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Friday, May 11, 2012

And Then......

Where was I?  
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Oh yes, gearing up to ride out for the maiden voyage.


What you can't see in the above picture is the audience that gathered to watch me ride away.  You know, the men that stand around with their legs spread, arms folded, wanting to see "if she really knows how to ride that thing."  Yes boys, she really does.

Once we left we were heading across town to Cycle Gear to see if they had any grip heaters in stock.  We were anticipating the 300 mile ride planned for Sunday and thought we'd best spend the evening doing some wiring and installing.  No luck - they were out of stock.  Apparently head office is in California and gosh they couldn't possibly need heated grips in May.  Face palm.

First impressions.  Shifter was a little high and the turning radius wasn't as tight as Max.  I felt that I went back to being a greenhorn when trying to park it. What I could do on Max in a smooth tight turn, turned into a 2 to 3 point turn on the Bonneville. When the steering is turned to full lock it isn't turned as tight as it is on Max. I also noticed that my riding pants kept getting snagged on the rubber foot pegs and that the kickstand placement was just damn awkward.  It didn't matter whether I used the actual kickstand or the helper post on the kickstand, I could not put it down all the way because the foot peg was in the way.  The kickstand didn't come out wider than the foot peg. This was just annoying.  I pretty much had to start booting it with some good effort with my toe to get it beyond the foot peg and extended all the way. That was fine to get it extended, but didn't work for retracting.

(taken in garage - trying to put kickstand down)

(kickstand doesn't stick out further than foot peg)

(pants/boot catch on foot peg putting kickstand up)
From Cycle Gear we decided to head for home.  It was almost 5 pm and we knew we'd hit rush hour traffic soon. Salem is the state capital and always seems to be busy.

We took some twisties on the way home and I noticed how smooth the bike was in corners.  It just felt planted.  Pick a line and take it.  No gentle input/correcting needed. 

(Photo by Troubadour)
Before long we'd made it to Corvallis and stopped for petrol so the tank would be full for morning.  Who was it at Triumph that decided that they'd put a full sized fuel cap on the tank, but the actual nozzle opening should be the exact size of a fuel nozzle?  Want to see how full the tank is as you are filing it?  Too fricken bad, you can't without removing the nozzle.  And you'd better be able to anticipate when it is almost full because it will splash.  Luckily Troubadour warned me of this or it could have been bad. As it was, it was frustrating.

(Fuel cap on)

(Nozzle hole and tiny breather hole for extra splashing)

We made it home and parked the bikes in the garage.  Like it wasn't full enough with two bikes, now there are three for a while.

Over dinner we discussed the bikes and the differences between the two.  Troubadour asked me if I had thought of a name for the Bonneville and the conversation went like this:

Troubadour: Have you thought of a name for the Bonneville yet?
     Me:  Been thinking but nothing has come to me yet.
Troubadour:  You could call it Beauregard.
     Me:  Wasn't that the janitor on the Muppets?
Troubadour:  Yes it was.
     Me:  (bahahahaha-snort)  That would be perfect because I like to ride sweep.
Troubadour:  That isn't why I thought of it.

And that is how the Bonneville became knows as Beauregard or Beau for short.

(Photo by Troubadour)
We went out and adjusted the shift lever to move it down a bit as I was really having to raise my foot to shift down.  All other controls were fine where they were and placement of them seemed a good fit ergonomically although the seat to foot peg ratio was a little short for my legs so my hips were a tad sore coming home. It was almost as if my legs were perched on the pegs and I had to hold them up.  Sounds odd I know.

*          *          *          *         *          *

We woke up at 5 am Sunday morning to a chilly 35˚F (1.6˚C).  Brrrr.  We made some sandwiches for the trip and packed some water and munches.  We layered on our gear and I also put some heated disposable insoles in by boots.

We met up with Josh and Meg at 7 am.  Much to their surprise I wasn't on Max. Although I sure wish I'd had his heated grips. I think Josh liked the sound of the aftermarket exhaust.

The shifter on Beau had been lowered too much and I was having to point my toe at an odd angle to shift up.  From the start I had to keep looking at foot placement, something I'd never had to do on the Gladius even when new.

