I know, I know, this is a site about V4 Interceptors. But a new bike is always a thrill, like the start of any new relationship, whether it turns out to be long- or short-term. And early this week I got a new baby.
After some day-long rides aboard my latest VFRs, I have to accept that in the long-term I'm going to want something a little less intense for purely pleasure rides and, I reluctantly admit, a bit more comfortable.
In an effort to return to my roots with a lighter, simpler and more comfortable bike, I began a search for a suitable mount. My search led me to the local Triumph dealer in Woodstock, IL, where I sampled the new 1200 Bonneville and Thruxton. I loved 'em both, especially the Thruxton, but all the improvements added weight, complexity and dollars, and the Thruxton was very similar ergonomics to the VFR. I was trying to avoid all that, so I found a used previous generation T-100 to test ride and knew I'd found my bike.
As for my British connection, my first restoration back in the day was a '72 Norton 750 Commando. And five years ago I rode a '79 Triumph 750 on an awesome canyon tour from Arizona to Wisconsin. It's a beautiful & reliable old Trumpet. Here's a few pics of the '79....
(click on an image to enlarge)
After some day-long rides aboard my latest VFRs, I have to accept that in the long-term I'm going to want something a little less intense for purely pleasure rides and, I reluctantly admit, a bit more comfortable.
In an effort to return to my roots with a lighter, simpler and more comfortable bike, I began a search for a suitable mount. My search led me to the local Triumph dealer in Woodstock, IL, where I sampled the new 1200 Bonneville and Thruxton. I loved 'em both, especially the Thruxton, but all the improvements added weight, complexity and dollars, and the Thruxton was very similar ergonomics to the VFR. I was trying to avoid all that, so I found a used previous generation T-100 to test ride and knew I'd found my bike.
As for my British connection, my first restoration back in the day was a '72 Norton 750 Commando. And five years ago I rode a '79 Triumph 750 on an awesome canyon tour from Arizona to Wisconsin. It's a beautiful & reliable old Trumpet. Here's a few pics of the '79....
(click on an image to enlarge)
Completing my due diligence, I researched the various years and models and decided I would look for a mag wheel version — these have 17" wheels in place of the 19/18" on the wire wheel T-100, which allow the use of modern tubeless radial tires. Eventually I came across an eBay listing at Florida Motorsports, a dealer in Tallahassee, with an opening bid of $4950 and no reserve. Patti & I were in the middle of our Blue Ridge Parkway tour when the auction was ending and I threw my bid in the ring during a rest stop. At the hotel that evening I was surprised to find I'd won the auction ($5201). I was now the proud owner of a "new 2015" Bonneville...which was 1100 miles away. After a bit of back & forth on U-ship and other sites, I located Robert who operates Conestoga Mid-Atlantic Transport and makes regular runs between IL and FL. Four days later he was rolling it off the trailer.
Well, she's black on black and brand new. I half expected some showroom rash from two years on the floor, but the bike is in perfect condition, showing all of ten miles. What's the plan? Because she's a previous-gen bike and my investment is so reasonable, I plan some cosmetic mods to make her mine, and definitely suspension and tuning upgrades. I already have a touring bike and a steady stream of VFRs, so this will just be a fun bike for the alphabet roads of southwest Wisconsin. First up will be a flyscreen and we'll go from there. I'm hoping for a long and meaningful relationship.
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