New guy thinking about buying bike....

[MIbonneville]

Quick introduction....
My name is Jeff, Live in Romeo, MI (childhood home of kid rock) (yes.. that is our claim to fame!! ha ha ha) and am thinking about buying a new Bonneville T-100 as my first street bike. I am 33 yrs old and have been in love with Triumphs, and especially the styling of the Bonneville, for many years now. I like the fact that, unlike the typical Cruiser, you really dont see to many Bonnies out there (at least not here in the Metro Detroit Area). Different is good in my opinion.
As I said, this will be my first street bike but I have had many, many off road bikes, enduros, and motocross bikes in the past. I an not new to riding motorcycles, just street bikes.

To get started, I have a few quick questions:

1) I am 6'1 180lbs and am wondering if a bonneville would be considered too small for me? I have sat on them at the dealer and they feel good, but think that my bodysize would be the pushing the limit of the bike.. Opinions?

2) Open face helmets vs. Full Face... What do Bonneville riders wear, what looks good? Brands and models to look at etc. I know that a full face helmet is probably the way to go in terms of saftey, but I just wanted to get some opinions and suggestions regarding other options.

3) Pipes/silencers etc.... I like the sound of the stock Bonneville but Think it could use a bit more "throatiness" and be a bit louder. Not looking for a Harley sound but something different than stock. I will more than likely be purchasing a 2009 model with Fuel Injection... What are the most popular pipes out there?


That is all for now...
I appreciate any help/opinions.

Thanks
Jeff

 

[paulSF]

Welcome to the forum. Once you actually ride the bike and not just sit on it in the showroom, your first question will be answered and you will love it! :c

1) 6' and 210 ... and no problems with the size of the bonnie at all.
2) Full face - ATGATT - but this is a personal choice.
3) Togas .... and again, this is a personal choice. There are many aftermarket pipes out there for you to choose from. Check out the hundreds of youtube triumph exhaust videos and find the one that sings to you ...

 

[RidinOBryan]

I'm 6' and 200lbs and have no problems. Switching out the bars might make a difference. I'm running M bars and really like them.

I prefer a full face helmet. Gets really hot down in the summer tho, but I kinda like my face. During the Winter I have a nice leather jacket, BMG Montana, and switch to a mesh jacket in the summer.

I'm running Predators. Like em. If you don't end up getting the 2009 model, I have a set of Dominator Sports for sale. Sound just like the Predators. Have a sound clip too. Can't figure out how to post it yet, but can email it to you if you like.

 

[Baltobonneville]

1. I'm 5-11, 180 pounds, 34 inch inseam, the pre-2009 Bonneville (same size as current T100) is a good fit for me. Try the T100, it's higher than the current Bonneville and Bonneville SE. I'm happy with the stock handlebars, but there are plenty of options available.

2. Wear the helmet that suits you. I wear a modular (flip-up) HJC CL-Max or Nolan N102 because I wear glasses. I like the Nolan a lot, it feels right and has a built-in sunshield.

3. Lots of options, not sure how they apply to EFI bikes. I have Staintunes Reverse-Cones, they sound great without being too loud, but are expensive. Triumph has slightly louder stock pipes available for the Bonnies, commonly referred to as TORs (Triumph Off-Road).

One other thing: You'll probably want to upgrade the suspension pretty quickly, especially the front springs. The stock suspension is minimally adequate at best.

 

[cynr1023]

6'2"-ish and 250#. Although I look like a bear on a unicycle sometimes, the bike hauls my ass around no problem.

full face 95% of the time.

plenty of other threads on pipes. I've got the predators and love the sound.

 

[Bonafide]

1. No, you're not too big - actually - you're rather medium size when compared to the census.
2. Full-face. It has nothing to do with the genre of bike you're riding as much as how much do you like your face?
3. See TPUSA or Newbonneville in our vendor section. They have you covered.

 

[ricky]

To get started, I have a few quick questions:

1) I am 6'1 180lbs and am wondering if a bonneville would be considered too small for me? No
2) Open face helmets vs. Full Face... I wear a full face but that's just me. I will recommend it though.

