Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126506
plunger pump keeps engine oil moving between the engine and the oil reservoir in the frame. Oil for the gearbox is maintained separately. A moderate pull on the clutch and a quick snick of the t~ on the left-side shift lever get you ready to go. The mellow exhaust note is matched by the mellow powerband. There's plenty of torque on hand to minimize the necessity of shifting, and enough through the rpm range to keep up with all but the fastest four-wheelers ar~nd town. It's pleasant power, more-thanadequate-hut-DOt-~rpowering power. A Triumph used to occupy Su}>erbike status over a decade ago, but the long. standing engine design has been sur· passed in both power and comfort. The non-counterbalanced engine vibrates, and passes that on to the rider. At idle the handlebars undergo a steady up and down buzz covering a half inch path. The vibration wiD numb hands, feet and tush in -a span of 100 miles, causing the uninitiated to seek shelter in the nearest coffee shop or gas sta~on. To get from road to _coffee shop parking lot, you'll need to slow down. Single ~ on each wheel do a great job of this, with minimal lever/pedal pressure and good control. We never locked up a wheel or lacked for stopping power. Shifting the five-speed transmission and easy, even from unusual . was angles after the rubber footpeg cover vibrated away. Suspension (Triumph forks and Girling shocks) was above par. We would like to see, however, softer initial damping and springing to tue care of the small-but-sharp bumps. But that's all. Neither end rose or dove radically in cornering braking or acceleration. Handling, within the score of our impression, was very good. The narrowness ofthe twin was confidence-inspiring and the frame never gave us cause to worry. We never scraped anything, but we never tried to catch Kenny Roberts down a twisty canyon. Avon "tyres" are mounted on spoke wheels. They held the road with enough tenacity for anything we tried to do, and had minimal rain groove. wobble. The rear tire, however, did pick up a flat. Gasoline - premium only, please mileage was in the 45 to 50 mpg range. The tank holds 3.4 gallons, enough for at least 120 miles. You really don't want to ride much further at a stretch, anyhow. Keep an eye on the tank, because the rese,rve range oh our test bike was very limited. There's no reserve position on the petcock; Triumph told us to use the right petcock only, and keep the left dne open only under hard running and then use it for reserve. When the bike started to die on the freeway for lack of gas, we hit the left petcock and it got us another 200 yards easy before we coasted off the side of the road, out of gas. But not really. There was still a little gas in the tanlr. and by tilting it from one side to the other, we managed to get a little gas in the carbs and continue on for a short distance. Repeating the drill got us to the gas station. Hopefully it was only a peculiarity of our machine. Styling on the Triumph retains the old world European values. The lines are clean if not sleek and there's nothing flashy. It got noticed because it stands apart from the average Japanese motorcycle. The Bonneville is not for the masses. It beckons to a rider who wants no part of being in the majority. He'll put up with the vibration and inconveniences to have a motorcycle with its own idenity and heritage. An electric starter will broaden the appeal somewhat, but the hardcoo: Tnumph fans will mOllt likely ranain as the solid sales base. Like my auociate. • 00 (j) crisp SALES. PARTS. SERVice AcchsoRIES ~lt· ~ \) "\) CYCLE CENTER , . . E. Cenon 51. 2 1213).' 1213 ........,. ca.o.n.. c..Ia71' e--·.-""_ 011 (7141121-4343 17