A brief history of the Triumph Bonneville
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Henry Cole rides a selection of Triumph Bonnevilles and tells the story of this iconic motorcycle, from its launch in 1959 to the present day.
First shown in Series 6 of The Motorbike Show
I worked at Triumph in the 70's in the Frame shop. I used to weld the main frames up on 2 build jigs. I welded up the Silver Jubilee bikes. I was also on the BBC Man Alive programme when they done a documentary on Triumph.
I love that bike and was proud to have part of my soul embedded into it long live the bonnie 😎👌🇬🇧🏍🇬🇧
1968 650cc Bonneville rider here! I downsized from a Kwaka 9 back in the early 1980's and never looked back. Had Mikuni's Carbs when I bought it, but I switched back to Amal. Reliable as the best Swiss watch and easy to work on. Pre electric start. There's nothing like kicking over a Bonneville to start a ride. Fantastic motorcycle. Used to have a mate with Triumph Trophy and another mate with a Thunderbird chopped. Both fantastic motorcycles too.
6.45 : "Meridian"? Harry, its Meriden mate.
Thats what I thought & only live a few miles from there
It's Henry!
"Harry"? Alistair, it's Henry mate.
don't forget Richard Gere,and Bruce Lee,the lovely Ann Margaret,, Iconic is an understatement..
I bought a brand new T140D in 1979, I was 19years old. It looked brilliant, rode brilliantly, but it broke down every week without fail! It had a six month warranty, the kill switch was aptly named, it nearly killed me by vibrating off when I was overtaking!
I swapped it for a GS550 Suzuki.
That was totally reliable.
I've tried to trace my Bonnie, it was last taxed in 1982, but to no avail.
Where are you now, FCS50V?
You were unlucky.
When I was 19 in 1980 I bought a very low mileage T140E . It never missed a beat and it never leaked 1 single drop of oil .
@@johnniethepom7545 You were very lucky with your bike!
Mine didn't leak oil, it was the electrical system that caused the problems. I eventually swapped it for a GS550 Suzuki, I could rely on it!
I remember sitting on one in NW England, bristling with pride at a busy intersection during Phase II Mods when a whole swarm of scooters swept by in the opposite direction. That was definitely the bike to be seen on!!!
Well I mean it's a freaking Triumph wildly considered the UK Harley and the ONLY bike you can park next to a Harley at a biker bar and get a nod of respect. So yeah hold your heads high and and be proud. The Bonny's a great looking bike I only wish Triumph would get serious and get more dealerships in the US and stop half assing it and get your factories firing on all cylinders.
I have the 4th Bonnie to come of the production line at Hinckley. Great bike.
I have a new T120 and I love it 😍. Great video. Really enjoyed watching , biggest like from me 👍. Now I’m off for a ride 😁
Oh,that low end torque. Take off in 1st gear and as soon as you have forward momentum dump it into 2nd and twist the throttle Feel the engine almost come to a stop as the low end torque catches up. Notice the vertical twins pistons hitting you under your ass. Pure motorbike. Soul a la Britain!
I owned a new 1965 TT Special, at the time the fastest product on bike in the world. It was a lightweight brutal powerhouse with 11.5:1 compression ratio pistons. I converted it to street use and eventually burned up the pistons, after putting 10;1 bonny pistons in it it was a better street bike, but it was the day of the bone rattling teeth chattering solid mount 650cc engine, you had to own one to appreciate them.
James Dean - he couldn't have had a Bonnie as he died in 1955 and the Bonnie was introduced in 1958 / 9. Just a comment. But YES the Bonnie is iconic. Dean was Born: 8 February 1931, Marion, Indiana, United States. Died: 30 September 1955, Cholame, California, United States
The other night, I watched Nowhere to Run starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, he rode a Triumph Bonneville in it. Great scene. Great movie. He is also a Triumph guy.
Been into the Triumps since 1980 , still have my 1st one 1971 tiger purchased in 1980, have an 825cc 72, 1959 Tigercub all orginial down to the tires and they still have nubs on them .
Sold my 71 TR6 in 73, but if I really wanted to replace it today, I would go for the RE Interceptor 650 which in my opinion is what Triumph should have produced 50 yrs ago. I sadly live in H-D land, 99.5 percent of bike owned by wababee's, but still get approval when I ride up on my 71 CB100.
C’mon…MERIDEN…🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 say it properly mate.
very nice really, I sort of converted to the Triumph brand some 9 years ago from BMW (well I am German, you cannot blame me to start with a beemer, can you). A Tiger 800 was the first Triumph I had and it stayed with me for 90,000 kms... at some point a Bonneville Bobber was sitting next to the Tiger in my garage, and now, as the Tiger 800 retired, a brandnew Tiger 900 GT Pro is about to arrive..
