A triumph guy since the 1970s, many different kinds of bikes have passed thru my hands over the yrs, but always kept a triumph or 2 in my collection, 68 years old this year and still have 2, a 1970 TR6R and a recently acquired 1968 T120R Bonneville barn find, love these British classic bikes,
Really enjoyed this vid on the history of Bonnevile. I started riding Triumph over 20years ago and in still riding Triumph today, 2010 Thunderbird witch is a pleasure to ride . Triumph keeps on producing excellent bikes for all sorts of riders ,no matter your age and if your a man or women who rides Triumph we love them .
I have a 78 Bonneville, my step father gave it to me 16 years ago,,I just gave it a total restoration,,Had many wanting to buy it,,,so glad I havnt,,,,I think it's the most nostalgic motorcycle I've ever seen,,,,even just looks cool sitting still,,,but cool as hell going down the road....and no bike has the troaty distinct sound of a older triumph...or rides as good...
I purchased a Harley Sportster and rode it 9 years before switching to a Triumph in 1996 and then it was a real Wow! I have been with Triumph every since handling, performance, looks and reliability.
@@Kris_P._Bey_Ken I literally can't remember all the British bikes I've owned.But I will say this. EACH ONE A DREAM. I now own a 71'BSA A65L. along with my HARLEY. Hey, we all age. Oh,LUCAS PRINCE OF DARKNESS😎
Having ridden a 70's Yamaha XS 650 in my youth ( and still do today) it was natural to be interested in the Bonneville. Indeed, as a boy I lived very close to the country house where the oil in frame Bonnevilles were designed ( Umberslade Hall) , tho this was a difficult time for Norton Villiers Triumph. Because it was more affordable I bought an early model re- imported 71 Highboy,. It was criticised for being 2 inches higher than previous models, but actually feels fine, and I am only of average height (5'10'') and most would now probably agree, the oil in frame model is a good bike, just not built during the halycon days of Triumph's reign...oh well ..
I love these older British bikes for their heritage. I don't actually know a lot about them first hand. The only Triumph brand bike that I'd owned was a 2006 Speed Triple. When I heard in this video that 1980 was the first introduction of an electric starter, and that it didn't quite work well at first, I can only shake my head and realize why the older British bike industry had no chance of surviving back then.. My first bike was a 1973 Honda CB350 that I could barely afford to keep (let alone think of being able to afford a British bike which was so de rigeur (sp) back then) , I took electric starting for granted..
Same here same here! Bought a 1972 T100R Daytona 500....a baby Bonneville because i could not afford the extra money for a T120. Still have that Daytona 500 49 years later!
I had 3 Triumphs, a Cub, a Daytona 500 & an '01 Hinckley Bonneville. I also had 3 BMWs. I rode for more than 50 yrs. I had lots of bikes. I hurt myself, pretty bad on my last bike. My last was a beautiful Harley "Dyna Streetbob." I bought it new. John Spencer Long Beach, Ca.
Motorcycle manufacturers never gave the public what they wanted because they didn't consult them and just resorted to increased capacity cylinder wise and higher speeds .The roads mainly built for double decker bus and traffic jams were unsuited to their offerings.
Great video, I thought the White helmets rode Tr7v’s ( 750 Tiger )? I’ve had a 78 Tiger for many years now, the best bike I’ve owned, I’ll take her to the grave….a keeper!!!
This video needs updating! Every new Bonneville now arrives in the UK on a ship from the Far East! I looked at buying the new T120 when they came out, soon realised it was all about imitating the old bike and decided to buy the real thing instead, I found a superb 1974 T120V 650 Bonneville and I love it. I really glad that I didn't go for the Thaimph Wonneville T120... I honestly think that Thiamph have turned into a complete piss take, especially when you consider that the Moto 2 engine will also be Made in Thailand...Hinkley will end up as a museum once they've moved the design department out there too?
Not true. Triumph's are designed and built in Hinkley. A few are assembled off shore. Unlike Harley that manufactures there bikes in five countries including an asian country.