3) Pipes/silencers etc.... I like the sound of the stock Bonneville but Think it could use a bit more "throatiness" and be a bit louder. Mine has TOR's and it's perfect!

Thanks
Jeff

See my comments in red.

 

[T-boy]

1. 5' 10" and a muscular 200 lbs...okay, I lied about the muscular part. There are many riders here that tend to stray toward the "husky" side.

2. Open face with shield...also have a half helmet that is used primarily for very short rides. Wear what you want and feel comfortable in.

3. Just put on the BC Sleepers this past winter. Couldn't be happier with the sound, looks, and quality.

Welcome aboard, matey.

 

[musicswapshoppe]

Am also around same height as you 92 kilos (not sure in pounds) So bike will fit you. Wear open face Shoei most of time and have Triumph aftermarkets which sound OK but J would personally change them to Norman Hyde if I could afford to change again. Do give a lot of thought to sound as its not something you can just change at a whim. recommend you listen to some on youtube as well

 

[MIbonneville]

Thanks guys.. I really appreciate all the advice/opinions. I just started getting serious about the idea of a new Bonnie. I am hoping to have something by the end of July/august of this year but it really all depends on several different factors.. Trying to keep an eye out for dealer incentives, low interest rates with good financing etc.

Based on experience, when is usually the best time of the year to buy a new bike? If I was looking for a 2009 should I wait until the 2010's come out and see if any 2009 are left? Is late summer a butter time to buy because dealers are trying to get rid of their stock?

Someone mention changing over the suspension on the bike? I am wondering why?

Again.. Thanks for all the info.

Cheers.
Jeff

 

[BlueJ]

Ths suspension is fine... but if you replace the front springs with progressives it's better. These bikes do a pretty pronounced front end dive when you grab a handful with the right hand. Progressives alleviate a lot of that. Rears are a bit soft as well, but that's not as noticable for the slighter of build (I'm 6'2", 175# so the rear was fine for me - I did upgrade for looks).

ATGAATT for me - I'm NEVER caught without my full-face, or in shorts. Usual attire is riding pants (Olympia) over shorts or jeans, and either a leather jacket or padded mesh up top. Setup riding boots. I will admit that 4-6 times a year I'll ride the 1/4 mile up the road from my office to Subway without the pants or jacket or boots.

I've got TORS, identical look to the stockers, a bit more throaty but still way way quiet compared to a Harley. And loud compared to an idling sportbike.

I've got the peg lowering kit from Modre (don't know if he still makes them) -- that and M bars give me a fantastic riding posture. I'd say at 6'1", you might like the lowering kit to take some of the scrunch out of your legs - but I don't know if the newer Bonnies are shorter in that dimension or not.

Have you considered a used one? There are some once in a while that come along - could save you a pretty penny.

Welcome!

 

[ricky]

Have you considered a used one? There are some once in a while that come along - could save you a pretty penny.

And I was thinking about selling mine. He's just a little too far away.

 

[DIRK]

you will find the suspension is just adequate. a big difference will be a kit that is sorted out with your size riding style and passenger in mind. think works for both front and rear. this will allow you and the bike to work together much better than you fighting the stock kit. since the 9's were just upgraded you will have no incentive in waiting for the same bike in a 10 unless you just want to spend... more money? so why wait. right now if you credit is mostly good you have 5.9 from triumph or if you have a lower rater a few $ to spend on farkles. when is the best time to buy. how about when you are ready. in michigan you might save a couple of bucks by waiting til winter, and then spend the saving on studded tires hahahaha. in calif we don't usually have that problem. so go have fun and ride.

 

[ivar]

Someone mention changing over the suspension on the bike? I am wondering why?

For me, the stock rear shocks transmitted way too much energy into my spine when riding frostheaved, potholed roads. Putting on Ikon rear hocks was a very noticeable improvement.

If your roads are pretty smooth, the stock units are adequate for most.