Love em. I have a 2013 Bonneville, the wife has a 2020 street twin.
Only just found this and very interesting. A bit disappointed Henry was a bit sneery about the Les Harris Triumphs. They were built in a fairly small industrial unit in Newton Abbot Devon, my wife was in charge of all the admin and lots of other stuff. The problem was Les didn't actually buy Triumph out he just leased the license to make them for a certain number of years. And the license had stringent restrictions on making any improvements to the bike. He employed one of the chief designers and one of the chief engineers from Triumph with the idea of launching a new bike but I believe in the end it came down to lack of funds, my wife had left to have our son by that time. They were actually quite exciting times and the whole staff were very dedicated and did their best to make it happen.
I had a 1982 Meridan Bonnie and my mate bought one of the first Harris Bonnie's. Both great bikes and thanks to Les the continuation of Triumph motorcycles carries on today.
I recently passed my test. After my little learner 125 my first bike is a modern Bonneville T120. It truly is a lovely bike.
I'm sorry, when you rolled out the 19/71/72 Triumph out of the shed you lost me. That bike spelled the end of Triumph dominance. BSA demanded that the oil in frame be utilized across the range and it made the Bonneville hard to build, tall in the saddle and clunky to look at. The mustard yellow and powder blue offerings were a horror as well.
The Spitfire, the 74 Ducati 900 ss and the Bonnieville are all timeless classic iconic designs.
Don't worry Henry I won't take your word for it.
I bought a new Bonneville in 1983. My all time favorite bike in spite it ran very hot.
I owned two early Bonneville models during my time in England and both were troublesome pigs. More so than the BSA and Matchless twins that followed. The Bonnie benefited from good PR and was over rated against other twins of the time.. The only Triumphs I truly admired were the pre-unit alloy, 500 Tiger that provided the heart for my Rickman Metisse scramblers and the my 1955 Triumph Thunderbird.. A good video for Triumph fans covering what is a very pretty motorcycle..
I live an hour away from Marne Iowa where a great stockist is located so I get to visit the backroom of history,, Pre-owned Brit bikes. I met Craig Vetter at the open house once. To see an Ariel square four and a 73 Trident is good fun.
Long time client man 197 0 was best for me
Would love to meet the man
One of my biggest regrets was having to sell my project ‘68 650 bonnie due to being unemployed.
A triumph guy since back in the 1970s, introduced to them by my friend at the time Jeff, (RIP bro) even when everybody moved on to the bigger and more expensive Harleys I always kept a triumph or 2, yeah I got a Harley also but always had a triumph too, even today at 68 yrs old I have a 1970 TR6R, and recently pushed a 1968 650 T120R Bonneville out of a tomb it had been resting in since 1980, love the Triumph motorcycle, so proud to be the owner of such a beautiful machine, often I find myself just staring and amazed at what a awesome machine they are, long live the Triumph motor Company,
6.38. The Triumph MERIDIAN factory!!!??? Ye Gods! Be ashamed, Cole
Come on Henry, tell the truth; that Beckham doco was the most cringeworthy, unwatchable rubbish ever.
Henry. You have to check out the new Bonnieville Bobber. 1200cc 76cu. Outrageously sweet. Wish it was offered in British racing green. Loving it here in the states.I always love you're stuff. Loved the uncle Bung's was it, frame find. Press on Sir.
First Triumph was a 73 that had been hacked. While it was somewhat fun to ride, it was just way to hacked up.
Second was a 2001 Triumph Bonneville America. Rode that bike for 11 years before getting a Harley.
My latest acquisition is a 1979 Triumph Bonneville Special. It's fairly pristine other than having short open headers. It definitely turns some heads. I do have the original 2 into 1 exhaust it came with.
Pushrod 360 vertical twin. The UK bike manufacturers were obsessed with an out of date engine configuration.
The youth in the late 60s and early 70s bought Japanese, European ohc's and 2-strokes instead.
Kirk Douglas, Bert Lancaster, and Clint Eastwood had Bonneville’s.
Meriden Henry, not meridien
And well done on pulling out the xenophobes and racists from under their rocks
Good luck
When Triumph introduced the 1971 oil-in frame tall seat models like yours, at the time I thought they were ungainly and spoiled the classic look of the earlier oil tank models. But in the decades since they have really grown on me. These days, they're only flat English-market handlebars from perfection. IMHO.YMMV.