As you know from Troubadour's post we made it to Amity and then turned around.  It was just one of those days that wasn't meant to be.  We were home by 9:30 am.  Josh and Meg finally made it home at 8:30 that night traveling a total of 411 miles (661 km). Holy crap that was a long ride they had. It would have been shorter but they had to back track because of an accident blocking one of the major East/West highways.

(Photo by Troubadour)
Later in the day when it warmed up and Troubadour felt a little better we decided that I needed to ride the Bonneville and the Gladius back to back.  You see, I just wasn't feeling the love for Beau. I was quite distraught over that fact since I'd wanted a Bonneville SE for years.

We started out with me on Beau and Troubadour on Max and headed south to Bellfountain and Alpine.  Roads we know very well and travel often.  When we arrived in Alpine we stopped for a few pictures and to discuss.  

(Max & Beau in Alpine)
We decided it was a nice sunny day so we'd go a little further up the twisties to Alsea Falls and then switch bikes at that point.  When I got back on Beau I noticed what I thought was the fuel light had come on.  I confirmed with Troubadour that is what the light was for.  There was only 112 miles on the trip meter.  That was a big surprise, and not in a good way.

Beau has a bigger tank than Max by a half gallon (2 litres) and Max's fuel light doesn't come on until at least 150-160 miles (140 if Troubadour has been riding it).   For the riding we do I can't be looking for gas every 100 miles.  I think Sonja's Rover can probably go further than that with his peanut tank.  We assumed that the remapping after the aftermarket exhaust installation changed expected fuel mileage. Doh!

Not knowing if Beau had enough fuel to hit up the twisties we switched bikes and rode home.  This way we each rode a different bike to and from Alpine.  

We got home and parked the bikes in the garage.  (Yes Bobskoot they were magically backed into their spots) 


More discussion ensued.  Be watching for the next and final chapter for pros and cons and comparisons of each bike and my final decision if you haven't guessed it already.  I will hopefully have the final post up Sunday if I have time.  Our weather is supposed to be in the high 80's all weekend, so I might be playing outside instead.

- Au Revoir
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Good night, good Night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."  Juliet - Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

22 comments:

  1. Trobairitz:

    I love to listen into family conversations. I never thought to try the kickstand, I'll have to do that next time I see a Bonnie. Never thought about the gas filler neck, all my bikes have large diameter openings so you can see the fuel level.

    the short fuel range is certainly a problem. My old SV650 could go nearly 400 kms (250 mi), my V-strom has a 23 ltr tank and I can go nearly 500 kms (300+ mi) in the city, more on the hwy

    I really like your "magic" parking attendant.

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. The kickstand thing might just be because of my small feet. I don't think Troubadour has troubles with it. Either that or he is a lot more patient than I am.

      Sounds like you get great range out of a tank of fuel. Max doesn't do too bad but he only has a 3.8 gallon (14.38 ltr) tank.

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  2. well, beau is a looker! i get the draw! but i would not be feeling the love personally. i've had all of the issues you've mentioned and beau would drive me nuts. sometimes the cute ones are just that... sigh... sorry. but you've learned a ton of valuable stuff. and, im still following for the final decision. :) fun options are the spice of life! ;)

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    1. Sucker drawn in for a pretty face, lol. It happens to us all doesn't it?

      I am learning a lot and like I said some stuff I don't think I would have learned on a test ride either.

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  3. Now you have us waiting for part III. I guess Triumph wants to make sure that you only use unleaded fuel as that used to be the only reason for having the narrow opening. Maybe they didn't get the memo that leaded fuel is no longer generally available. The 100 mile range is ridiculously low. Do you think that it used to be better with the stock exhaust?

    That is a nice collection of jeep-type vehicles that you've found. And it includes a street legal Mutt (M151), a vehicle that the military deemed "unsafe for public highway use". Sorry, I get distracted easily.

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    1. Sorry it dragged out to a Part III, didn't want the post getting too long. I didn't know that leaded fuel used ot have a bigger nozzle. I do think the fuel mileage was better with the stock exhaust because their website can't be that far off. It is supposed to bed high 40s-low 50s depending on city or highway riding.

