Triumph Bonneville T100 Review

The Triumph Bonneville is a classic British motorcycle that has kept its look and style since it was created in 1959. The motorcycle was radically updated twice: in 1985 and 2001. In the latest version (since 2001) the engine displacement was later increased from 790 to 865 cc, and in 2009 the carburetors were replaced with fuel injection while keeping the design. The video shows a 2013 T100 with spoked wheels, retro-style mufflers, a flat seat and a dashboard with a tachometer (the base version has no tachometer).

The Bonneville is probably the most beautiful factory cafe racer, with a finished design and the right proportions.

The motorcycle's look is defined by the frame, engine and tank: they are well made, beautiful and harmonious and account for 80% of the motorcycle's cost. All the other components, including the controls, wheels, brakes and shocks, aren't good enough, so owners try to replace them all with higher-quality parts.

Many exclusive cafe racers are built on the Bonneville. It's an ideal motorcycle for realizing creative and engineering ambitions: there are many solutions and parts for this model. The German company LSL makes practically the full range of high-quality components for different versions of the model and regularly takes first places with its customs at European shows.

Despite its popularity, there aren't that many high-quality cafe racers based on the Bonneville. There are many interesting, unusual customs, but far from all of them are technically logical and have a factory look.

We bought the motorcycle precisely to build a sporty cafe racer. The project turned out to be tricky, with many subtleties related to the suspension, wheels and steering head geometry. The project is finished; watch the review in our blog.