My all time favourite bike, the Trumph Bonneville, which rode better and looked better, than any other bike I owned. My old Speedtwin came second, fishtail not withstanding. But with the Bonne, I could leave sparks on opposing curbs at speed, with a chick on the back. Which makes me think... Nobody ever credited these girls for their courage and class, clinging to the chopped off DJs that was our uniform in the mid-sixties. Mothers and daughters married us with pride. Cops looked the other way. Guests dived out of party windows when I arrived, leaving the ladies to me. Was I a terrorist? Nothing, dudes. It was just a few revs and their imaginations did the rest. But no bikie gave one grief when you were sitting on this, the 2-wheel icon to beat all. Triumph Bonneville. If he were fool enough to give me the nod, it was he who the sirens and their women wailed for. And none of us wore helmets. 1%? Nothing percent, yet on the Bonne, we ruled. Today, at 80, it is a HZJ75 Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier that takes me on death-defying treks in Arnhem Land, North Australia. But this is the 4WD icon that echos the glory of the Bonneville. My ghost will be seen on a Bonneville.
Henry, be real. Triumph Motorcycles were manufactured at Meriden. Not some place you called Meridian! Every Triumph nut knows that, except you of course.
All great looking bikes. I have what I think is the best looker of the lot. A 900 Thruxton. I just wish it had a kickstart and the sound of the sixties.
Great video. Just got a mint 2003 and love it
I still own my Meriden Triumph Bonneville. Finest ride ever. Bought new in 79 and just cant part with it. So nimble and stingy on fuel.
For sale 2014 Bonne T100 like new. 125 miles. Extras. St Louis.
decent bike, mine was '65 version. but if you wanted to go fast and far, the r69s was better.
they went out of business because they were brits, fat and lazy businessmen in charge.
the re-vivified brand is making decent bikes, too, but the japanese do it better.
Henry who's messed with your choppers..... front ones are a bit oversized
I had a 1971. A little tall but so much fun to ride !
Fantastic clip
I had a new t120 and now a scrambler xe1200 ,triumph are the best
Regards
Dave from Scotland
My 1974 T140 U.S import-resto' nearly finished. Drum back brake, right foot shift. Cherokee Red and Cold White. As light as a pushbike compared to modern stuff. Keep up the good work Henry. Enjoyed your books too.
only just found this vid. what about the thruxton bobni with the extra center racing plugs
but but have you already give up Norton, jesus man...😁
I was smiling the entire time watching this. Just amazing. Love it.
Good interesting video the new Bonnevilles 2022 in newer in the states don’t have the fort boot I think that’s a good classic look
My Triumph makes me smile everytime I ride it also.........
I had a t140 back in 85, it was good but I couldn't stop oil leaks.
It's not "even" Steve McQueen, it's especially Steve McQueen
# Meridian...lol.
# My heart sank when the worst example of a T120 came out of the shed door, the first year OIF's.
But the episode got better thereafter.
# why do these retro Hinkley/Chonburi models get all the racist/xenophobic hate?
You never see these comments on a vlog about Tigers or Speed Triples.
Strange that. Innit.
Agreed, 1971= 34" seat height, Comical hub brakes, dodgy paint.
Still a good looking bike in the American spec and great fun great to ride. No room for Bonnie snobbery here 😉
A shame to keep that Bonneville in a shed covered in dust. They are meant to be ridden.
We made lots of bikes for the Nigerian army.
Aquired a ratty 76 a few months ago and got it started yesterday!
Thanks Henry, great story. Recently sat on a new-ish bonnie in red and they are so comfortable. I didn't ride it because I wasn't licensed to, however I hope to ride one in the future, they are great sleds. 👍
Another great episode Henry! Bless you and keep well, role on some nice dry roads…🙏
British classic, made in Thailand! 😮😮😮
had several Triumphs back in the 70s. The best of the lot in my view is the 1982 TR65 Thunderbird 650. A gem of a bike.
Current bike a 1961 Tribsa, 1954 Tiger T110 engine in a 1961 Golden Flash chassis.
Check out my triumph bobber black
Thanks from Portugal 👍👍👍👍
I owned a low-mileage (around 2000 miles) 1966 Bonneville in 1969. Unlike my earlier Triumphs, it handled really well. It looked very pretty too. It was let down though by its horribly vibratory engine, which broke exhaust brackets and bulb filaments, and made cruising at 70mph a misery. My pal had a 1969 Thruxton Bonneville which wasn’t quite as bad, so maybe I had a particularly bad one. I had previously owned a 1961 BSA Shooting Star, 500cc, which was a much nicer bike to ride, as well as other Triumph, AJS and Enfield parallel twins, and found that the lower capacity, lower tuned engines were much sweeter.
