Triumph Bonneville

It's a supreme act of faith for a manufacturer to let a magazine hold on to a test bike for longer than a couple of weeks. A bike's virtues are usually immediately apparent but its vices can take time to emerge and a short test period can hide them. AMT, for example, is the only Australian magazine that would have had cause to remove the Bonnie's seat. How do you do it? Well, the procedure is outlined in the owner's manual. Where's the owner's manual located? It's under the seat...

Triumph obviously knew in advance we'd end up finding a lot more things to like than dislike with the Bonnie, though, and what riding it around for three months has revealed is that there's a lot of latent desire for the model. Many riders we talked to expressed their urge to buy one when they were first released but were holding off to find out what kind of reputation the bike developed. We're here to tell you it's a terrific package and now is the right time to dust off the chequebook.

AROUND TOWN

The Bonnie is very much at home in the city. Its slim dimensions and upright riding position make it near-perfect for commuting. While the bike is slim overall and fits easily between rows of cars, the relatively wide bars give the rider much more steering control than is available from sports bikes. The rider gets uninterrupted views of the surrounding traffic and this is complemented by mirrors which are vibration-free and easy to adjust.

A combination of sensible city gearing and excellent carburetion allow the Bonnie to tool around mostly in fourth and fifth gear. Maximum torque is produced at 3500rpm but most of the engine's grunt is available from about 2000rpm, meaning you don't have to row the gearbox to find where the power is. While 62PS isn't exactly excessive, it's more than enough to keep you competitive in the rat race. The ignition cuts out in first gear at 60km/h by which time you've already convincingly won the traffic light drags; perhaps not against other large-capacity bikes but certainly against any four-wheeled vehicle. The ignition cut-out is part of the explanation as to why the stock Bonnie doesn't have a tachometer. It won't let you over-rev the engine but allows speeds in gears of 60, 90, 120 and 150km/h in fourth. Triumph couldn't, in good conscience, call this bike a Bonneville if it couldn't achieve a top speed in excess of the magic "ton" and fifth gear, in the right conditions, is good for between 170 and 180km/h.

Two things a Bonnie owner has to get used to are a tight petrol cap (I've checked 10,000km-plus Bonnies and the cap obviously becomes easier to use as the bike ages) and a remote steering lock which requires its own key and some patience if it's used regularly. The filler hole in the petrol tank isn't the easiest one on the market to use, either, but the good news is that, around town, a litre of petrol will take you a whisker more than 20 kilometres. That's less than five litres per 100km which is excellent economy. The tank holds 16 litres and, depending on how you ride, reserve is required from around 250km. The three litres in reserve will, in theory, get you 60km farther up the road.

PACK THE BAGS

What makes the Bonnie so useful around town works against it slightly on the open road. The upright riding position exposes the rider to the wind and maintaining speeds above 130km/h can be tiring. It's fine at the legal limits, though, and if that's how you choose to ride you'll find nothing to complain about. The seat initially appears to be overly firm but is, in fact, very comfortable for long trips. The Bonnie's vibration-free engine (yes, Grandad, vibration-free!) is particularly strong in the 70-130km range, making it ideal for safe, fast overtaking. The optional rack fitted to our bike was useful for tying luggage to and the clean design of the rear of the bike is just about perfect for throw-over bags. Suspension adjustment options are minimal with spring pre-load at the back being the only issue requiring attention. Infinitely adjustable suspension on bikes just gives you a million ways to get it wrong and the balance Triumph has achieved with its standard settings is excellent for normal road use.

BACK IN BLACK

With its steel front guard, steel sidecovers and substantial frame, this Bonnie has been built to last. It's uncomplicated exterior hides clever engineering designed to ensure a long, practical life and a happy ownership experience. Just like the bikes which carried the Bonnie name previously, these will hold their value. They'll be rebuilt when they eventually wear out and not suffer the fate that awaits many of their flashier contemporaries. Bonnie owners will ride proud and "Triumph Bonneville" will always be a perfectly acceptable answer to the question "What do you ride?" Welcome back, big fella.