I have almost 12,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) on the Bonneville since I bought it new last October, and as one might surmise I have developed a few opinions about my Bonneville. It's pretty simple actually; its a nice bike. The truth is just about any motorcycle built by the major manufacturer nowadays is reliable and offers longevity almost as a matter of course. Even the marginal machines, Royal Enfields and Urals say, are getting better and seem reliable enough if you have the time skill and patience to keep them running.
I offer three criteria: 1) Have a good dealer nearby. Good doesn't mean cheapest prices necessarily but does require a clean well organized workshop and a parts department that knows how to get you parts. 2) The motorcycle has to look good. This is subjective but when you walk away you want a machine that drags your eyes back to its lines and curves. 3) Accessories. You need a bunch of add-ons to make it conform to your specs. Modern motorcycles are all things to their riders. My Bonneville is my commuter, to my neighbor its a cafe racer. To the guy across town its his touring bike.
The Bonneville appeals to me because it has an old fashioned air. when looking at it, or when riding it, it reminds me of the machines of my youth. I like the big round headlight, the curved tank, the old fashioned suspension and the general symmetry of the motorcycle. I like the way I sit on it, straight back and feet under my knees which are under my hips, with none of the feet forward stuff while sitting on the tailbone required of cruisers. Modern bikes tend to go for weird styling, pairs of mismatched headlights, pieces of pointed plastic sticking out at odd angles and exaggerated single sided suspension and angular seating. I like the old fashioned look.
Next year Bonnevilles sold in the US will join their European counterparts and get electronic fuel injected engines, but for now we get the last of the engines sold with carburettors. I am a bit skittish about EFI as the injection systems require electricity, frequently don't provide the same smooth overall performance of a carburettor and I had lots of problems with the system on the Vespa GTS. However carburettors offer worse gas mileage and are somewhat higher polluting than EFI, even though modern motorcycle exhausts use catalytic converters like cars. My Bonneville also has a choke knob, very old fashioned and a manual fuel tap, just like the bikes of my youth. It shouldn't leak ever but I like to turn the fuel off like I used to 30 years ago...
The Bonneville appeals to me because it has an old fashioned air. when looking at it, or when riding it, it reminds me of the machines of my youth. I like the big round headlight, the curved tank, the old fashioned suspension and the general symmetry of the motorcycle. I like the way I sit on it, straight back and feet under my knees which are under my hips, with none of the feet forward stuff while sitting on the tailbone required of cruisers. Modern bikes tend to go for weird styling, pairs of mismatched headlights, pieces of pointed plastic sticking out at odd angles and exaggerated single sided suspension and angular seating. I like the old fashioned look.Next year Bonnevilles sold in the US will join their European counterparts and get electronic fuel injected engines, but for now we get the last of the engines sold with carburettors. I am a bit skittish about EFI as the injection systems require electricity, frequently don't provide the same smooth overall performance of a carburettor and I had lots of problems with the system on the Vespa GTS. However carburettors offer worse gas mileage and are somewhat higher polluting than EFI, even though modern motorcycle exhausts use catalytic converters like cars. My Bonneville also has a choke knob, very old fashioned and a manual fuel tap, just like the bikes of my youth. It shouldn't leak ever but I like to turn the fuel off like I used to 30 years ago... Then there are the fork gaiters, plastic bellows that cover the front suspension. This was the Bonneville when I bought the bike last year. The shiny chrome fork legs are clearly visible here when the bike was 10 miles old:
I soon put paid to that with a pair of Triumph gaiters:
Some people like the gaiters because they look "old fashioned" but for me they are good way to protect the seals in the legs and keep the damping fluid where it does the most good- inside the fork legs. Plus they look cool, especially when they have settled in and smoothed out. Then there is the question of a center stand. Some modern riders don't want a center stand in addition to the side stand because they add weight and aren't necessary.
I like to have both choices to make parking easier in certain conditions, and to aid in simple maintenance chores, like adding air to the tires, checking the oil level and cleaning and oiling the final drive chain:
I have for decades abhorred final drive chains as maintenance intensive and a nuisance. After years of shaft and belt drive I have been forced back to chain drive and really its not so bad. The chain looks pretty much brand new and should be good for at least 20,000 miles- some people claim 40,000 off a modern o-ring chain like this one on the Triumph. I clean it as the factory recommends about every thousand miles with a stiff brush and lashings of kerosene (paraffin in England). To oil it I use a little English gadget called a Loobman which is a tremendous invention for $35.
I use fresh engine oil for its light weight and lubricant qualities and I lashed the little bottle to a frame member above the chain. The other end of the system grips the final sprocket between two electrical ties (!) that drip oil onto the sprocket that spreads the lubricant to both sides of the chain. 
