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
i Impression:Triumph 750 Bonneville- -.... e Can heritage get yo down the road1 00 C') I -L lAbovel The Iong«Bnding veteran of the Queen's Iron. the Triumph Bonneville II fun to ride H not totIIlIy civilized. The vertIceI twin engl. . (below IeftJ ItiII vibnneI. (Below cent8r1 Bnlklng wei firIt 11118. (Below rlghtl P1pee muIt come off for rear wheel remove!. By Dale Brown "Hell, boy. If you haven't ridden a Triumph, you haven't ridden a motorcycle." So an associate told me one day while we were discussing motorcycles. while - oops, this is a Triumph impres· Hmmm. Leaving behind the thoughts of all those 70 to 1l00cc nonmotorcycles I'd ·been tooling 16 around on, I got the chance to throw a leg over a new Triumph 750 Bonne· ville. First impressions were good. The handlebars, though awkward looking, fit comfortably.. The kickstarter looks as though it would bother the right leg, but in a normal sitting position, it wasn't any problem. The seat is mild· Iy stepped, and near the seat/tank junction, low in height - making stand· ing still comfortable for the short1egged rider. Wis~ they'd move the step back a tad to allow for more movement - --------------------- sion - whilst riding. A small luggage rack is st3ndard equipment. One other impression you get, especially if you've just stepped off a bigbore Japanese iron, is that the bike is narrow. The lack of width and weight - claimed weight is 395 pounds but it doesn't feel that heavy - would prove refreshing whilst riding. Starting is a matter of flipping down the choke lever on th~ twin Mark II Amals (iflhe bike is cold), twisting out the top of the'kickstarter and applying foot to it. When we first got the Bonne· ville it was a regular first kick starter. Later we had troubles, attributed pos. sibly to a dying battery. (If you pull the battery, make sure you lose the They drop into the frame and 'are a pain to locate.) 1981 model line Triumphs will come, we're told, with electric start and a larger battery. (Our bike was a '79, marketed through 1979-80.) For us, the electric start will be a welcome addition. We may be lazy, but there's something nice in hearing a motor S rumble to life merely on a thumb's whim. Once started, the motor puts out a pleasantly mellow note. The choke keeps things from sputtering and coughing while things inside 76 x 8l!mm bore and stroke cylinders got up to proper operating temperarure. Pushrods and rocker arms control the action of the overhead valves and a °fi ° peel lcatlons Suggested reUlil price .....................................•2696. Borelltroke ' 78 x 82mm. Dilplacement 46 cu. in. Compr8lU!ion ratio " 7.9:1. Gear ratios 12.14:1 (1st). 8.63:112001. 6.68:1 (3I'cl). Fronttyre Rear tyre Gas tank Oil reservoir Length. 5.59:114thl. 4.70:1 (5thl. 4.10x19. 4.10 x 18. ' 3.4 gal. 4.8 pints. 87.5 in. 33 in. 31 in. . Weight...................................................• 395 lb. Width Seat height .~~ _ ~~ !i.s..h!~ ,!=~~~"! P!_~~j'.!,!~ ... __ .~.:':.:':_:'::.:'::.-: _:._:.':'.,:,_~_:O:_:':_:'::_:'::_-:.-:._: _:_~:'::'::~~--_----..........!'!l'!!I"'I""'............~ _ _