It is true!!! Do your research!!! The vast majority of Thaimphs are made by a far eastern low wage workforce 6000miles away from the design studio. Personally I think they are trading entirely on their british roots to mugs who fall for the marketing bullshit... fooled into buying something that is not what the marketing portrays. Why don't Thiamph slap the country of manufacture flag on their bikes??? LOL
Probably why the Moto2 engine is so good, they had a class act to follow, in terms of being able to run at the upper end of their rev range constantly race after the race without being grenades. and after 9 years of the brilliant Honda motor that having watched every race I can only ever recall seeing 1 go bang. Hopefully, the Triumph will show similar reliability, so far so good as that is an absolute must in a class with a control motor all motors being near identical power output on the dyno. Moto2 was as close if not closer than ever with the beautiful 765 Triple meeting or exceeding all expectations so far so slagging it because of where it is built must now require some help with getting the foot out of the mouth sir. Credit to designers some English no doubt, the engineers and the blokes that assemble it all without cockups. As for comparing an old T120V 650cc 2 valve per cyl and 360 crank pushrod twin with the new T120 a 1200cc 4 valve per cyl ohc parralel twin with a 270-degree crank so 1 crankpin is no longer next to the other but 90 degrees away giving it a Ducati 90 degree L twin firing angle, hence the same sound and power delivery without all the vibration of an old school bonny, add a harmonic balance shaft to make it even smoother means you comparing apples with oranges so pointless. Enjoy your old vibrator friend as I still do for 100km rides. but the short hops you do before fatigue, loss of feeling in the fingers, and the constant spitting out of dental fillings while anyone that likes to do an easy 500k stint is forever stuck in the bar/restaurant awaiting the old school bloke to arrive. Been there done that, not that enjoyable.
The old Triumph died a miserable death as oldfasioned pushrod relics that should have been scrapped 40 years ago. It’s okay being a tool - just dont expect that people will pay you much attention. 🤷🏼♂️
This video not only needs updating but it's also riddled with errors. The video is about Bonneville's but they keep showing Rocket IIIs. Don't get me wrong! I love R3s and I have a Rocket III Touring. I also had a T120 Bonneville back in 1969 and loved it too despite the oil leaking from the pushrod tubes no matter how many times Triumph and myself tried to fix it. But, other than that, I loved the bike and wish I had it still. Another thing that appears to be an error although it may be just the way the narrator said it, was when he mentioned the new two cylinder Bonneville as if two cylinders were new to the bike. Bonnevilles have always been parallel twins. I see someone here is complaining about the new Bonnevilles trying to copy the old ones. I don't have a new Bonneville but I've been told (and I believe it) that the new Bonnevilles are far better than the old ones. Besides the notorious oil leaks of the older Bonnevilles, their electrics had a very poor reputation although I never had problems with mine. I guess I was lucky. And the new Bonnevilles have fuel injection although they made it look similar to carbs. Maybe that's what the guy was complaing about but I much rather have fuel injection. I traveled all over North America on mine and I barely made it over the Rockies. I literally could walk faster. I came very close to having to push the bike and so did the guy I was riding with who was also on a Bonneville. If we had to go even slightly higher, we would have had to push the bikes uphill. I should have re-jetted the carb but, back then, I did think about it before I ran into the mountains. If I had had fuel injection, there would have been no problem. I just rode my R3T all over the country including very high mountain elevations and I never even noticed a change in performance. Try that with and old Bonneville.
loads of power n shakes 13 quarters my old 66 650 was hinged in the middle when going from right to left pushing hard must remember shes a old girl oops pre war in all ways
At 7:20 : "T140V models (724cc) from 31 August 1971". This is wrong. These first edition T140s weren't introduced until late 1972 for the 1973 model year. Then quickly upgraded further to 744cc in early 1973.
Shame whoever made the video calls Meriden meridian. If the Triumph Owners club made this why not use actual Bonnies instead of photos taken from brochures and promotional videos. It didn’t need so many shots of the salt flats either. Sorry but this does a disservice to one of the best looking bikes ever made a truly great motorcycle
A triumph guy since the 1970s, many different kinds of bikes have passed thru my hands over the yrs, but always kept a triumph or 2 in my collection, 68 years old this year and still have 2, a 1970 TR6R and a recently acquired 1968 T120R Bonneville barn find, love these British classic bikes,
Really enjoyed this concise, thorough & nicely paced documentary on the complete story of the Triumph Bonneville. Nicely narrated!
In love with my Bonnie. Thanks for this little doc. 🙏🏼
Me to 🤩
Really enjoyed this vid on the history of Bonnevile. I started riding Triumph over 20years ago and in still riding Triumph today, 2010 Thunderbird witch is a pleasure to ride . Triumph keeps on producing excellent bikes for all sorts of riders ,no matter your age and if your a man or women who rides Triumph we love them .
An icon from a great manufacturer. Thanks for sharing.
I have a 78 Bonneville, my step father gave it to me 16 years ago,,I just gave it a total restoration,,Had many wanting to buy it,,,so glad I havnt,,,,I think it's the most nostalgic motorcycle I've ever seen,,,,even just looks cool sitting still,,,but cool as hell going down the road....and no bike has the troaty distinct sound of a older triumph...or rides as good...
Absolutely right. I've owned all kinds of bikes but the old triumphs are at the top of the list.