A squeeze of the bottle every time I fill the tank and the chain stays lubricated and supple. I give an extra squeeze from time to time (in the rain, or if I'm feeling generous) and the the little bottle of oil lasts forever. The oil does spread some muck over the rear end but it makes the rear wheel rustproof and it washes off easily enough.
I soon put paid to that with a pair of Triumph gaiters: Some people like the gaiters because they look "old fashioned" but for me they are good way to protect the seals in the legs and keep the damping fluid where it does the most good- inside the fork legs. Plus they look cool, especially when they have settled in and smoothed out. Then there is the question of a center stand. Some modern riders don't want a center stand in addition to the side stand because they add weight and aren't necessary. I like to have both choices to make parking easier in certain conditions, and to aid in simple maintenance chores, like adding air to the tires, checking the oil level and cleaning and oiling the final drive chain:I have for decades abhorred final drive chains as maintenance intensive and a nuisance. After years of shaft and belt drive I have been forced back to chain drive and really its not so bad. The chain looks pretty much brand new and should be good for at least 20,000 miles- some people claim 40,000 off a modern o-ring chain like this one on the Triumph. I clean it as the factory recommends about every thousand miles with a stiff brush and lashings of kerosene (paraffin in England). To oil it I use a little English gadget called a Loobman which is a tremendous invention for $35.I use fresh engine oil for its light weight and lubricant qualities and I lashed the little bottle to a frame member above the chain. The other end of the system grips the final sprocket between two electrical ties (!) that drip oil onto the sprocket that spreads the lubricant to both sides of the chain. A squeeze of the bottle every time I fill the tank and the chain stays lubricated and supple. I give an extra squeeze from time to time (in the rain, or if I'm feeling generous) and the the little bottle of oil lasts forever. The oil does spread some muck over the rear end but it makes the rear wheel rustproof and it washes off easily enough.To ride a bike often and in all weathers I am a firm believer in windshields. When I was younger I wanted a sporting look but nowadays I like a simple windshield. Parabellum does a nice 20 inch number for $250.
I like the slight curvature as opposed to the straight vertical type offered by Triumph and Parabellum comes with the rubber mounting around the headlight, along with cutouts for the turn signals. Also it is completely quiet in operation, no creaking or squeaking. It was a bit of a bugger to install:
And I had to bleed the front brake (boo hoo!) after the handlebars were upside down for the thirty minutes it took to get all the bits organized.
I took advantage of the screen to move my two add on instruments. The clock and the barometer from New Bonneville at $70 apiece are helpful to me partly because I'm rotten at estimating temperature and partly because I hate being late. Also they are self contained and don't rely on the bike's battery to operate:
I like the slight curvature as opposed to the straight vertical type offered by Triumph and Parabellum comes with the rubber mounting around the headlight, along with cutouts for the turn signals. Also it is completely quiet in operation, no creaking or squeaking. It was a bit of a bugger to install:And I had to bleed the front brake (boo hoo!) after the handlebars were upside down for the thirty minutes it took to get all the bits organized.I took advantage of the screen to move my two add on instruments. The clock and the barometer from New Bonneville at $70 apiece are helpful to me partly because I'm rotten at estimating temperature and partly because I hate being late. Also they are self contained and don't rely on the bike's battery to operate: I have always deemed a tachometer necessary to proper motorcycle operation to measure engine rpm, but on the Bonneville I'd have to spend about $500 to get my extra instrument that comes standard on the more heavily chromed and more expensive T100:
The Bonneville has gobs of torque and pulls easily and smoothly from 40 mph in fifth gear so the tachometer has been missed less than I would have expected. I have no plans to install one at this point, much to my own surprise.
The Bonneville has gobs of torque and pulls easily and smoothly from 40 mph in fifth gear so the tachometer has been missed less than I would have expected. I have no plans to install one at this point, much to my own surprise.A commuter needs decent lights, the sort of thing people in cars take for granted. Did you ever hear of someone worrying about the lumens of their car light bulbs? I have only heard it from riders. Me, I'm content with what came from the factory:
And finally there is the question of luggage for the dapper commuter roadster. On the aesthetic front people groan at the thought of burdening their spiffy machines with bags and boxes but to me a motorcycle with no luggage is a motorcycle not ridden as a real alternative to a cage:
To me the Bonneville as presented above is just right for my daily rides, and with a waterproof bag strapped to the seat I can travel at my ease. (I am no fan of tank bags, even the modern ones). To reach this point I started by adding a rear rack, the only one I know of that fits the Bonneville.