 

[Nick Morey]

The front springs are way to short and not progressively wound this leads to a "jarring" effect when riding through hard bumps and a general harsh ride. Just switched to Ikon progressively wound springs up front and their rear shocks (7614's if I remember right). The ride has smoothed out considerably and nose dive when hitting front brakes is drastically improved. The stock rear shocks aren't too bad but the front spring change made a big difference! The springs can be bought for about 100 to 125 bucks.

 

[JimVonBaden]

The front springs are way to short and not progressively wound this leads to a "jarring" effect when riding through hard bumps and a general harsh ride. Just switched to Ikon progressively wound springs up front and their rear shocks (7614's if I remember right). The ride has smoothed out considerably and nose dive when hitting front brakes is drastically improved. The stock rear shocks aren't too bad but the front spring change made a big difference! The springs can be bought for about 100 to 125 bucks.

Link?

Jim

 

[Nick Morey]

Link?

Jim

I got my stuff from Newbonneville.com, 10 percent discount through "brent" in the vendor section of this forum if you buy over $300 (ie. rear shocks too.).

 

[ricky]

Here is the link.

The Bonnie is the same as the VStrom 650.
http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=31_72&osCsid=67f399220569f2344f075d4c691ce184

 

[Moggy]

suspension

The Front fork springs are constant rate (ie the windings are the same for the whole spring.)and very soft too. You dive like a Uboat under hard breaking. Progressive rate coils (the windings get progressively tighter at one end) make for a better ride and also they tend to be harder than the stock ball point springs. The back should be up graded too if you do the front. Especially if you are larger.
Personally, until I win lotto I'm happy enuff with the stock suspension, altho I'm only 69kg(160 odd lbs). Hope this helps
And you should definately be looking at a T100 or earlier model if you are worried about size.
Cheerz

 

[bluesforchallah]

Quick introduction....
My name is Jeff, Live in Romeo, MI (childhood home of kid rock) (yes.. that is our claim to fame!! ha ha ha) and am thinking about buying a new Bonneville T-100 as my first street bike. I am 33 yrs old and have been in love with Triumphs, and especially the styling of the Bonneville, for many years now. I like the fact that, unlike the typical Cruiser, you really dont see to many Bonnies out there (at least not here in the Metro Detroit Area). Different is good in my opinion.
As I said, this will be my first street bike but I have had many, many off road bikes, enduros, and motocross bikes in the past. I an not new to riding motorcycles, just street bikes.

To get started, I have a few quick questions:

1) I am 6'1 180lbs and am wondering if a bonneville would be considered too small for me? I have sat on them at the dealer and they feel good, but think that my bodysize would be the pushing the limit of the bike.. Opinions?

I'm 6'1" and about 220. Bike moved me just fine. However, once I removed the stock silencers for the BC Predators, the bike now moves me even better.

2) Open face helmets vs. Full Face... What do Bonneville riders wear, what looks good? Brands and models to look at etc. I know that a full face helmet is probably the way to go in terms of saftey, but I just wanted to get some opinions and suggestions regarding other options.
I have a Shoei RF-1000 full face and a Fulmer V2. I haven't gotten up the nerve to ride without my full face yet but its still nice to have

3) Pipes/silencers etc.... I like the sound of the stock Bonneville but Think it could use a bit more "throatiness" and be a bit louder. Not looking for a Harley sound but something different than stock. I will more than likely be purchasing a 2009 model with Fuel Injection... What are the most popular pipes out there?
It took me months of listening to audio clip after audio clip and watching video clip after video clip before I decide on any one type of silencer. I ended up choosing BC Predators and love em'. They sound great and I haven't regretted it one bit. If I were to choose any other type of can, it would probebly be the Norman Hyde Toga's. I would recomend searching YouTube. You'll come across a number of sound clips to give you an idea of the sounds the differant pipes make.


That is all for now...
I appreciate any help/opinions.

Thanks
Jeff

My comments are shown in red... And oh yeah, welcome to the madness