amalifer

Thank you Dave and Peter. I like the latest iteration myself and look forward to riding one soon. Will I be trading my 05 T100, probably not. I am still over the moon with it.

Best ever Bonneville, IMHO the 1969.

jackthebiker

I had to vote for a 2003 of course, since I have one. Bonnevilles must have spoked wheels.

UncleRichy1

Which one indeed.
I saw an old one at the bike show when it was in Phoenix and the guy standing guard on it was showing me the strange remote carb reservoir and telling me how hard that was to set up properly. Charming, but no thanks.
My mate had a unit construction 650??? in England ages ago. It looked good but vibrated alot and the gearshifting was terrible. I actually showed him how to fix the shifting with a gasket in the gearbox cover, but he said it wouldn't be standard, so he continued putting holes in his shoes.
I have a 2001 with the chrome cases, which I prefer over the aluminum ones. I remember getting the tube of solvol out to try and polish the cases on my A10. Chrome is better.
I would like to have the fuel injection, a better seat and I replaced the crap rear shocks ages ago.

The perfect bonnie is then still yet to come, but for now it remains a good all rounder, easy to ride and as people have shown, very modifyable.

Paul in NZ

What a daft question Dave.... Best? Best in what way?? Fastest around a track? Most expensive or sought after, most reliable?

Modern technology and design learnt from the mistakes of the past and produced on todays computer controlled engineering equipment makes a new bike 'better' in many ways. Even a cheap 250 now is 'better' in many ways. The british industry failed because it lacked the ability (not the right word, they had the ability, just not the cash to invest) to leap into more modern designs that people wanted. So yes, a modern Bonne is better in many ways as a commercially profitable motorcycle - but is it better at being a bonneville, erm nope.... Even Triumph call it a retro bike so its really just a shadow of something that was great.

The true test is, would it sell if it was made by Honda? Yes, but it would sell in W650 numbers (ie not many)....

So what IS the best bonnie? Again, hard to say because production covered such a time of social change. 1959 was a very diferent time than 1969 or 1979, far more so than from 1997 to 2007.

Pre unit bonnies make it onto the 'best' list because they were wild and wicked and arrived at the time when they were needed. Motorways arrived and austerity was ending, people bought motorcycles as toys and they no longer had to go to work in the pit evey day and take the family on holiday to Blackpool with a huge sidecar, a Mini did that cheaper and better. Motorcycles started to be less general and more specialised sports bikes, tourer, scrambler etc

By 1967 the handling was sorted and 68 to 70 they stopped OK too. A 68 to 70 are the years in the period when the bonnie still mattered.

73 saw the T140V which was a better bike in many ways but it from around 72 you could get the last 650's as a 5 speeder as well, the T120V is a brilliant bike to ride!

The T140V is a better bike (more developed) and justly loved by the alternate biker underground who wouldnt buy japanese but it's not a bad ass fastest thing on two wheels anymore, it's becoming like its owners, safe and secure and moving to the suburbs.... It does not make it onto my list....

The new ones, nope... Sorry, loved by chicks with fringes and born agains having a mid life crisis. Acceptable to your wife (who lets you buy it cos it's nice) and about as bad as a nice cup of tea at your mother in laws, you are not going to scare anyone at the local dance on one of these. Its clumsy looking engine looks almost embarassed to be carry the name.

My list....

1960 to 62 (forget the 59's, they were first but had fat guards and the horrible nacelle thing). With difficult handling these bikes were super exciting to ride.

69 / 70 - well I have to.... They are the best combo of looks and go.

1973 T120V Wonderfully effective bike, under rated and RARE.

um......

Thats it....

Bonez

The US speced ones were stunners

http://www.realclassic.co.uk/tri03081900.html

The TSS T140W probably deserves a mention too. After all it had a 4 valve head like the new Bonnies.

CBXzReg

I voted for the 2003 because a Bonnie should have carbs at least and this was one of the last models with such.

gschepper

Well darn it all, Peter, .. and I was so happy with my "02.......

Carl S

Thank you Dave and Peter. I voted for the the 1969 Bonneville. The 2003 would be my second choice for obvious reasons. A really good ride up, Peter. Well done.

Motu

Each Bonnie had pushed the design to it's limits - the modern ones don't do that.The 60/62 was a fire breathing monster,this was as much as you could stretch a pre unit to - too much bike for the frame,forks and brakes.The 69/70 was as far as the unit design could be pushed - frame,forks and brakes again....it was getting scary to ride it fast.The design limit of the oif bikes was getting enough performance out of them - by the end of their era (more 10 years before the end) they were so restricted and overweight any 250 would blow right past them.

When the modern Bonnie is so developed things keep breaking,and riders are too scared to get on - it'll be the best Bonnie ever....

But all they develop are new paint jobs.

Owl

The 09 Bonneville SE (black) is what my missus desires when she completes her class 6 licence. Who am I to say no! :-)

Goofy

Scrambler, 06, blue and white. Go anywhere do anything bike!

Ed

Too hard to call! The '09 SE is of course the "best" bike of any Bonnie simply because it is modern. However, taken in context of the time, each version was by default the best as it used the best available design and technology.

It is the first new Bonnie I would buy and I really think Triumph have finally produced the bike it should have been form the beginning.

PieMan

I took out the same bike as Peter from 3X and I would have to agree, it is the best Bonnie so far. The Meriden Bonnie's have their charm, I had one for many years, but if you want to ride every weekend and not be a mechanic, these have got to be the best. Well done Triumph!

Edgewise

My favorite Bonnie was my 1968 650 TT -- mag ignition, alloy rims, full knobby tires, 360 pounds. It had a tad more power and torque than my current Scrambler ('06 blue & white, carbed) and did pretty well in enduros against lots smaller bikes. And that ain't no bull. As I recall, it was also blue & white.

