Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge My good friend's vintage Bonny

I thought this was really cool. I wrote a good friend of mine to tell him that I had just purchased a Bonny, not realizing that he was a fan and past owner. This is what I received from him via email - including the great vintage picture:
So, you got a new Bonneville. I absolutely love the looks of them, and (I probably already told you all of this) I'm a Triumph fan from way, way back, beginning when I traded a 1953 Ford to a friend for his 1950 Tiger 100 (500cc, 1 carb)in 1963. I rode that bike until it got too snowy (I was in college in Boston then) and then took it apart and sort of rebuilt it over the winter, thus teaching myself the intricacies of English motorcycles - or I should say trying to learn the intricacies. I don't think I ever came to terms with Lucas electrical systems. After that Tiger100, I owned 1967 Daytona (500cc, twin carbs), a 1967 Bonneville, and finally, a 1970 Bonneville that I bought in England when Marcia was studying in Salamanca, Spain. I rode that bike around England for a while, then took it across the English Channel and rode down through France into Spain, picked up Marcia who had finished her studies, and the two of us then went all around the place camping out and occasionally staying in a hotel to get a hot shower and nice comfortable bed. It was a wonderful trip. I shipped that '70 Bonny back to the states, kept it for a couple of years, and sold it for almost twice the $863.00 I paid for it brand new in London. (I still have the receipt for it.)
So, if I were going out to buy a bike today, I'd buy exactly the one you just bought. I can't wait to see yours. Very happy riding on it! I'm attaching a photo of me and Marcia on that 1970 taken in Spain in July or August of 1970.
Hope you're having a great weekend and let's chat again real soon.

Darn, I guess I didn't realize that the picture would not be sized the same as I posted it. It is in the gallery.

Good story. Keep them coming if you have any more.

jerry

That is just way too cool.

Thanks for posting the picture properly Mert! It just struck me that I could simply copy the URL to the picture, and then edit my post, but you have already done the work. Thanks again. My friend shown, BTW, is an author who among other things was the biographer of the famous oil fire fighter Red Adair. He no longer has hair.

Awesome! Great read!

Here is an addendum to the story that he sent a few minutes after sending the original:

Sandy,
I forgot to mention in my last email what a great color your Bonny is. As I said, that is precisely the bike I'd buy were I going to buy one. (And now that you've gone and done it, that's something I'm going to think seriously about.) Keeping the correct tension on the chain was no big deal back when I had my 1970, and my guess is that it's even easier to deal with now. The biggest improvement, I'm betting, is in the new electrical system. Those old Lucas electrics were beyond terrible - they were downright diabolical. I could never get my tail light to work for more than a few days. I re-wired it, replaced the bulb, replaced the socket, but it just kept quitting on me. I've checked out some restored 1970s on ebay from time to time, but to tell you the truth, for a few grand more you can buy one like yours which looks just as good and I'm sure runs a whole lot better. And I know what you mean about people wanting to talk about them. Even back when I had my '70, people would stop to chat with me about it. One time, a couple of motorcycle cops in Spain - members of the dreaded Guardia Civil - came over to where Marcia and I were stopped having a bite of lunch. Marcia told me not even to look these guys in the eye, so horrible were their reputations, but all these guys wanted to do was ask questions about my bike. Marcia translated and at one point I told her to ask them if they wanted to race me. She wisely refused to ask them that. Anyway, enjoy that Bonny!

Great story Sandy. Send him this pic:



It might put him the edge!

I don't think that pic does Janet's bike justice.
It looks way cooler in person!

Uncle Charlie

I just shipped him the picture Phil. I hope I don't bore you guys with this, but he just sent another interesting bit:

As for old Bonny tales, the most amazing thing that happened to me on my '70 was on that same trip with Marcia. I wrote a story for the New York Times about it which, if I can figure out a way to scan it, I'll send to you. The short version of it is this: We were traveling in northern Spain - in Basque country - and on a very curvy mountain road I suddenly felt as though the rear of the bike had a mind of its own. (You can see from the photo I sent you how I had our packs mounted on a luggage rack.) I pulled over to the side of the road and took a look. What had happened was that one of the bolts holding the luggage rack to the bike had sheared off and the luggage rack was swinging back and forth like a pendulum. It was a very dangerous situation, as you might imagine. As I was standing there scratching my head and wondering what the ****** to do, a man stopped to see what was wrong. Marcia told him in her impeccable Spanish and asked if he knew where we could find a garage where I could get a replacement bolt. To our great good fortune, there was a garage right down the road called "Garage Block House" because it was made out of concrete blocks. The owner insisted on fixing my bike himself at no charge and then, through Marcia, told me he wanted to show me a motorcycle he'd built for an old friend who'd been crippled in WWII. Next thing we knew, this old guy pulls up in (not on, but in) a three wheel motorcycle that had what was actually a bed between the front wheel and the handlebars. (I have a picture of it somewhere which I'll dig out, scan and send to you...it was an amazing contraption). Then, to really make this story astounding, the old guy in the bed/motorcycle challenged me to a race. I'll save the details of that so you can read about it in the Times story, but after the race the whole gang - owner of the Block House Garage, his family, the guy who took me there, all sorts or other friends and relatives - insisted Marcia and I join them for this huge traditional Basque dinner. We wound up having an incredible time hanging out with these folks for hours, all because of the broken bolt. (I'll save the story of how I drove the bike up the wide stone steps and into the lobby of the railroad station in Toulouse France for another time.) Now I'm going to go look for that story and the photo of the guy in the bed/motorcycle.

Phil

I for one am enjoying the tale.You can keep posting them as he sends them as far as I am concerned. Sounds like quite a guy.

more stories, more stories

I am eagerly awaiting the next story!



John

This is a picture of my friend Jeff's (aka Joes Garage) bikes, well at least most of them. This picture shows his 4 Triumphs, BSA, Norton and HD Dresser. I can honesty say Jeff had some influence on me buying a Triumph.

Tom

I see the HD has to sit in the corner.

Tom, that is a heck of a collection your friend has!!

That's a great story, thanks for sharing. Guess you never know what folks were into.

pedalmasher,
Has your friend ever written a book?
If not maybe he should!