honest bonnie review

bonZa

bonZa

Street Tracker
very good and funny, especially the bit about being as British as pork pies and dogging.

but are the stock suspension and brakes as that bad as he reckons?
 
Kiwi

Kiwi

Two Stroke
bonZa said:
... but are the stock suspension and brakes as that bad as he reckons?
Click to expand...
That depends on your point of view. The bike is built to a price so Triumph can sell plenty of them, and that seems to be working well for them. The stock components that are fitted work OK if you don't push the bike too hard, and I'm guessing that a lot people ride it within those limits and are quite happy. But as you start to push it more aggressively that's when the handling issues start to crop up. I've changed the tyres and rear shocks and added ricor intiminators, a steering damper and a fork brace. Each change made a noticeable improvement to the handling and it goes great now. Changing the pipes, playing around with the airbox, and remapping made a noticeable improvement in the power. I've now got a floating front disc waiting to go on and new, supposedly better, front & rear brake pads winging their way to me. So I guess I'll find out how they go soon.

I don't have a problem with Triumph building the bike down to a price as it means it's within the price range of more people, so more people get to enjoy a great bike, but also it's a great base product that's allowed me to adapt it to exactly what I want, and I now have a unique bike that's perfect for how I want to use it.

Mind you, even though I say it's now perfect for how I want to use it, I'm sure that won't stop me from farkling it some more :playin:
 
beemerrich

beemerrich

Street Tracker
bonZa said:
... are the stock suspension and brakes as that bad as he reckons?
Click to expand...

Where roads are smooth, the stock suspension can be made to do with some springs and/or fork oil up front. Here in Michigan, the roads get pretty rough due to freeze/thaw cycles and our unique 'axle load' specifications for over-the-road truck hauling limits...in these conditions, suspension upgrades are, IMHO, a requirement.

Funny video btw.

Cheers,

--Rich
 
J

JimmyR

Street Tracker
I bought my '07 Bonnie used. I had to ride it home, a distance of approx 80km I guess. Most of that was on freeway, and I was rather uncomfortable with how much it wandered about at 100kmh (60mph). So after I'd had it a month or so I did as a friend suggested and swapped the suspension to Ikon front and back and it has transformed the bike. It now feels as solid as anything on the freeway and corners so much better.

I actually made a point of riding on the freeway after I changed the suspension just to feel the novelty of the amazing ride. :) I also changed the bars to lower them and that helped somewhat too, but man the stock suspension is pretty ordinary.
 
G

GGarner

moped
bonZa said:
but are the stock suspension and brakes as that bad as he reckons?
Click to expand...

I haven't owned a lot of bikes, but of the 5 I have owned (250 Honda Rebel, 650 Yamaha VStar, 883 Custom Sportster, and 2001 Superglide) my 2006 Bonnie Black had the worst and most painful suspension I have experienced. It was about 50 miles from my dealer to home and that was the first time I had ever had ANY back pain after a ride. My back was sore for 2 days after that initial 50 miles.

I changed the front forks and rear shocks the following week and it has been great ever since! The brakes aren't the strongest but I don't have any problems with them.

Oh, and I have owned the Bonnie longer than any bike previously. It is a keeper.
 
bonZa

bonZa

Street Tracker
looks like some new shocks are in order then.

just finished upgrading the shocks in my Jeep to a premium brand after some doubts about how much it would improve its driveability am amazed at the improvement.

so now it is the Bonnie's turn. now just have to decide Hagons, Ikons or go all the way and fit Ohlins or Maxton if I win lotto
 
J

JimmyR

Street Tracker
Hey Bonza - I got the Ikons from Triumph Performance in Vic (Bendigo? Ballarat?) and they really were a huge improvement. I wouldn't say my ride on WA roads was painful, but at freeway speeds I felt like I was wandering all over the place. Cornering felt like the rear wheel was floating around the bend. Now with the Ikons the ride is both more comfortable and much more planted. I can't imagine riding Vic freeways would be much fun with the stock suspension.

It's nuts really. I know they are built to a price, but they have to put suspension in there anyway. How much more will decent suspension cost than shit suspension? The front springs are a joke. I've seen bigger springs on a pushbike.
 
Keith Harding

Keith Harding

Two Stroke
Yep - totally agree on the Ikon shocks. Before I fitted them taking the bike around a bend was like kicking a turd around a corner.
Have yet to really consider front springs but JimmyR's comment above is interesting.
 
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