Ixion

68-69.

Still lean, still a bit mean, not yet strangulated, still lithe. Still leaked oil, bits still fell off. Had brakes now.

1971T120R

Great write up. You might want to check out this detail however:

"For 1979 the T140D Special appeared, with a 5 speed gear box, right foot change"

Surely it was a left foot change.

PieMan

It was a left foot change.

grandpaul

Too many years missing in that poll.
I voted '69, might have voted 70 if it had been available.

Sunshine Jim

Stock Bonnies have always been a hoot. Pretty fast, pretty good brakes, they looked good and they had room for your freinds. But best of all the Meriden bikes could be owner tweaked on a wage slave income.

The new ones remind of the change from the 'Early Birds' to new Thunderbird cars. Very cushy but a bit fat and VERY dependant on the factory service department for most riders.

No biggie, I'm delighted the marque found a good customer base. They are comfortable a bit on the dresser side for me though.

My fave is the 69'ers. Easy to set up, ride and modify into a personal statement. We never left them stock for long. They were fun!

The new ones mean i have to talk with bankers, lawyers and the Department of Motor Vehicles hugely expensive insurance scams. Not fun.

Value as always is relative.

Happy trails gang!

Jam0

I don't exactly get your selection of years that one may vote for. You state that for '79: the T140D Special appeared, with a 5 speed gear box, right foot change, front and rear disc brakes, electronic ignition, indicators and cast 7 spoke Lester mag-alloy wheels.

Most of that is pretty good stuff. Old plus new. No other years have old plus new. I can say from experience that the five speed is a teriffic tranny. Why don't you offer the '79 as an option for best year?

(Doh! The bike the new one is modelled after! - Can't edit it now or we lose the votes that are in. I picked '76 because I owned one - and it definitely wasn't the best one.
You can still put it in as 'other' - BD)

grandpaul

I like the Astral Red with Silver Sheen scallops (nicest of all Triumph paint schemes), the removable front engine mounts and the solid mounted grab rail.

Other than that, there's nothing to choose between the Olympic Flame '69 & '70.

I would have considered the '68 for the old style breather and discrete primary lube system, but I don't like the front brake. The Aubergine & White '67 is a timeless classic, but soft cams and weak front brakes are a significant distraction.

Since I own every Bonnie from '65 to '70, I can speak from first-hand experience on the subject.

CarlS

I guess the front brake is relative. The front brake on my '68 certainly is not as good as the modern disc brake; but it is a big improvement over the the front brake on the 1966 Trophy I owned. I recently got to ride a 1966 and as far as brakes are concerned, ignorance was bliss. we just didn't know any better back then.

Jamo

I do not, understand the large, 1/2" seam that runs all 'round the gas tank on the newer Bonnies. I'm sure it saves a pound and a half in manufacturing costs, but, man, is it ever unattractive, to me anyway. Why can't they just file those down and have a nice, smooth round tank like on my '79?

I don't too mch care for the faux carbs on the new models either but, well...

Art Couture

I've owned three older Triumphs (67-78). They were BEAUTIFUL & LIGHT, but also unreliable and high maintenance. You don't want to be far from home without a tool kit & a cell phone. The new Bonnevilles changed the ownership experience completely for the better. They still retain 90% of the origional's beauty, but with 0% of the grief!

One could make a reasonable argument for any of the 2001-current Bonnevilles as the "Best" year. Especially for someone like myself who enjoys riding alot more than frequent mechanical work. I would choose 2007 as the "Best" year because it was the last year to have the slim fuel tank as opposed to the more "bloated" tank used from 2008 on (to accommodate the FI pump). The pre-2008 tank also accepted the more classic screw on metal tank badges rather than the later glue on plastic ones.

SunshineJim

The 69, no question about it. Light, fast, affordable, excellent dealer network and so easy to hop up and work on.

Them was the days!

postie

Urgghh! Peter's Golden Wedding recreation sounds terrible (to each his own I guess). My perfect Bonnie would be more like,
'09 Base model in black (I prefer the black covers and the gold decals on the tank). Tacho kit (why do they sell any Bonnies without?). Arrow exhausts. Street triple bars plus the little black bar end mirrors from the street triple catalogue. Black flyscreen. A basic black motorbike....cool.

P.S. add a set of Ohlins piggyback shocks. A bit of gold goes well on a black motorbike.

Goofy1

Scrambler, 06, blue and white. Go anywhere do anything bike!

So, what is the best Bonneville ever?

By BD

As we were comparing notes Peter commented 'I think we both agree that the 2009 SE is probably Triumph's best yet modern Bonnie.'
So I then started to wonder….by extension, does that mean that this is the ‘Best Bonneville Ever?’
It’s not a ‘landmark’ vehicle the way the original 1959 Machine was.
Nor is it quite as aesthetically pleasing (OK, beautiful) as a T120 for example.
But I'd choose the SE of all the variants if a timed lap of the track was on the agenda - and it HAD to be a stock Bonneville. (With Mufflers – all those of you nominating the factory race model Meridens.)
The way the 17" front wheel quickens up the steering and the level of smoothness and 'punch' that EFI has brought to the 360 degree crank models is impressive.
I caught myself going faster than I thought I was going several times on the Auckland test bike.

Vote in our poll above and tell us what YOU think.
What is the 'Best Bonneville Ever'?
You can say why in the comments section below too.

Is it the 1959? A landmark vehicle?

1963 Saw the first Unit Construction Engine and Gearbox?

Have you seen what a '69 in good order sells for these days?

A 2001 re-release model or the State of the 'now' art '09SE?