It's made by Renntec and is sold by New Bonneville for about $130:
I found it a pain strapping my man purse to the rack each time I rode, so I added a top case (top box in England). This one is preferred by off road riders on bikes like the Kawasaki KLR 650. I like it because its cheap, $85, and is square so there is no wasted space inside with swoops and compound curves. Plus it was available at the Yamaha shop on North Roosevelt:
The top case will hold my full face helmet or my carefully folded mesh/Kevlar jacket, or my man purse with my open face helmet, so I can leave my stuff with the bike locked, weatherproof and out of sight:
In one saddlebag I always keep my waterproofs. The bag itself comes with a waterproof cover but I spray them with silicon and so far their contents have remained nice and dry. I store my waterproof clothing in cotton bedding bags, the sort of bags sheets are sold in, and I label them to make them easier to figure out by the side of the road in a downpour- "liner" for my jacket liner, "pants" and "over boots" for my waterproof mittens and boot covers. I also carry zinc sunscreen and insect repellent, which is always useful around here:
In the other bag I have odds and ends, a socket wrench, bungee cords, rags, fix-a-flat (some hope!) a pressure gauge and my Chico shopping bags of course along with a tin of Nevr Dull to shine up the chrome when I'm bored and waiting for an appointment. I have taken to carrying a blanket for those occasions when one has nowhere to sit but has time to take a break. 
The plastic bag I use as emergency waterproofing if I have to carry my man purse on the back of the seat with my ingenious permanently in place bungee tied to the front of the rack to make an easily used and very secure loop thusly:
Storage is not as elegant as my late lamented Vespa but it's just as roomy in the end.
And finally there is the question of luggage for the dapper commuter roadster. On the aesthetic front people groan at the thought of burdening their spiffy machines with bags and boxes but to me a motorcycle with no luggage is a motorcycle not ridden as a real alternative to a cage:To me the Bonneville as presented above is just right for my daily rides, and with a waterproof bag strapped to the seat I can travel at my ease. (I am no fan of tank bags, even the modern ones). To reach this point I started by adding a rear rack, the only one I know of that fits the Bonneville.It's made by Renntec and is sold by New Bonneville for about $130:I found it a pain strapping my man purse to the rack each time I rode, so I added a top case (top box in England). This one is preferred by off road riders on bikes like the Kawasaki KLR 650. I like it because its cheap, $85, and is square so there is no wasted space inside with swoops and compound curves. Plus it was available at the Yamaha shop on North Roosevelt:The top case will hold my full face helmet or my carefully folded mesh/Kevlar jacket, or my man purse with my open face helmet, so I can leave my stuff with the bike locked, weatherproof and out of sight:In one saddlebag I always keep my waterproofs. The bag itself comes with a waterproof cover but I spray them with silicon and so far their contents have remained nice and dry. I store my waterproof clothing in cotton bedding bags, the sort of bags sheets are sold in, and I label them to make them easier to figure out by the side of the road in a downpour- "liner" for my jacket liner, "pants" and "over boots" for my waterproof mittens and boot covers. I also carry zinc sunscreen and insect repellent, which is always useful around here:In the other bag I have odds and ends, a socket wrench, bungee cords, rags, fix-a-flat (some hope!) a pressure gauge and my Chico shopping bags of course along with a tin of Nevr Dull to shine up the chrome when I'm bored and waiting for an appointment. I have taken to carrying a blanket for those occasions when one has nowhere to sit but has time to take a break. The plastic bag I use as emergency waterproofing if I have to carry my man purse on the back of the seat with my ingenious permanently in place bungee tied to the front of the rack to make an easily used and very secure loop thusly:Storage is not as elegant as my late lamented Vespa but it's just as roomy in the end.Flat tires are a damned nuisance with spoked wheels and inner tubes, much harder to cope with roadside than modern tubeless tires so I may have to do something about the wheels before too long. Flats suck, even when you have a trailer at home to load the bike onto:
I have to say there is pleasure in having the details figured out. There is a peculiar satisfaction in having a place for everything and everything of course, in its place. My inspiration lately came from this BSA single loaded for travel to Panama in the 1950s, a story I reviewed here months ago:
When I took off for Tampa last week almost 500miles away all I had to do was add a waterproof dive bag to the seat with a few days worth of "proper clothes" and I was ready to roll. The horizon beckons, just as it did 30 years ago when i was taking off on my unsuitable motorcycles all the time. Ah impetuous youth.
I have to say there is pleasure in having the details figured out. There is a peculiar satisfaction in having a place for everything and everything of course, in its place. My inspiration lately came from this BSA single loaded for travel to Panama in the 1950s, a story I reviewed here months ago:When I took off for Tampa last week almost 500miles away all I had to do was add a waterproof dive bag to the seat with a few days worth of "proper clothes" and I was ready to roll. The horizon beckons, just as it did 30 years ago when i was taking off on my unsuitable motorcycles all the time. Ah impetuous youth.