Thanks Henry....
That bike just makes me drool!
I long toyed with the idea of getting a classic Bonneville but thoughts of drum brakes and reliability given that I already have several classic cars to keep running put me off. Never realised until I looked it up in 2017 that you could buy a brand new Bonneville with all the mod cons so I ordered one. A beautiful candy red/silver T120. Much nicer than they are now with that chrome grab handle behind the saddle and those gorgeous chrome wheels and heated grips as standard. I had not ridden a motorcycle for 16 years. It was motorcycling heaven. But then I bought a Thruxton R and that bike outshone the T120 by some margin so I traded it in for a Ducati Panigale V2 Troy Bayliss last year. Was sorry to see my T120 go but at least I still have my Thruxton.
Triumph were built in Meriden NOT Meridian as he said
The guys a knob
and i got a 2018 bonnie.
It wasn’t Meridian it was Meriden Henry 😳
I just purchased a new 2022 Bonneville T100 great bike and fun to ride. I also in joy back roads on my 1972 Dayton t100r . You can not go wrong purchasing a triumph.
Brilliant,thanks for the video!
I'd rather have a Commando
Still rocking a `66. Love `em.
Bought a Bonneville new in 1978 and 1982. Loved them but went over to Japanese for better performance and reliability when I started to holiday in Europe.
Thanks Henry for a very interesting video.
So pleased with my 2020 T100 bought new by me
....to me it looks like a motor cycle should look.
Made a few mods to mines to loose some of the modern touches I am not to keen on.
Sounds great with its peashooters.....goes great.....not that I push it....past all that.
Thanks for sharing! Great content.
Original paint/bike like this looks nicer than a restored one, any day of the week....and twice as much on Sunday...
In Feb 77 I bought a T140V attached to a Chariot sidecar on sale in Brisbane, Australia. As a 17yr old on an outfit I was considered an oddity.
The old Bonneville looks like the Royal Enfield 650.
All due respect; I believe you’ve got your statement backwards mate. 🇬🇧👍🏼
anyone remember Thrust petroleum a Yorkshire firm I think . My mother had a logo on her mc1 escort that they gave to good customers . It said
I get Thrust Regularly lol this was in the 60s70s what a brilliant advert you will never see again
I had a 1979 Triumph 750 Bonneville black/silver I bought when I was 17 to learn on. Whoaa right out the shed almost head on to a truck, loved the bike and it was fast. Sad I sold it always had some sort of problem fouling plugs and recharging.
Statham was seen riding the 1966 for exactly 4 seconds at the start of the movie. Still looked pretty cool. 😎
I have the same grin every time I ride my T140. It’s just a wonderful machine on twisty roads.
field bikes , Banton, KE100,X7 engine and from their on i just liked the engines . Electric bikes will never have the beauty of an air breathing machine. but we need to go there.
Fort Worth boys put together this motorcycle and called it Bonnevile cigar. They set records on the Bonnevile flats. The Bonnevile cigar currently is in England at Triumph museum. Way to go Americans....
My Dad was a triumph Man right up to the 60's. Loved his Tigers but hated the Bonnie for some reason. I always preferred the Nortons. Now many years later my last two bikes have been Triumph but neither a Bonnie. Currently have a Speed Triple highbred that I built myself. Now getting a bit much for me. Keep looking at another old British mark in new clothing the new little Enfields.
Elvis had one
DAVID ESSEX HAD ONE.
00:43
2:17 witty
3:00
1-the original boni was a pig to work on and like riding a push bike with a motor. 2- tell everyone where to new ones are made.
A shame they never made a proper Thruxton for the road with the fancy internals. But left behind by the Japanese.
The first motorcycle I ever rode. A college friend had a 66, he rode up, got off and let me take it down the street. Never ridden so much as a mini bike before. Got the front wheel an inch or so off the ground going over a manhole cover. A few weeks later I was able to "wheelie" that bike.
Meridian?
Meridian?
It looked like an oil on frame bikke, but the chrome fenders from the 68 confuses the issue.
You must be NUTS! You got the make correct (Triumph). You got the model correct too (Bonneville). BUT it's a post 1970 OIF (oil in frame) bike which was shit and the style got lost in the change as well. None of the names you mentioned rode an OIF Triumph! I love my Triumphs, I lived only a few miles from the Allesley factory.
Richard Gere rode an OIF Bonneville T140 in 1982 'Officer and a Gentleman.' Looked pretty cool. Great bike but has to be American spec, small tank and high bars.
Meridian?