I purchased a Harley Sportster and rode it 9 years before switching to a Triumph in 1996 and then it was a real Wow! I have been with Triumph every since handling, performance, looks and reliability.
Harley shmarley, TRIUMPH is where it's at😎
@@Kris_P._Bey_Ken I literally can't remember all the British bikes I've owned.But I will say this. EACH ONE A DREAM. I now own a 71'BSA A65L. along with my HARLEY. Hey, we all age. Oh,LUCAS PRINCE OF DARKNESS😎
Love at the first sign and still love it after many years !
La cosa più bella fatta dalla mano dell'uomo. Grande Bonneville. Grazie Triumph.
Having ridden a 70's Yamaha XS 650 in my youth ( and still do today) it was natural to be interested in the Bonneville. Indeed, as a boy I lived very close to the country house where the oil in frame Bonnevilles were designed ( Umberslade Hall) , tho this was a difficult time for Norton Villiers Triumph. Because it was more affordable I bought an early model re- imported 71 Highboy,. It was criticised for being 2 inches higher than previous models, but actually feels fine, and I am only of average height (5'10'') and most would now probably agree, the oil in frame model is a good bike, just not built during the halycon days of Triumph's reign...oh well ..
I love these older British bikes for their heritage. I don't actually know a lot about them first hand. The only Triumph brand bike that I'd owned was a 2006 Speed Triple. When I heard in this video that 1980 was the first introduction of an electric starter, and that it didn't quite work well at first, I can only shake my head and realize why the older British bike industry had no chance of surviving back then..
My first bike was a 1973 Honda CB350 that I could barely afford to keep (let alone think of being able to afford a British bike which was so de rigeur (sp) back then) , I took electric starting for granted..
Got a 2006 Bonney for my 50 birthday last of the 790cc good wood green and love it
Great video for an extremely beautiful motorcycle. I'm in love with her
Salud desde México, tengo una bonny América 2008, es una belleza! Cheers from México, have an América Bonny 2008, is a beauty! Viva Triumph! 🏍🏍🏍🏍🏍🏍
This is a motorcycle that I first fell in love with in Jr. High School. A condition that has not since waned.
Same here same here! Bought a 1972 T100R Daytona 500....a baby Bonneville because i could not afford the extra money for a T120. Still have that Daytona 500 49 years later!
My 94 Hinckley Trophy 4 is waiting for spring to come - regards from germany!
Any Triumph Is beautiful. Not sure how they do it. Triumphs look like a motorcycle should look. Think the Bonneville was the best designed.
I had 3 Triumphs, a Cub, a Daytona 500 & an '01 Hinckley Bonneville.
I also had 3 BMWs. I rode for more than 50 yrs. I had lots of bikes.
I hurt myself, pretty bad on my last bike. My last was a beautiful Harley "Dyna Streetbob."
I bought it new.
John Spencer
Long Beach, Ca.
Thanks for the upload,as it's now 2019,must mean it's now 60 years old.
Oh how I rue the day in the late sixties I traded my beloved 68 TT Special for a car. 😂
Motorcycle manufacturers never gave the public what they wanted because they didn't consult them and just resorted to increased capacity cylinder wise and higher speeds .The roads mainly built for double decker bus and traffic jams were unsuited to their offerings.
Great video, I thought the White helmets rode Tr7v’s ( 750 Tiger )?
I’ve had a 78 Tiger for many years now, the best bike I’ve owned, I’ll take her to the grave….a keeper!!!
This video needs updating! Every new Bonneville now arrives in the UK on a ship from the Far East!
I looked at buying the new T120 when they came out, soon realised it was all about imitating the old bike and decided to buy the real thing instead, I found a superb 1974 T120V 650 Bonneville and I love it. I really glad that I didn't go for the Thaimph Wonneville T120... I honestly think that Thiamph have turned into a complete piss take, especially when you consider that the Moto 2 engine will also be Made in Thailand...Hinkley will end up as a museum once they've moved the design department out there too?
Not true. Triumph's are designed and built in Hinkley. A few are assembled off shore. Unlike Harley that manufactures there bikes in five countries including an asian country.
It is true!!! Do your research!!!
The vast majority of Thaimphs are made by a far eastern low wage workforce 6000miles away from the design studio. Personally I think they are trading entirely on their british roots to mugs who fall for the marketing bullshit... fooled into buying something that is not what the marketing portrays. Why don't Thiamph slap the country of manufacture flag on their bikes??? LOL
Probably why the Moto2 engine is so good, they had a class act to follow, in terms of being able to run at the upper end of their rev range constantly race after the race without being grenades. and after 9 years of the brilliant Honda motor that having watched every race I can only ever recall seeing 1 go bang. Hopefully, the Triumph will show similar reliability, so far so good as that is an absolute must in a class with a control motor all motors being near identical power output on the dyno. Moto2 was as close if not closer than ever with the beautiful 765 Triple meeting or exceeding all expectations so far so slagging it because of where it is built must now require some help with getting the foot out of the mouth sir. Credit to designers some English no doubt, the engineers and the blokes that assemble it all without cockups.
