‘I’m now pretty certain I’ll keep it forever’
“It was the Triumph Street Twin that I originally fell in love with, after I took a test ride on one at the MCN Festival a few years back. I rushed over to my local Triumph dealer, Webbs of Peterborough, who talked me into a Bonneville Black instead. Weighing it up, the Bonnie actually made more financial sense than the Street Twin because you get a lot more for your money. There’s a bigger engine, a larger tank with better fuel economy, preload adjustable rear suspension, twin front discs and a gear position indicator. So for my two-up riding needs it was a better proposition. Plus, on finance it was only something like £15 a month more. “Triumph don’t bill it as a tourer, but it actually does really well fully loaded. My wife and I took it for a weekend camping to watch BSB at Silverstone. We had everything – all of our clothes, camping gear, the lot. The Bonnie took everything in its stride, in fact I barely noticed any change to the handling, even though we had it all piled high on the back. It’s brilliantly balanced and more confidence inspiring than my old Bandit. I fitted some Givi panniers myself and they give me everything I need in terms of storage and security. The ideal solution would be a pair of throwover leather saddlebags which would obviously suit the bike’s looks better, but through gritted teeth I’d say that these don’t look too bad. But they’re a big help when we go away camping, and that’s the main thing. I might put some webbing on so they look a bit cooler. “Another thing I like about the Bonnie over the Street Twin is that it’s got a bigger fuel tank
– the Bonnie’s is 14.5 litres whereas the Street’s is just 12 litres. On a typical ride out it’s returning about 61mpg, so the range is pretty spot on for doing long trips away.
“I think the mirrors are better than the Street Twin’s too – when I took that for a test ride I couldn’t get them in a position that worked for me, whereas these are brilliant.
“The finance package comes to an end in July but I’m now pretty certain I’ll keep it forever. It really ticks all my boxes and I wholeheartedly enjoy every ride – I just need to get out and ride more, like the rest of us!”
‘It made a lot more sense than a Street Twin’