      I am not sure where Brad found the collection of vehicles. He took the Bonneville to work Wednesday and I think he found them for a photo op on the way home. I thought they were pretty neat when I saw the pics.

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  4. Interesting now that you mention the issue with the sidestand. When I did my test ride last year that was actually one thing that I found myself fumbling around with as well. I thought it was something minor, and neglected it because I love the Bonnie so much, however now that you are pointing out the small tank hole and the fuel consumption I start wondering if I am still putting the money on the right pony wanting that bike.

    Please continue soon, I know exactly how it feels when you badly want something and now that you have it, it doesn't feel just right (yet).

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    1. Yeah if it was just one thing that bothered me I could probably live with it, but when they start compounding I ask myself whether I really want to deal with them all.

      Hmmmm I wonder about the fuel filling hole on a Street Triple, I hear you really liked that model.

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    2. I was asking myself the same question, and going to check it out. The kickstand handling was fine on that one though. It's probably like Rogey says below, you gotta fall in love to make it work for you...
      However... marry in haste, repent at leasure as they say.

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    3. Yep, must feel the love. I don't think I had an issue with the kickstand on the Street Triple or the Tiger 800 when I've been on them. But for some reason it must be the placement of them on the Classics.

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  5. Personally nobike has ever felt perfect for me.....that is why i end up falling in love. Still it is a beautiful bike , and I look forward to hearing how you get on.

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    1. I don't think there is a perfect bike out there for me.

      I wouldn't think any bike was perfect, they are all going to have their little quirks, it is just a mater of what are the quirks, how many, and can I live with them.....

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  6. The Bonnie sure is photogenic, they're lovely pics! Your phrase about "not feeling the love is telling". However much you check the specifications, it's absolutely essential to ride it, then listen to what your gut tells you. Buying a bike is always a split between hard facts and the oh so important emotional attachment. If there's that niggling feeling... well, I expect that you'll tell us that in the next episode! A great series of posts, Brandy.

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    1. Thank you Geoff.

      Yeppers you can check specs and do comparisons on cycle-ergos and all kinds of research and it don't mean a hill of beans if you aren't feeling it.

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  7. P.S In another life, I used to drag race with Norm Hyde, the guy who made the Bonnie pipes. He was a senior R&D engineer at the Triumph factory at the time.

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    1. Ooooh so you've been famous for a while now. Cool that you used to drag race with Norm Hyde. I bet you have stories you could tell.

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  8. Trobairitz,

    I too am a sucker for a pretty sexy bike. Love the styling of the Bonnie, but I have yet to ride one or take it off/on the stand. The fuel range sucks, my shadow doesn't get great mileage either. It's good to hear all of your thoughts, my mind is changing about the Bonnie now.

    I have been dreaming of a Ducati or two, the lowered Monster and the Diavel. The Gladius is in the running for me too. It's so funny because last year when we did the 7 dream bike challenge I didn't have a clue or idea wat my dreaml bike is. For now I am dreaming of having my Scarlet back, because she most definitely is mine & makes my heart sing when I ride her. But MM's 750 is now working its way into my heart and I think I could be happy with it too. But if I was given the money & told go buy your dream bike tomorrow I think the Diavel would be the winner. But then again I saw the street triple and a used Tiger. I am such a fickle motorcyclist! I think I just want them all!

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    1. You say you want them all like it is a bad thing......

      I think our ideal motorcycle changes with the mood and weather or if we want to do different kind of riding. I sat on the MOnster at the show in Seattle year before last and loved it but compared to the Gladius it had a more forward lean and was not just more expensive to buy but to maintain. Now if funds were unlimited....... That Diavel sure is nice too. Brad sat on it at the show and was surprised how light it was.

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  9. Oh dear....hope things improve!

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    1. I don't if they will improve, but a decision has been made and it's all good.

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  10. Ahhhhh..I'm a bit behind...moving on now.........

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  11. Oh drats! I thought there was another post already! Ok, hope it gets a little better. Sadly my bike only gets 100 miles per tank. Very annoying.

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