Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Pro's and Cons

Hey All
Just joined up - don't have a Triumph yet, but I'm saving up my pennies and selling a bunch of crap I had laying around so hopefully in a month or two I will have the coin to pick up a America or Speedmaster.

I'm pretty much sold on the bike(s) - I've been lusting for one since I first saw it two years ago, and Triumph is absolutely my favorite brand of motorcycle. While I know I'm asking this question to guys who absolutely love their bikes, I'm still curious to hear what you're pro's and con's of owning one of these bikes is. Any weird mechanical/maintenance issues or quirks. I'm going to have to keep whatever bike "as is" after I purchase it because I'll be pouring all my wrenching time/money into completely rebuilding/ chopping my little Suzuki Savage (fun little bike). So let me know what you think.

grail

Upside, the bike looks great and you don't see pass yourself every few minutes on the road. My America has been very reliable and fun to ride. Downside, good thing the bike is reliable because there aren't a ton of dealers around and most parts have to be ordered (by the dealer once you find one). All said and done the little TBA has been one of the best bikes I've ever owned and is by far one of the best looking.

Hi Shakey
Thanks for the reply. The nice things for me is there is a Triumph dealership litteraly on the corner of where I live (Salem, MA) - so finding a dealer isn't too hard. But I'm also a "if I can make it/find it on ebay/do it myself - I'm gonna" type - even if I don't ALWAYS know what I'm doing... I enjoy wrenching just as much as I do riding... well, accept when things don't go the way I WANT... but you know how it goes.

I agree with Shakey, my nearest dealer is 40 miles away and I'm considered lucky. The bike has been totally reliable (not one thing has gone wrong for 4000 miles), fun to ride, and looks great. I often get thumb ups from HD riders. I ride with all HD friends who rag me a lot, but I've gotten to enjoy the banter - especially since my bike gets more attention when we stop. The bike's got more class, made by a company that still can be competitive racing, more heritage (at least by a year), more reliable, and still has Triumph's own style. What else can I say - it costs half as much and isn't what everyone else has.

The good side:
My America looks right, runs right, feels right and, now that all the EPA mandated stealth stuff is replaced, sounds right.

The dark side:
I spend a lot of time when I'd like to be riding talking to some old guy who had one just like it with an "I like Ike" sticker on the tank. I get yelled at a lot because that makes a 10 minute run to the hardware store take 2 hours.
There is this evil genious named Brent who keeps coming up with new addons to spend my money on.

It's tough here in CT. I have to choose from the 3 dealers in my little old state.

Hi Grail. Welcome. I ride with HD and HD-clone riders all the time and always get compliments about the Speedmaster. Of course, I have to listen to the stories about how they had a Bonneville back in 1968 or some such. As far as mechancial wierdness, I have almost 8500 miles on mine in 10 months and have had to lube the chain and change the oil. It is about time to synchronize the carbs though. I've started noticing a bit more vibration through the lower rpms up to about 4,000. Oh, I have had to replace the rubber carb vacuum caps a couple times. I keep extras in the saddlebags just in case.

Good luck,
Richard

Pros: Both the America and the Speedmaster look sexy and will turn heads that other more expensive bikes will not (see most Harleys). In other words..."Great Bang for Your Buck"

Cons: You will need more money to get pipes and still more money for mints.

I am still new to the bike and the forum yet my taste for mints is as of yet not slackened.

As soon as I savor one mint the urge for another comes over me.

My wife is lookin at my strangely these days and wonders about an obsession/fixation. Therapy? More mints!

I love my Speedmaster, it's the absolute perfect combination of form, function and soul. You'll get a lot of compliments on the styling. Good luck with it!

I was asked by a Suzuki riding buddy if the BA was a chick magnet. No it is not, but if you want to attract middle aged men it works like a super pheromone. Must be what attracted me to it 16,500 miles in two years and it just keeps getting better.

The cons mostly revolve around one's expectations. These are 800cc class, carbureted, unfaired motorcycles. The only real complaint I have heard is that they are a little underpowered for two up, extended riding. Some guys have blown up their airboxes for some strange reason, possibly because of an out-of-adjustment carb, but have had them replaced under warranty. Other than that, most of the pain is self inflicted, and no fault of the bike.

The pros have already been discussed above. They are quick and agile, a kick to ride, and require very little maintenance. There are some things you can do to improve performance for very little cash, as you probably know, and a lot of parts are traded on this website for a fraction of new cost.

Go for it!

Regards,
Cody

grail, just turned 24000 miles on my 03 America, and just found my first "major" problem. While tanking up, I found my oil pressure sender switch had disintegrated. Now, while that sounds bad, I know I have good oil pressure, as the engine sounds and purrs like a kitten still, and even thought the wiring fell apart, the mechanical end is still rock solid and I'm not leaking oil. I never feel uneasy about riding it long distances (two trips to Missouri and back), and besides that switch, a broken speedo cable and a lens that popped out of my indicator lights (easily glued back in), that bike has never missed a beat!!! Knock on wood, to date, it is THE most reliable machine I've owned, so far, even more reliable than my Honda VF700 Sabre which had starter problems at about 21,000 miles. I hope to never get rid of this bike and just see how far she'll carry me.

23+k in 2 years on my Green 04. Replaced a warped front rotor under warranty but everything else is pretty much good-to-go.

But there is a dark side. There aren't as many of these as there are anything else so the odds are higher that you'll get a bad Triumph more than a bad anything else.
This is my 4th Triumph (after a couple of BSAs and many Jap bikes). The machine I had before my current 04 America was an 02 America. It spent most of it's poor life at the service shop. Well, the shop... service is another thing all together. With less than a year on it, Triumph had to ante up a replacement, and not because they really wanted to, but they did.
So the odds are in your favor that you'll get a good one, as it is with any machine today (except maybe Kymco or some other groundbreaking new technology from Korea or China).

hey guys
Thanks for all the replies. Not that I really needed convincing - but now I'm just itching for the cash to come in so I can pick one up. It's taking all my will power to not run out to the dealership and finance one. But I know if I wait I will be in a better financial situation and can buy a used one straight out. Even though it would be relatively small, not having another monthly payment is preferable. Feel free to keep this thread alive because I really like hearing your impressions of the bike. Can't wait to truly join the club.

Grail

p.s: any riders here in MA? On the North Shore possibly?

get that bike man. I(and maybe a few of the boys) will probably ride up your way this summer...read the BA.com takes ct or Mert's RAT pack thread in rides and events. i mentioned a ride toward rockport sometime this summer. there are riders clamboring to joint the pied piper...tee hee.

you're lucky to have a dealership close by. many folks have miles and miles to go to get to theirs.

mert

the only con is you dumping money into a suzuki

Hi Mert
I'll definitely keep my eyes on those threads, it would be fun to join up with you guys for a ride. Hopefully I can get the cash together soon (and come across a decent deal) and have the bike befor the end of June. We'll see - it's all about having the green. Too bad for me I didn't have the $$ in the off season, I'm sure I could have found some sweet deals. Ah well.