Triumph bonneville

Sal Paradise · 11-05-2007, 08:40 PM

Hey everybody, I'm looking into buying an early triumph 650-750. Whats the deal with these bikes, I'm looking at 60-70 vintage. Which is the more desirable displacement, year, etc. Any major issues to look out for. There has to be some unobtainable parts that I need to be able to ensure are there when I buy a bike.
Thanks guys

Rob Farmer · 11-05-2007, 10:59 PM

Pre oil in frame bikes are the most desirable and then the later T140V and E machines. John Bloor, who now owns and runs Triumph at Hinckley licensed the Triumph name to Les Harris in the early eighties. Les Harris built probably the best T140 machines - Brembo brakes, Marzochi forks and Bosch electrics. I don't know if these machines ever made it to the US but if you ever come across one buy it.

The first oil in frame machines were generally awfull, the frames were very tall. These machines, quite deservedly bought about the demise of Triumph. It was only after the workers takeover of the factory (74 - 76) that things started to improve. Build quality was always suspect.

Triumphs are great bikes when everything is working properly but they deteriorate at an alarming rate. There are some really low grade replacement parts around for them so be carefull where you get your parts from, unfortunatly only experience will let you know this. A well sorted Bonneville is still one of lifes great pleasures.

NCGS · 11-06-2007, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onanysunday

There has to be some unobtainable parts that I need to be able to ensure are there when I buy a bike.

Not to fear.. you can buy just about anything you'd ever imagine to keep a vintage Triumph running. If you plan to ride the bike, converting from points to an electronic ignition is a must. Most go with Boyer-Branson - or just "Boyer". Amal (anal?) carbs work, but they can be a bitch to keep tuned - or in the case of the Bonnie, in synch. Some will swap the Amals for Mikunis. The swap is easy, and the carbs - once dialed in - never need adjustment.

As the discussion above points out, the most desirable, and collectible, and therefore the most expensive Bonnies are the pre-Oil In Frame (OIF) bikes. The OIF bikes came out in '71, so if it was me, I'd look for a '68 thru '70. They had twin leading shoe front brakes, and they were just better bikes than the '67's and earlier models. You might want to look at a 650 Tiger - a single-carb version of the Bonnie. A bit easier to keep tuned, and still a good all around performing bike.

If you'd be happy with an OIF, single carb bike, I have a buddy in Raleigh who has a '72 for sale now. Check it out here: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/469379146.html

This is my '69 Bonnie. Totally restored from the crankshaft out. I don't rider her much, right now she shows 299 miles on the odometer. More like "garage art"..

Good luck in your search.

Bloodweiser · 11-06-2007, 05:49 AM

OIFs can be had at a better price. 71 and up. they look a little more ungainly than the pre-oifs, but if you swap out the airfilter covers, you can't tell the difference at 5 feet, and you get discs. Stay away from pre-units, unless you only want to work on one, those were 62 and below.

I was always after the single carb models. 650 tiger is the shit. Be careful, its common to put tiger heads on bonnies, which I think is a good idea, but if you're looking for something original, it aint that. Beware of people saying they have the 'single carb version' bonnie. Bonnies are the in-thing, and their price reflects that. I think besides the extra carb, all a bonnie has on a tiger is 5mph on the top.

sachiwilson · 11-06-2007, 06:55 AM

I had a '64 Bonnie. It was a lovely bike! Once I got it dialed in it was quite durable. The electrics are the worst part - I wound up redoing the wiring harness with nice fat wire, and with fewer and better connections.

I kept the original Amals. The Amals work fine when new, but they are made from soft metal so they wear alarmingly. This can be fixed though - there are places that will resleeve the body in stainless steel, and after that they work quite well. (I had the Amals on my Triumph and Norton sleeved by a guy in Olympia, WA.)

The 1964 was surprisingly capable. The front brake worked fine, and the handling was acceptable for the sort of riding I did. It wasn't as good a bike overall as my featherbed Norton, but I never regretted owning it!

opposedcyljunkie · 11-07-2007, 04:31 AM

Get a T120R, vintage 66-68. But those are quite pricey if you can find one. And the left-foot shifters only started in 75. Mine was a 78 T140E. It was almost 100% sorted out except for the carbs and the exhaust. The carbs I could never get to dial-in. They were a PITA as compared to BMW Bing carbs (but when well-tuned, they are supposedly better carbs than Bings). On the exhaust, I has the push-in headers which were a total design flaw. They would loosen-up easily and one would be always hard-pressed to get a leak-free joint (a leak fouls up all your carb tuning, etc).

