Thinking of trading in my CBF1000 for something with a lower seat height - getting off the thing is a real issue due to my hip. Bonnies have a nice flat seat and I've been looking at the ads - in my price range (Can't stretch to a T120) there seem to be 795cc carb models, 865cc carb models and 865cc EFI models. Can anyone advise if there's any real world issues with carb models over the EFI models? Equallly is the 865 engine any better than the 795?
Thanks in advance for any help
Rob
Same thing happened to me back in 2004.Originally Posted by Barryboy
My foot was scraping the seat cowl on the T595 i had as i was getting on and off.The odd thing was it was the left leg that had the hip pain.
I ended up getting a Thunderbird Sport which was the best handling bike I've ever had.
That was the beginning of 4 years of hip pain. I did test ride a Bonnie but it was a bit soulless.
The new ones look and sound beautiful though.
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Recently sold an 865cc Bonneville Scrambler- a carb one that had been tuned with arrow exhaust, better jetting and airbox plus quality suspension ,had it about 9 years.no issues at all but it did maybe 3000 miles in that time as it was one of a stable of bikes.
Had a 790cc T100 when they first came out....
865 much more flexible and carb models cheaper and “tweakable ” ( you will want to)
If you can’t stretch to the 1200, that’s the way I’d go personally.
Recently bought an R9T that I much prefer at the upper end of the Bonneville price range.
Nice bike, the Bonneville but you will certainly miss the power and torque of the cb1000
Last edited by GOAT; 5th November 2019 at 15:44.
I've got an 865 efi Bonneville - super thing, 'sensible' power and speeds with pretty average brakes; but it's a very simple and cheap bike to maintain, even if you don't do it yourself.
p.s. and easy to customise should you want to.
Last edited by Stanford; 5th November 2019 at 16:10.
I am just putting finishing tweaks on my customised 865 EFi Bonnie.
I like the way it works, but I have done the Triumph Twin Power Stage 1 kit with a remap for the more open pipes I made (their map 4). As mine is, I think it has bags of character and fun. I cannot compare it to the carb model, as I have never owned one, but the Electronic management of the EFi works really well, albeit with the tunes available making it more tractable than the standard bike (SAI and O2 sensors deleted on this, as well as a hi-flo air filter and the air box baffle being removed)
Dave
I had one of the 790cc carb Bonnevilles from about 2004 until 2008. The thing you'll notice most about swapping a CBR thou for one of these is the performance. There isn't any. It is, without a doubt, the slowest 'big' bike I've ever owned. It doesn't go, it doesn't stop well, and the handling is pretty average.
Apart from that, it's fine. Are the later ones any better? I have no idea, but the experience with the early one would put me off.
I had a couple of other bikes at the time, here's a photo of the Waste of Space with one of its cell mates. In retrospect, I should have kept the Duke.
Bit left field here and I know you said you fancy a Bonnie, but if its a low seat height you’re after have a look a the Ducati Diavel. They are a big bike but dont let that intimidate you, once rolling they are superb. I could flat foot both sides on mine and I am not the tallest guy around.
Stuart
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I have a 2006 carbed Scrambler.
41000km with no issue.
Have tried the EFI one and my daughter has a SE EFI Bonnie.
I prefer the carbed. Much more easy to work on. Much less battery issue (when the battery is a bit, just a bit, low on EFI, ÉCU switch on safety and you can’t start). Doesn’t happen with carb.
^^^Was that photo taken near Neukirchen ( Newchurch) I wonder?
No, about 3km from my house.
But I also have from this bike in Newchurch.
I have a 2005 "carbed" Bonnie, The suspension has been uprated and I just love it. I should also say that I've been riding for 50 years now and also have a BMW 1150GS which I have used to tour on, this seems to be getting bigger and heavier as I get smaller and older! I have to say that I (personally) can't see the point in having 100+ bhp as you can't really use it on the road, I prefer to be able to use all the power when in the mood or simply bimble about, the Bonnie excels at this. Cheers, John B4
I love the look of the Bonnie and always fancied one but having gone straight from mopeds to cars in the mid 70's, I'd be sure to kill myself trying to learn and ride a bike this late in life.
Many thanks all. The budget simply wont stretch to the 900 Street Twin that I really fancy, so I will keep an eye out for an 865cc carbed model - I used to have a carbed Honda Blackbird and once the carbs had been balanced never had a moment's trouble. One question for the Bonnie owners... I once had an Adventurer that was a devil to fill with fuel... You could not fill it at full speed or it would blow back everywhere leaving me soaked with 4 star. Is this also a problem on the Bonnie?
Rob
Same for me, except for the 50 years experience. Only 40.
Never had an issue with that but on a bike you always have the frame embossed just under the filling hole so you can’t give all the pressure.
Just sold my Harley after 7 years of ownership, and was looking for another bike, but preferably lighter and easier to handle. Looked at a few different (very) types and makes, from Jap and Italian fours (Brutale was a beast!) to Indian Scouts and Triumphs.
In the end decided I didn't need the power trip of some contenders anymore, so started looking more at the Triumphs but they were very different to the Triumphs I remembered (500 Daytona, T100, Tiger 90 !). Probably a good thing, I hear people say but it was the simplicity I was looking for.
So I bought this.
No it's not fast by any means, although it will top 100 mph. It has infinitely variable riding modes depending on the input from the rider on the brakes and throttle! It's ready for modifying, already removed the 'mudflaps' and 'grab rail' and looks cleaner already especially from the rear.
It has ABS and fuel injection, and the brakes feel plenty good enough with the braided lines probably helping the 'hard' feel to them.
Is it a world beater? Probably not. But does it make me smile when I ride it, the same way some of those bikes did all those years ago? Yup, in spades.
Last edited by oldoakknives; 10th November 2019 at 08:34.
A friend of mine has bought it. And I tried it in the Alps. It’s a nice little bike. Not to high, not to heavy, comfortable enough, very handly, with enough power for the speed limits.
It also use very few gas.
Another question on Bonnevilles if you will... I notice that some T100s have black engine casings and others seem to have aluminium finish casings. I can see that the America model has chrome casings but I don't really like cruisers. I am more inclined to black casings as they need no polishing - can anyone advise which models get which finish to the casings?
Rob
I currently own a 2006 865cc carb Bonneville T100, and they are highly tweakable.
I've avoided the exhaust wrap, short seat tomfoolery and gone simply for performance upgrades.
Remove the air-box, fit K&N cone filters, re-jet to 148 and add a pair of TOR (Triumph off-road) silencers.
Hagon rear shocks plus decent brake pads front and rear improve the stopping power.
It looks completely stock, but has a pleasing turn of speed !
AFAIK, the T100 has the polished cases and black barrels - the basic Bonneville has black cases and barrels.
The polished cases are well finished, and heavily lacquered - they are no issue to keep looking good.
Last edited by W124; 12th November 2019 at 18:01.
Mine is a 2013 T100 A2 (high output) and has black head covers........
If you want black engine casings you should look for the T100 Black.
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