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
Barber Vintage Festival 2014 – AHRMA Racing
After riding 690 miles on Friday, October 10, 2014, I got up on Saturday, October 11, 2014 and rode my Bonneville to Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama for the 10th Anniversary of the Triumph Sponsored, Barber Vintage Festival. The gates opened at 8 AM, and I...
My Ride to Barber Vintage Festival 2014
Every year in October, Triumph Motorcycles America hosts and sponsors the Barber Vintage Festival at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama. 2013 was my first experience, and it was so good, I went again this year on the 10th Anniversary of the...
New Glarus Octoberfest Road Trip – 2014
I took a weekend road trip recently with my buddies Dave and Chris to the southwest region of Wisconsin that included the New Glarus Octoberfest. Dave and Chris were part of the spring trip we took the the Tail of the Dragon. Chris put together this cool video of our...
Triumph TwinsTalk Podcast – Episode 1
Welcome to the first episode of Triumph TwinsTalk (or, "Triple T"), a podcast for owners and anyone else interested in the modern Triumph Twin Bonneville, Scrambler or Thruxton motorcycles. We've thrown open the doors of Randy's Garage and are taking podcasting for a...
Chicago Motorcyclists Beware!
I had a strange experience this past week. I got an envelope in the email from the City of Chicago. Here is what I found inside: So, I went online to the www.cityofchicago.org/finance site and found the section to look for speeding camera images and videos. Then I...
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride – Chicago
Globally more men are affected by prostate cancer than women are by breast cancer. Each year, one in nine men develop prostate cancer, and close to 500,000 men will die from the disease. I participated in this global awareness and fund-raising event on Sunday,...
Brighter Headlight Option for the Triumph Bonneville
I've been looking for an option to significantly brighten my stock 2008 Triumph Bonneville headlight for some time. I've searched on Triumphrat.net (http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technical-talk/189034-extra-bright-headlight-do-i-need-special-wires-or-anything.html)...
I Visit the Springfield Mile 2
Labor Day weekend is the traditional time for the 2nd Springfield Mile AMA Pro Flat Track racing event of each season. It is the only venue that hosts 2 races each year, held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds race track. At the generosity of Bill Gately, owner of...
Dirt Bag Ride In – Motorcycle Show & Swap Meet
One of the followers of this blog is Eugene, who asked me to post this information regarding and event he is involved in setting up. It is called the Dirt Bag Ride In, and its a motorcycle show and swap meet taking place on September 13, 2014, from 12 noon to 4 PM....
Video Update on the Triumph Land Speed Record Pursuit at Bonneville
Here is an update video on the ongoing Triumph Castrol Rocket pursuit of the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats. My understanding is that the August Speed Week had to be cancelled due to weather and poor salt conditions and is being considered for an...
Bonnie Visits the Peoria TT
I rode to the Peoria TT this past Sunday and took this quick shot before entering the race park.
Rebuilding my Bonneville Front Forks Again
While my Bonnie was disabled due to the carb malfunction and I was waiting on the parts to fix it, I decided to rebuild my front forks again. I had ordered some new parts from Bellacorse that were waiting to be installed:...
My Mikuni Carbs Don’t Like Ethanol
I am really lucky this didn't happen while I was on the road... I would have been seriously stranded! This morning I rode my Bonnie to the North side of Chicago to visit an Anglican church with some friends. My gas was low, so I filled up at the local Thornton's...
Installing the BP Mikuni Carb Kit and Oil Cooler Kit on Ernie’s T-100
I have previously written about my experience installing the Bonneville Performance Mikuni Carb Kit on my 2008 Bonneville Black. Since then, one Chicago area blog reader named Ervie contacted me because he owns a 2008 T-100, and wanted some advice on doing some of the...
Jason DiSalvo at Bonneville
I ran across this short video on Facebook, taken this past week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. It was posted by Jason DiSalvo who was actually riding that blurred thing in the video. Someone with the Carpenter Racing team took it.... I love the sound track! If you want...