuel economy was impressive, one tank of gas yielded 63.3 mpg. Pretty impressive. She’s a great light sport tourer.

The Bonnie is a different story. The 865cc parallel twin engine generates more torque and more horsepower. If you want to go somewhere fast, twist the throttle and hang on tight. Bonnie likes to go fast and has awesome acceleration! At present she isn’t equipped for travel, no place to put stuff, and I’m going to keep her that way. Why duplicate efforts? The handling isn’t quite as quick because of the larger front wheel, but she still responds well and likes the twistys. She also generates interest, but in a different way. Comments about old Bonnies that geezers used to have. and stares from motorcycle aficionados. It has a certain “coolness” factor rather than a curiosity factor. Maybe it’s all the chrome. I’ve filled the tank few times. The 38 mpg on the first fill up was a major disappointment, but each tank full has generated better mileage culminating with a 45 mpg on the last refueling. Encouraging. A wonderful, general purpose British motorbike.

Different motorcycles for different purposes. For now, they’ll both remain in the stable. 

An unexpected turn of events

I was getting gas today in preparation for a weekend ride to New Hampshire with the NT boys (expect a ride review) and a fellow who claimed his name was James Bullard approached me to ask about my bike. Now since I acquired the Bonneville T-100 I have come to expect this. However I was on my Honda NT700V. 

He asked what it was and I told him. He said he’d never seen one before and I said that’s because they were the best kept secret in America. Though wildly popular in Europe under the name Deauville they are virtually unknown here. I explained that the owners are in large part very happy with them, but that Honda San never marketed it in the US to any degree. I told him about NT-Owners.org, where much useful information can be obtained. 

James raved about it and claimed it was just what he was looking for; lighter and easier to maneuver than a big cruiser, and that he was going to get one. I wish him the best of luck. Honda really dropped the ball on this one.

It started

I've been following some Triumph web forums as I've known for a while that I was going to get a Bonneville. Therefore I knew this was going to happen; older gentlemen approaching to complement me on the bike and tell me about the Bonneville they used to have.

Well it started Monday. I was stopped at a traffic light and heard someone repeatedly honking their horn. I turned to see what all the ruckus was about and the driver was giving me the thumbs up sign. How cool!

Then when stopped for gas, an older fellow approached and complimented me on the Bonnie. He proceeded to tell me about his Bonneville 750 which he sold because it went too fast. After racing his brother, who was driving a Corvette at the time, he knew he had to get rid of it or he would kill himself. Doing 120 mph made him feel like he was floating.

I'll keep you updated on my adventures.

Bonnie in the stable

For some time now I’ve been infatuated with the look and ride of the Triumph Bonneville motorbike. The ride came courtesy of Paul Blouin Performance of Augusta, Maine. Back in December, yes December, they let me take a Bonneville SE out for a spin. I let out the clutch, twisted the throttle and listened to that 865 cc parallel twin engine. I knew one was in my future. 

After Bangor Motor Sports and Triumph USA had a falling out, I looked to the Blouin website, pre-owed vehicles page even though you just don’t see late model Bonnevilles advertised anywhere. Seventh on the list was a 2011 Bonneville T-100 with only 804 miles on it. I called, made a few inquiries and based on that conversation I put down a $200 down payment.

I headed down to Augusta on May 2; the wife accompanied me. I had a great plan to negotiate a better price. We were going to play good cop, bad cop and she would be the bad cop, of course. We met up with Paul Fischer, the salesman with whom I dealt. He took us to the storage area downstairs from the showroom. There was the two tone, British racing green and white, T-100 with a SOLD tag on it. It wasn’t long until I had donned my riding gear and Paul had the Bonnie idling in neutral out front. I signed the appropriate paper work that included proof of my motorcycle endorsement, proof of insurance and a promise that I wouldn’t break any traffic laws during the test ride. Off I went on a ten mile test ride. I planned to return, and cite all the issues I had with the bike. However, the grin went from ear to ear. My negotiating position was compromised. We sat down to talk price and I rolled over like a trained seal. I folded like a deck chair on the Titanic.

As I was still under doctors orders not to ride motorcycles following the surgery, I opted to have them deliver the bike to my house. The plan was to get it to me Thursday May 3. Dang if they didn’t get it there until 4:37 PM. What a long day it was. I saw the surgeon on Friday and got the go ahead to ride. More to follow. 

Lastly, I didn’t intend to exceed the speed limit on the test ride. Honest!!   

Significant Changes: Installment 1

As the spring riding season gets underway there have been significant changes in our household. Alas the Suzuki Burgman 400 is no longer with us. Though a great ride, it was made somewhat obsolete last autumn when the Honda 600 VLX was added to the fold. The highway capabilities of the two are very similar. It was a thought that Burgie would make a good around town bike, but at 489 lbs (dry weight) my wife couldn't pick it up if dropped. Consequently she was hesitant to take it out on her own. So what is the point of an around town bike if you don't want to ride it around town? Luckily we found Burgie a good home in Orrington, ME. I'll have to check in soon with the new owner and she how she's doing.

The VLX is lighter, at 425 lbs, but there was still some doubt in her mind that it could be righted if dropped. What to do? After some perusing of the internet and local motorcycle dealerships we discovered the Honda PCX. I guess we were aware of it's existence but hadn't seen one in the flesh, so to speak, until very recently. With a 280 lbs curb weight it seemed like a good choice. We soon got over the 29.9 inch seat height. There was some debate about color, red or white. White was pretty much unavailable. Then the question was do we get the 2011 model that was in the showroom, or wait until the 2013 model appeared in July. The only significant change between the two is that the new model will jump from 125 to 153 cc, and an as yet unknown price difference. Well on April 20 the red PCX came home with us. Unfortunately I'm not supposed to riding right now, doctors orders, and the wife is a bit of a fair weather only rider. The outcome is that it's only been out for a few short rides. It's reputed to get 110 mpg and go up to 60 mph. Neither of these has been confirmed. However, so far so good. When more data has been collected a brief review will appear.