Triumph Bonneville SE, 2013

Good looks, but shame about the optional single seat

There's no school like the old school, and this is the headmaster....

Back when I was young and foolish, a 1970’s Triumph Bonneville 750 was the first bike I bought after passing my test. For the next 12 years she was my main means of transport and never once let me down; I loved that bike and, whilst many others came and went, the Bonnie remained.

By the time the Triumph twin had been stretched to 750, it had lost all its smoothness and was a real vibrator but had a fair bit of punch. However, it was a ridiculously ancient design and the Japanese had shown the way forward way back in 1969, so that by the mid-seventies, Triumphs were way past it in every respect. But it was still an icon of Britishness and a last symbol of the once-mighty British Motorcycle Industry.

It wasn’t the best bike in the world to ride but it was small and nimble and the 750 motor, whilst being renowned as a shaker, was punchy enough and, with the right silencers fitted, made a lovely sound.

When new Triumph was born the only cues they took from the old Triumph were names; Daytona, Trophy, Speed Triple, Thunderbird, Tiger, etc. The engineering was as far removed from the bad old days as it was possible to get, although the 3-cylinder engine was a large part of the revival and has since rightly become one of the great motorcycle engines.

Quickly, however, Triumph realised that here they had a brand that still had enormous nostalgia in the minds of consumers and they chose to look backwards to go forwards. Hence, the parallel twin was reborn in an unashamedly retro package and the Bonneville name entered the catalogue once more. It was aimed squarely at returning bikers who probably started their riding on a 50’s or 60’s British bike and would feel comfortable with the familiarity of the new Bonneville. But, equally, it makes an ideal entry-level bike for new riders.

I, like many I suspect, dismissed the Bonneville as a sales gimmick, albeit one that certainly worked for Triumph. However, having now ridden one, I am happily forced to reassess that judgement.

It had been ten years since I last rode my Bonneville but stepping onto the 2012 Bonneville SE took me back in an instant. I couldn’t believe how similar it felt, rode, performed, and sounded. But there was still a modernity about it that addressed all the failings of the old and solved them perfectly without detracting from the essence.

It really was uncanny; I had been transported back ten years. Everything felt so familiar; the power delivery, the handling (although the new frame thankfully has none of the ‘hinge-in-the-middle’ feeling of Triumphs of old), even the look of the clocks, mounted high on the top fork clamp. The ignition key was where it used to be – on the left-hand headlamp mounting ‘ear’ – and, despite the fuel injection, there was a ‘choke’ that really needed to be used when starting from cold.

Standing beside the bike, it even looks exactly the same, right down to the dummy carburettors that house the fuel injection gubbins and the Norton ‘peashooter’ silencers. The SE is a copy of the 1978 Bonneville Special and has lovely cast alloy, 7-spoke wheels in black and a black tank and side panels.

And what a joy to ride. Performance is adequate but the motor is lovely and smooth; power delivery is very linear and nothing to frighten the novice rider. More experienced riders would obviously want more but that would be to miss the whole point of the bike. This is no long distance mile-eater or track-day bike. Its sole aim in life is to please and give fun and is simple enough to allow that to happen. It would be the ideal bike to have in the garage to simply jump on and go somewhere just for the sake of going there.

Handling is safe and secure and, whilst the suspension lacks any adjustability, it really doesn’t need it. The SE differs from the T100 Bonneville in having 17-inch alloy wheels as opposed to 19-inch spoked wheels. This reduction in diameter helps quicken up the steering and lowers the bike along with a thinner seat. Tall riders might find it a bit too low, but for normal-sized people it’s very comfortable.

The brakes – single disc front and back grabbed by Nissin two-pot calipers – are very strong and reassuring and, allied to the handling, make this bike a brilliant town ride. On the highway, you will see 180km/h (where permitted, of course…) but the wind will be pretty stiff in your face at those speeds.

But out and out speed is not the point of this bike; in a way the Bonneville exists to bestow a sense of history on the rest of the range – a tangible link to the rich history of Triumph. It’s a brilliant melding of retro design and style with modern technology. Who can say; if the Bonneville had been this good back in the 70’s, maybe the story would have been different?