Bonny Rival Kawasaki W800 is Real
- Thread starter Sal Paradise
- Start date
Sal Paradise
Hooligan
Thats actually the best motorcycle ad I've seen. That ad spoke to me. Reminds me of myself on the Bonny at about :41 seconds in where you can see the guy taking a line on a country road. Seriously, the thing that ad does so well is just show how great it is to have a bike. Not a hyped up repli racer , not a thumping unusable chopper, but an actual motorcycle that you use and is just cool and fun.
That bike seems a lot like my Bonny which is the next point - its not. I'd like to try one , but its probably just a watered down vesion of what I have. Looked like the guy was riding on the left side of the road too, how very Brit. Same thing with the cafe racer gear they were wearing- cool enough but not so goofy as to be a costume.
That bike seems a lot like my Bonny which is the next point - its not. I'd like to try one , but its probably just a watered down vesion of what I have. Looked like the guy was riding on the left side of the road too, how very Brit. Same thing with the cafe racer gear they were wearing- cool enough but not so goofy as to be a costume.
grumpy_1944
750cc
I will be surprised if K-saki brings the W-800 into the US. This has been tried before and sales were lackluster. A few examples:
Yamaha SR-500. Avery good bike, I bought one in 1978, rode it for 20 years and still have it. It's up for restoration now. Sold in US for 4-5 years and pulled of the American market. Last I heard, it is selling well in the Asian market as a 400cc.
Honda FT-500. another good road single. Imported for 3-4 years and pulled for lack of sales
Honda NT-650 Great bike, I wanted one but $$$$ was not available for one. Available in the US for 3-4 years and pulled from the American market.
Kawasaki W-650, sold in the US for 2-3 years and pulled for lackluster sales.
I'm sure there are some I missed.
The normal US rider wants Chrome, noise and cc's or plastic and insane speed and bikes of this type do not sell well enough to make it worthwhile to the coorporate bean counters.:mad2:
Yamaha SR-500. Avery good bike, I bought one in 1978, rode it for 20 years and still have it. It's up for restoration now. Sold in US for 4-5 years and pulled of the American market. Last I heard, it is selling well in the Asian market as a 400cc.
Honda FT-500. another good road single. Imported for 3-4 years and pulled for lack of sales
Honda NT-650 Great bike, I wanted one but $$$$ was not available for one. Available in the US for 3-4 years and pulled from the American market.
Kawasaki W-650, sold in the US for 2-3 years and pulled for lackluster sales.
I'm sure there are some I missed.
The normal US rider wants Chrome, noise and cc's or plastic and insane speed and bikes of this type do not sell well enough to make it worthwhile to the coorporate bean counters.:mad2:
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Sal Paradise
Hooligan
Grumpy you are right of course but maybe times change. I hope so. You probably know, but that SR-500 is worth something, they make an awesome cafe bike.
grumpy_1944
750cc
Amen!!!!!
Thread hi-jack: I wonder what I would be riding if Triumph hadn't made the Bonneville availabe here. Maybe a Duc GT, I don't know. What about the rest of the asylum inmates, any idea?
mark66
TT Racer
Got a Ducati 1000 GT sitting in the garage right now next to my Bonnie. It's my sons' and a great bike. We switched off on a ride yesterday and that Duc has a touchy throttle compared to my carbed Bonnie. He's leaving it here for the winter and maybe next summer so I'll have to keep it running, you know. Still love the Bonnie though, a little tamer if you catch my drift.
Sal Paradise
Hooligan
I'd have an old Bonny. I was in the process of buying one, found the actual bike I was goingto buy, and then my friend talked me out of that. He told me, correctly, that I wanted to put some real mileage on and needed a new bike.
Stars&Bars
Two Stroke
I have done the Jap bike thing and can honestly say that as far as new bikes go, I will never buy another Japanese bike as long as Europe and America are still building them.
That said, I would buy a used one to buld into something like a cafe racer.
I fully expect China to bring out it's own line of higher quality motorbikes but they most likely will be copies of someone else's machines.
Back in 1980 I bought a new XS 650 because I couldn't find anyone who sold Bonnevilles in Norfolk, VA. and it was a bike with the same styling cues as the Trumpet. Rode the damned thing for three years and had to replace stuff all the time that either shook off (4 license plates broke in half, exhaust pipes flew off at 60 mph, drive chains left me stranded) or wore out repeately(plastic swing arm bearings) but that was in the early 80's and I know alot of things have changed since then with the Japanese makes. Many used bikes later when I was ready to buy another new bike, that Triumph Bonneville was still eating on my brain and the desire to own one was still strong. I bought one of the first EFI models sold in South Carolina and have been extremely pleased with everything about it for my two years of ownership. If it were totaled out, God forbide, I would definately purchase another.
