TriumphBonneville.org is a personal blog site sharing my experiences in owning, modifying and riding a “modern classic” carbureted, air-cooled, 2008 Triumph Bonneville Black. I share milestones and experiences with various aftermarket products and services, do-it-yourself garage performance and styling modifications.
I also share experiences in following professional and amateur flat track and road motorcycle racing, and taking my own solo road trips and rides with friends and other enthusiasts!
2007-2008
In 2007, a friend gave me a Honda CB750 which I got running and rode around for a year. Based on a boyhood dream, I traded it in on the purchase of a new Bonneville in July, 2008. I have been riding and wrenching on this carbureted British Twin machine ever since, putting on over 75,000 miles.
2013
In January 2013, I purchased a 1976 Triumph Bonneville 750 in Madison, Wisconsin. I share about bringing it down to Chicago, making a few modifications and necessary maintenance and selling it a few months later in the Spring of 2013.
I also include my lowest point… my personal story of a motorcycle accident in November 2013 and surviving with only a broken ankle (thankfully)! I share my physical and mental recovery path, the repairs and modifications to the Bonneville, and the joy of riding once again.
2014
In October of 2014, I purchased a used 2012 Thruxton 900 to ride while I made some major modifications to the 2008 Bonneville. I rode it about 8,000 miles in 2014-2015 and sold it in November of 2015 when I neared completion on the 2008 Bonneville. During that year I made some modifications to the Thruxton, and share those experiences as well!
2016
In January 2016 I took a road trip to Bonneville Performance located near Daytona Beach, Florida, and spent a week putting a BP race-prepared rebuilt engine back in the Bonneville. Bill Gately, the owner, had converted my former 865cc stock engine into an 1100cc race engine, using the same techniques and technologies he uses in building the Triumph factory-sponsored American Flat Track Supertrackers. This experience, fully highlighted and detailed in this site, has been the zenith of my Bonneville experience thus far.
2018
In July 2018 I moved away from the Chicago area to the Madison area of Wisconsin. I now have a larger garage space that will allow me to work on multiple project bikes. My first purchases were a used 2006 Scrambler 900 with only 3,500 miles on it and a 2002 Bonneville with 2,400 miles on it. Project bike #3 is a 2004 Bonneville.
2019
I was able to sell the Scrambler 900 in March. I completed the 2004 Cafe Racer and have it and the 2002 Bonneville up for sale. Over Memorial Day weekend I was able to ride my 2008 Bonneville around Lake Michigan (my third time) with a group of buddies from the Windy City RATs. In June, a new adventure presented itself when a friend was able to purchase a 1977 Yamaha XS650D. With that project completed, I purchased a 1981 Yamaha XS650S and a 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 as project bikes 5 and 6.
In conclusion…
This blog contains my personal experiences, practical how-to’s, and things to do and not to do based upon my experience with the 2001-2015 Hinckley “Modern Classic” Triumph air-cooled twin motorcycles.
I hope you find the site helpful and enjoyable. Your comments, questions, and inquiries are always welcome!
Randy
Recent Posts
New Triumph Speed Triple Video – Unleash the Thrill
Yesterday Triumph released a video featuring the new 2016 Speed Triple S and R models. Enjoy
Triumph T140 Cruising the Fjords of Norway
I received an email this morning from Jo Bergersen letting me know about Falkeblikk, a film production company based by the fjords of western Norway that just produced this short movie about a Triumph T140 cruising close to the fjords. Enjoy!
The New 2016 Bonneville’s Are Here!
Yesterday and today Triumph Motorcycles of Hinckley, UK has unveiled their new redesigned line-up of Bonneville models for 2016. Gone are the modern classic air-cooled twins of 2001-2015, and in with the larger displacement, higher torque and HP, liquid-cooled models....
The New 2016 Triumph Bonneville Announcement Coming October 28, 2015
If you are into Triumph Bonneville's like me, you've probably already seen the teaser videos being shared online and in social media. Next Wednesday, October 28, 2015, Triumph is expected to announce the next generation (2016 model) of the Bonneville, their most...
Chicagoland Speedway Nascar Truck Race
I've always enjoyed watching Nascar racing on TV whenever I had the chance, and every once in awhile I'd see they had a truck series. I have an associate at work who is really much more seriously into Nascar, who told me that a big weekend was coming up at the...
History of Triumph Motorcycles Video
Found this great YouTube video on the early history of the Triumph Motorcycle. It features Jeff Stone of "Men and Motors" at the National Motorcycle Museum in Pickenham, UK, giving us a history of the great British brand including the first 1902 Triumph. Enjoy!
Randy’s Ride to the Indy Mile
Due to some back pain issues, I had to give up on the normal plan of riding my Thruxton to the 2015 running of the AMA Pro Flat Track race called the Indy Mile. Instead, I drove my new/old 1993 Chevrolet Indy Pace pickup truck to the event (ironic). Here is a short 3...
Mike’s 2014 Triumph Thruxton Named Trixie!
All the way from Nova Scotia, Canada, Mike sent these photos in and wrote: "Thanks again for your help a while back on wheel spacing. My 2014 Thruxton is back on the road after a winter tear-down with your help. Keep doing what you're doing. Your site is a daily stop...
Scenic Section of the Ride to the Brewtown Rumble
Motoworks Chicago sponsored an informal ride from Chicago to the Brewtown Rumble on Sunday, May 17, 2015. The event was a billed as new motorcycle show located near the Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A group of Chicago riders gathered at Johnny Scheff's shop...
Randy Rides to Work
Here's a GoPro video of a typical ride to work for me... happens year round an average of at least 3 times a week which translates to at least 3,000 miles/year. With the other trips and rides I take it gets me up to 10K average miles per year since I bought my first...
Jorge Wraps His Bonneville SE Headers
It is especially fulfilling to meet people through this blog, and one of those joys has been to meet my fellow Bonneville rider, Jorge. We met at the Full Moon Restaurant little over a year ago and have been on several events or rides together since then, including...
D9 Bonneville Brackets Installation for the 2012 Thruxton
It's always a good day when you come home from work and see a package from D9 Bonneville Brackets waiting for you on the porch! I had ordered a lay flat ignition relocation bracket in black, and 2 black instrument cups from D9 Bonneville Brackets several weeks ago. I...
Learning to Fly Video
Saw this video on motorcycle.com today. Love it! It was made by actor Jayson Warner Smith travelling on a Triumph Bonneville, and shot almost entirely with an iPhone. Learning to Fly from jayson smith on Vimeo.
Bucket List Item
This map on Facebook caught my attention this morning. It was generated by a doctoral student at Michigan State named Randy Olsen, who came up with a computer algorithm to find the most efficient route between 50 landmarks in all 48 contiguous states. The article...
Triumph Salt Racer
I ran across this very cool project and blog this weekend and just thought I would share it with all of you fellow Triumph Bonneville enthusiasts. The project is called Triumph Salt Racer, and it consists of designing and building a modified 2008 Thruxton that they...