I had been shopping around for several months looking for a nice "re-entry" bike, as I hadn't ridden in nearly 30 years (I'm 54).
The Harleys didn't do anything for me and the metric cruisers all seemed the same. When I saw the new Bonneville, it was love at first sight.
I felt immediately at home on the Triumph, and even at my height of 6' 1", the bike was not too short for me. This bike inspires confidence and has superb handling. It's plenty quick for me as well.
The Bonnevilles are not cruisers and they're not the typical sport rocket either. They're not supposed to be either. What the Bonneville is is a really nice back-roads bike that can easily keep up on the freeway when necessary. I think the combination of retro styling and modern technology is a real winner.
My only "ding" on the new Bonnies is that the tachometer is an option (which I added).
I am planning on upgrading the silencers to Staintunes, removing the air injection and re-jetting to even out performance in the mid-range.
While the new Triumph Bonneville may be a little more costly than some entry-level metric cruisers, I guarantee you'll get more compliments and smiles per mile on the Bonnie.