As for comparing an old T120V 650cc 2 valve per cyl and 360 crank pushrod twin with the new T120 a 1200cc 4 valve per cyl ohc parralel twin with a 270-degree crank so 1 crankpin is no longer next to the other but 90 degrees away giving it a Ducati 90 degree L twin firing angle, hence the same sound and power delivery without all the vibration of an old school bonny, add a harmonic balance shaft to make it even smoother means you comparing apples with oranges so pointless. Enjoy your old vibrator friend as I still do for 100km rides. but the short hops you do before fatigue, loss of feeling in the fingers, and the constant spitting out of dental fillings while anyone that likes to do an easy 500k stint is forever stuck in the bar/restaurant awaiting the old school bloke to arrive. Been there done that, not that enjoyable.
The old Triumph died a miserable death as oldfasioned pushrod relics that should have been scrapped 40 years ago.
It’s okay being a tool - just dont expect that people will pay you much attention. 🤷🏼♂️
Nothing like the old brit bikes
This video not only needs updating but it's also riddled with errors. The video is about Bonneville's but they keep showing Rocket IIIs. Don't get me wrong! I love R3s and I have a Rocket III Touring. I also had a T120 Bonneville back in 1969 and loved it too despite the oil leaking from the pushrod tubes no matter how many times Triumph and myself tried to fix it. But, other than that, I loved the bike and wish I had it still.
Another thing that appears to be an error although it may be just the way the narrator said it, was when he mentioned the new two cylinder Bonneville as if two cylinders were new to the bike. Bonnevilles have always been parallel twins.
I see someone here is complaining about the new Bonnevilles trying to copy the old ones. I don't have a new Bonneville but I've been told (and I believe it) that the new Bonnevilles are far better than the old ones. Besides the notorious oil leaks of the older Bonnevilles, their electrics had a very poor reputation although I never had problems with mine. I guess I was lucky. And the new Bonnevilles have fuel injection although they made it look similar to carbs. Maybe that's what the guy was complaing about but I much rather have fuel injection. I traveled all over North America on mine and I barely made it over the Rockies. I literally could walk faster. I came very close to having to push the bike and so did the guy I was riding with who was also on a Bonneville. If we had to go even slightly higher, we would have had to push the bikes uphill. I should have re-jetted the carb but, back then, I did think about it before I ran into the mountains. If I had had fuel injection, there would have been no problem. I just rode my R3T all over the country including very high mountain elevations and I never even noticed a change in performance. Try that with and old Bonneville.
Bob Miller still doesn't sound like an old original Triumph though
loads of power n shakes 13 quarters my old 66 650 was hinged in the middle when going from right to left pushing hard must remember shes a old girl oops pre war in all ways
Yeeeeah I'm gonna get a Speed Triple
needs more pics of the old bikes not the ugly copys they make today
I realize this Bonneville played a huge start on my teen-age years... Loved that bike. Then I purchased a Harley-Davidson Sportster.WOW!!!
I'm sorry. 😂
This is what men play in the background at the spa.
For sale 2014 Bonne T100 like new. 125 miles. St Louis.
At 7:20 : "T140V models (724cc) from 31 August 1971". This is wrong. These first edition T140s weren't introduced until late 1972 for the 1973 model year. Then quickly upgraded further to 744cc in early 1973.
Also, its not Meridian !! Its Meriden.
Considering this is from the TOMCC, disappointed with factual discrepencies in the narration and poor editing.
Fully agree. No mention of the gear shift change from right to left.
@@BobberRider Sure they did. You just didn't pay attention @ 8:00.
Oil temp even cooler!! Who are you kidding ? you had tp run an oil cooler to make up for not enough oil
Shame whoever made the video calls Meriden meridian. If the Triumph Owners club made this why not use actual Bonnies instead of photos taken from brochures and promotional videos. It didn’t need so many shots of the salt flats either.
Sorry but this does a disservice to one of the best looking bikes ever made a truly great motorcycle
Very Informative - but the music sucks!!
Why this annoying musak that prevents understanding the speaker?
T120
Sorry, really misses the mark for me. (I have three, a 59, a 65 TT and a standard 67) More of a marketing film for John Bloor.
M
Meridian? FFS.
A poorly made video, no mention of the TSS, TSX or the T140AV.