The Orientals may be able to copy Triumph and Harley but they can't duplicate the character of the originals and it's character that makes things memmorable.
Just my 2 cents, your view may differ and that's OK
That said, I would buy a used one to buld into something like a cafe racer.
I fully expect China to bring out it's own line of higher quality motorbikes but they most likely will be copies of someone else's machines.
Back in 1980 I bought a new XS 650 because I couldn't find anyone who sold Bonnevilles in Norfolk, VA. and it was a bike with the same styling cues as the Trumpet. Rode the damned thing for three years and had to replace stuff all the time that either shook off (4 license plates broke in half, exhaust pipes flew off at 60 mph, drive chains left me stranded) or wore out repeately(plastic swing arm bearings) but that was in the early 80's and I know alot of things have changed since then with the Japanese makes. Many used bikes later when I was ready to buy another new bike, that Triumph Bonneville was still eating on my brain and the desire to own one was still strong. I bought one of the first EFI models sold in South Carolina and have been extremely pleased with everything about it for my two years of ownership. If it were totaled out, God forbide, I would definately purchase another.
The Orientals may be able to copy Triumph and Harley but they can't duplicate the character of the originals and it's character that makes things memmorable.
Just my 2 cents, your view may differ and that's OK
Basically, in the UK, Jap bikes became popular because our British made bikes were becoming outdated and unreliable.
The Japanese refined and made reliable the motorcycle. UK bike makers were resting on their laurels and gradually the Japanese stole the show.
Today its different. Most makes are reliable and Triumph is no exception. So why have a 'copy' when you can have the real thing?
That said the W650 was a good motorcycle by all accounts, it looked good and was as ever, reliable.
Triumph are a natural retro maker and they do well with other bikes too (like the Street triple and Daytona etc.), but even though the Bonneville is an overweight lump...it still has charisma and isn't a Jap copy.
Casper
The Japanese refined and made reliable the motorcycle. UK bike makers were resting on their laurels and gradually the Japanese stole the show.
Today its different. Most makes are reliable and Triumph is no exception. So why have a 'copy' when you can have the real thing?
That said the W650 was a good motorcycle by all accounts, it looked good and was as ever, reliable.
Triumph are a natural retro maker and they do well with other bikes too (like the Street triple and Daytona etc.), but even though the Bonneville is an overweight lump...it still has charisma and isn't a Jap copy.
Casper
grumpy_1944
750cc
I understand that the Bonneville engine is 200+ lbs. Could it be the engine is over designed for reliability, HP, cc increases that Triumph expected owners to make and that is part of the reason for it being overweight.
I've heared of increases to over 1000 cc and supercharging or nitrous injections and the engine withstood the resulting extra pressures and stress and still maintain pretty good reliability. OK Triumph, how 'bout a 1000cc Bonnie, huh, huh, huh:huh:
My daughter bought a 600cc sport tourer last year which weighs more than my Bonnie
I remember when smaller bikes were lighter than their larger siblings.
KingBear
Hooligan
Notice in the video how they make no effort to capture the exhaust note of the bike? Instead all you hear is the passing whir of the motor. The sound is one of the key elements of the bike's appeal.
ick:
evil knievel
Scooter
wrrrr
Thats all I hear on my bonnie...wrrrrr.? My pipes are way to quiet to hear any key element.LOL
Notice in the video how they make no effort to capture the exhaust note of the bike? Instead all you hear is the passing whir of the motor. The sound is one of the key elements of the bike's appeal.
Thats all I hear on my bonnie...wrrrrr.? My pipes are way to quiet to hear any key element.LOL
dschief
750cc
Did you ever notice on the Moto GP onboard shots how really great the engines sound? No wind noise, which is amazing when you consider some of those bikes are touching 200mph on the longer straights.
Here's another review on the Bonneville v W800 debate...
http://www.motorcyclemonthly.co.uk/news/road-test-triumph-bonneville-and-kawasaki-w800-halcyon-days
http://www.motorcyclemonthly.co.uk/news/road-test-triumph-bonneville-and-kawasaki-w800-halcyon-days
Sal Paradise
Hooligan
I was just thinking that. I wonder why?