Motorcycle.com

Riding the Bonneville SE

The Bonneville SE like all the other Triumph twins is a relatively straightforward machine with no real hidden vices. It goes where you point it with very little fuss and a degree of power when it is needed. Not the quickest bike on the road, its power delivery is "civilized" if not a litt...le lazy, it does however respond when the throttle is wound on.
Fuel consumption is excellent even when ridden hard.
On the downside the suspension bottoms out rather easily, the front when applying the brakes and the rear when riding anything but a smooth surface. The standard silencers although looking very good sound a bit muted. I exchanged them for the Arrow versions and now the bike sounds like it looks, very satisfying but a tad expensive.
All in all the Bonneville SE is actually a joy to ride and reminds me of the grin factor of my early motorcycling days (I have been riding bikes for 40 years). It has put the fun back into riding bikes. I am very happy with it. Read Full Review

At Last A Modern Standard

Just got my 09 Se 2 weeks ago and LOVE

the bike. I've already put 400 miles of city driving on it. The upright position is great in the city and the performance is much more than I expected. I traded in a Honda 250 for the Se and found that the Se handles better in the city despite being twice the ...weight. The engine is strong with more than enough power to handle the highways as well as the city. The only draw back to the lower center of gravity is the "thinning" of the seat. I have a 32" inseam and wish that Triumph would have put the 10mm of padding back in the seat. I went with the gel seat and that did improve it somewhat. The shorter rear suspension travel does make rough roads more noticeable but I guess that's the trade off for the lower center of gravity.
Overall I think the 09 Se is one heck of a bike. It does everything well. One can not help but smile when on this bike. It's a true joy to ride. The fact that it averages 50MPG in the city is a bonus. Read Full Review

Fantastic Bike

Just bought a gently used 2009 Bonnie SE with 1400kms in Toronto, Canada. This is a fantastic bike! It looks great, has plenty of power, rides and handles marvelously for any level of rider, and is terrific on fuel. I'll admit that for a taller rider, it's a little tight on the pegs at the start,... but for all the great things about this bike, I don't care and got past it real quick once the perma-smile set in after hitting the throttle and riding her!

The stock pipes are okay, but if you want to really get a gorgeous sound out of the bike, go for the Arrow double exhaust. In a word...wow!! Take the baffles out of these pipes and you'll shatter windows in your area...ridiculously loud. I've kept the baffles for my own hearing sake!

Anyway, can't say enough great things about this bike. Truly classic and truly amazing! Read Full Review

BonnevilleSE

Overall the S.E. is a very satisfying motorcycle,however it does have a few flaws that should have been rectified prior to its release.The suspension both front and rear needs some serious work.There is far too much stiction on the fork and Triumph uses a steel preload measuring over 9" resulti...ng in a very short internal spring, giving unacceptable stiffness to the front end.It seems they could have also extended the length of the fork tubes to raise the front end because the bike sits very low to the ground.
The 13" rear shocks are also torturous.There is little movement even if a large pothole is encountered,I think the longer 14" shock from the Scrambler would be a better bet.And come on Triumph!....way back you had a neat hinged seat with a built in tool tray etc...now you have to produce an Allen wrench, which is provided under another cover to remove the two bolts holding the seat down.Its remarkable that even with these shortcomings, I really enjoy riding my SE.The twin gives a linear smooth power supply with no suprises,making it a very easy motorcycle to live with...compliments come from ordinary people who are not riders..Indeed it is one of the prettiest motorcycles I have owned,and in my 50 plus years of riding, I have owned quite a few. Read Full Review

Great Motorcycle

This Bonneville is my first motorcycle, and I love it.

The low seat height low center of gravity and the 17" front wheel take the drama out of maneuvering around parking lots. Making a u-turn in a parking lot lane is easy to do.

At speed the Bonneville dives into corners, and mid-corner corre...ctions are uneventfull.
The suspention works well for only the largest bumps, and your looking out for those anyway.
In my practicing of quick stops the brakes worked well bring the bike to a stop.
The distinctive style of the bike and the low seat height are what drew me to the Bonneville.
Growing up (I'm alate Baby Boomer) this was the kind of motorcyle I dreamed of owning. Read Full Review