My bike was quite a looker but is wasn't half as enjoyable was riding my PD. I sold it last June at a very good price of over $5K. Oil leaks? Not true. Mine was leak-free, after I used a whole tube of Hylomar and HondaBond during the engine rebuild

I don't think I'd want to own one again... Of course, YMMV.

11-05-2007, 08:40 PM	#1
Sal Paradise ^OP Dharma Bum Joined: Feb 2007 Location: Morongo Valley, CA Oddometer: 1,267	Triumph bonneville Hey everybody, I'm looking into buying an early triumph 650-750. Whats the deal with these bikes, I'm looking at 60-70 vintage. Which is the more desirable displacement, year, etc. Any major issues to look out for. There has to be some unobtainable parts that I need to be able to ensure are there when I buy a bike. Thanks guys __________________ "Somewhere along the line I knew there'd be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me. - Jack Kerouac, On the Road Raoul Duke: There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

11-06-2007, 05:49 AM	#4
Bloodweiser honestly Joined: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate Ny Oddometer: 2,260	OIFs can be had at a better price. 71 and up. they look a little more ungainly than the pre-oifs, but if you swap out the airfilter covers, you can't tell the difference at 5 feet, and you get discs. Stay away from pre-units, unless you only want to work on one, those were 62 and below. I was always after the single carb models. 650 tiger is the shit. Be careful, its common to put tiger heads on bonnies, which I think is a good idea, but if you're looking for something original, it aint that. Beware of people saying they have the 'single carb version' bonnie. Bonnies are the in-thing, and their price reflects that. I think besides the extra carb, all a bonnie has on a tiger is 5mph on the top. __________________ the carrot seed - honest country. Bulletproof VS. Bloodweiser - yamaha world super GP TT 5000 BW - 455 : BP - 100

11-06-2007, 06:55 AM	#5
sachiwilson Studly Adventurer Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Sandy Eggo Oddometer: 782	I had a '64 Bonnie. It was a lovely bike! Once I got it dialed in it was quite durable. The electrics are the worst part - I wound up redoing the wiring harness with nice fat wire, and with fewer and better connections. I kept the original Amals. The Amals work fine when new, but they are made from soft metal so they wear alarmingly. This can be fixed though - there are places that will resleeve the body in stainless steel, and after that they work quite well. (I had the Amals on my Triumph and Norton sleeved by a guy in Olympia, WA.) The 1964 was surprisingly capable. The front brake worked fine, and the handling was acceptable for the sort of riding I did. It wasn't as good a bike overall as my featherbed Norton, but I never regretted owning it! __________________ Lucky in Love http://www.yearroundriders.com

11-07-2007, 04:31 AM	#6
opposedcyljunkie Heavyweight Boxer Joined: Feb 2007 Location: By the Lake Oddometer: 4,758	Get a T120R, vintage 66-68. But those are quite pricey if you can find one. And the left-foot shifters only started in 75. Mine was a 78 T140E. It was almost 100% sorted out except for the carbs and the exhaust. The carbs I could never get to dial-in. They were a PITA as compared to BMW Bing carbs (but when well-tuned, they are supposedly better carbs than Bings). On the exhaust, I has the push-in headers which were a total design flaw. They would loosen-up easily and one would be always hard-pressed to get a leak-free joint (a leak fouls up all your carb tuning, etc). My bike was quite a looker but is wasn't half as enjoyable was riding my PD. I sold it last June at a very good price of over $5K. Oil leaks? Not true. Mine was leak-free, after I used a whole tube of Hylomar and HondaBond during the engine rebuild I don't think I'd want to own one again... Of course, YMMV. __________________ OCJ 92 R100GS-PD Euro 01 Vespa PX150E 05 Yamaha Fazer FZS-1000 07 R1200GS

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11-05-2007, 10:59 PM	#2
Rob Farmer Beastly Adventurer Joined: Aug 2002 Location: Loughborough, Leicestershire. England Oddometer: 3,739	Pre oil in frame bikes are the most desirable and then the later T140V and E machines. John Bloor, who now owns and runs Triumph at Hinckley licensed the Triumph name to Les Harris in the early eighties. Les Harris built probably the best T140 machines - Brembo brakes, Marzochi forks and Bosch electrics. I don't know if these machines ever made it to the US but if you ever come across one buy it. The first oil in frame machines were generally awfull, the frames were very tall. These machines, quite deservedly bought about the demise of Triumph. It was only after the workers takeover of the factory (74 - 76) that things started to improve. Build quality was always suspect. Triumphs are great bikes when everything is working properly but they deteriorate at an alarming rate. There are some really low grade replacement parts around for them so be carefull where you get your parts from, unfortunatly only experience will let you know this. A well sorted Bonneville is still one of lifes great pleasures.