Anyone taken a long road trip on their Bonnie

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RatFink09

moped
Bought my '09 T-100 new; currently pushing 45K miles. I'm a little taller and heavier and biased towards the '60s looks (i.e., wire wheels). Have done 2 trips of over 2500 miles/10 days. Any voyage over a weekend I'd recommend saddlebags and a windshield, especially if you're coming from a Harley history. I'm over 60, can easily keep up with any Harley group I've ridden with, and love a good, twisty road. My dealer is 50+ miles away and I have no regrets about my choice whatsoever.
 
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strokerlmt

Moderator
drlapo said:
what did you do to your T100 to get it under 400lbs?
I would love to drop 100#+ from my Thruxton
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The bike is finished and running like a champ but this picture shows the weight modifications. *chopped carbon fiber front fender/no shrouds *billet aluminum triple trees * the wiring harness is 33% smaller than stock/some plugs are hard wired/all the plastic stock wiring harness cover replaced with heat shrink. *gone stock mirrors, bars and handles * Norman Hyde aluminum tank *NO air box *stock battery, and bat box gone *small ballistic battery *all stock lighting gone *custom bobbed rear fender aluminum * frame…I ground off all the under seat plates, rear peg wish bones, grd off all stock welder bits and bigger over welds on the frame, sand blaster e painted, *gone are stock sprockets, rotors, chain, red reflectors, license plate holder, seat, …….can't think of everything…..I used to have alloy wheels and aluminum swing arm and I could pick the bike up with 2 fingers :loll:
LMT
PS single exhaust system…….this weekend I am putting on my Bill Gates alu headers and single super trap muff…..chopped chain guard…D9 jewelry….stock rear shocks (which are heavy and poor IMHO) gone, using Works….stock oil cooler/lines gone..replaced with Bill Gates billet aluminum/custom hoses…..gone stock headlight brackets….I am running with a big skid plate right now but when the alu exhaust system goes on the skid plate and lower rails are coming off. The lower rails don't do anything and weigh 10+ pounds I believe.
 

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C

C908

Scooter
Any information on bags and a shield is appreciated. I learned my lesson a few years back when I traded my Honda Valkyrie Tourer for a Harley Wide Glide. The Honda had hard bags and a shield, the Harley had no bags or shield. I loved the way it looked but I need the bags for storage and the shield for wind control. I love the look of a basic Bonnie but I know I will need bags and a shield. In all the looking I have done I haven't seen to many Bonnies with bags. I'll keep looking and at some point I will probably see some.
 
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strokerlmt

Moderator
I put std bag brackets on the bike….then mounted light weight pelican cases…
I put a soft tail bag behind me….then I strap camping gear to the soft bag and bagged gear to the tops of the pelicans. I have even bungy corded a cooler on top of the pelicans + tank bag and I have never wanted for more space….
LMT
 

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beemerrich

beemerrich

Street Tracker
Most years, I do ~2200 miles in 5 days to Maggie Valley, NC and back...

DSCN0135_resized.JPG


Always a joy.

--Rich
 
Flaco

Flaco

750cc
Well, two of my favorite riders and posters, Rich and Lach… I just noticed Rich's black jugs on the silver lower case! How cool is that!
My update, used to ride 12k a year round about the Southwest and Rocky Mountain states 'till health got in the way… Wrenching again with most of mod's going to my son's BB Cafe… Damn! Now I need mo' money to get mine back in the show! He stole most of my custom parts! Still need oil coolers! Hint hint…
Best and kindest regards to all…
Allin...
 
Flaco

Flaco

750cc
RatFink09 said:
Bought my '09 T-100 new; currently pushing 45K miles. I'm a little taller and heavier and biased towards the '60s looks (i.e., wire wheels). Have done 2 trips of over 2500 miles/10 days. Any voyage over a weekend I'd recommend saddlebags and a windshield, especially if you're coming from a Harley history. I'm over 60, can easily keep up with any Harley group I've ridden with, and love a good, twisty road. My dealer is 50+ miles away and I have no regrets about my choice whatsoever.
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Like!
 
roadmanbo

roadmanbo

Two Stroke
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A few years ago, 20 Bonnevilles got together to spend a night for camping. Bonneville is not the best tourer, as it has limited luggage space. Then, riders must think the way to carry the luggage. So, there are 20 ways of loading luggage on Bonneville. Several Bonnevilles were equipped with hard/soft side bags, while others had DIY-type luggage systems, to turn Bonneville into perfect tourer.
 
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wrplant

moped
Two summers ago I covered 4982 kilometers (about 3100 miles) over 7 days. My 2009 SE did the trick with amazing grace. I have a removable longhaul windscreen and used cheap leather throw-over saddlebags (these have since been replaced by LeatherLykes) and a Saddleman trunk bag..... and of course, a big tank bag. Sorry, I have no photos online, so I cannot attach one.
 
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RatFink09

moped
Started with a standard Triumph summer screen, but resulted in too much buffeting around my helmet at higher speeds. Found Clearview Windshields site that offered taller shields using the standard Triumph brackets, and this has worked nicely. Using River Road soft saddlebags which, IMHO have the period appearance and have been more than adequate size-wise.
 
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retrorider

Scooter
You can't do it with the stock washboard seat. Get a nice aftermarket seat like the Triumph King and Queen seat. I can't spend more than a few hours sitting in the six-way adjustable leather seat in my minivan without back pain but I've gone 9 hours straight on my Bonnie with the K&Q and felt great.
 
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Samspade

Scooter
Another thumbs up for the K&Q seat. I don't really care for the looks but my wife is much happier when we ride. And I have to admit it's more comfortable for me too.
 
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strokerlmt

Moderator
Keith Harding said:
I don't mean to hijack the thread but do tank bags leave scratches in your paintwork?
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My experience, yes, if you are not careful. I have a magnetic bag and a Tri bag with a tank/strap/liner. I clean the mag bag and wax the the before use. I like the Tri bag better.A clean, strapped tight liner has never scratched my tank.
LMT
 
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