Bonneville For Touring?

Hi all, I've been doing some light sport touring on my 2012 Speed Triple R lately and did some configuration changes to make it a little better suited such as a slightly taller windscreen, throttle lock, sport touring tires, etc. It does pretty well in that role, and is a heck of a lot of fun on the twisty roads through the mountains and valleys - tons of power, great handling, and great brakes. Best bike I've ever owned and puts a smile on my face whenever I ride it. Not the most comfortable bike on the long stretches though, although it's not terrible.

Although the Speed Triple is a heck of a lot of fun, I don't own a bike for a more gentle laid back type of riding that I also like to do, and miss having something that's a little more "general purpose." I envision myself using something like that for longer distance trips where the goal is travel and sightseeing more than seeking out the twistiest roads (although even a more pedestrian bike can be fun on the twisties - just in a different way).

Do you guys (and gals) think that a T100 or T120 with a small windshield, maybe cruise control, some suspension upgrades, and a set of panniers would do it? I'm thinking a used bike, and prefer fuel injection vs. the earlier ones. Any tips or tricks? Anything else I need to be aware of?

I'm in the US, and another purpose for this bike a year or two from now might be to ship it to Europe and store it in a barn at a cousin's place for a few years, and ride in places I haven't ridden yet such as eastern Europe, Morocco, Turkey, and the UK.

Anyway, to give some perspective, I've been riding for more than 45 years, have owned many bikes including touring bikes, lots of sportbikes, sport-tourers, many dual sports, even a couple Harleys, and a Royal Enfield Bullet at one point. As I get older I'm tending toward smaller and simpler bikes, and a "standard" seems to appeal. Right now aside from the Speedy, I own a DRZ400 and a couple of project bikes.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

Good point with the tubed tires. Do they usually have a center stand? I suppose one could be added. I've been pretty lucky in that I've only had to fix a couple flats with tube tires on the road - tubeless would certainly be easier.

Guess I should research which years cruise control is possible, but it's not an absolute neccessity - throttle locks are usually enough to give my hand a break once in awhile.

 

I also prefer electronic cruise control, but it's not at the top of the list. Here in the western USA it's convenient to have, but still not absolutely essential. Despite it being almost always on rental bikes I've used lately I almost never use it when riding in the parts of Europe where I like to ride.

It certainly won't be on the KLR650 that I'm renting in South America a few days from now.

 

I stopped by the Triumph dealer yesterday and talked to a friend who's the owner. Instead of a Bonneville I may get something Bonneville-like such as a Scrambler or Speed Twin due to better performance chops. We also discussed some other options. He's also an Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Enfield, and Beta dealer. Some of the Moto Guzzis look interesting - he gave me a tour of his personal Guzzi which he really likes.

Anyway, I have a couple motorcycle projects to complete and sell before getting another bike. Hopefully within the next six months.

 

Thanks all. Still trying to decide if I want to go with an all-out touring bike such as a big Harley, maybe a Thunderbird, R 18, or similar, but they are very heavy. Might still go with the Bonneville just to have a "standard" that can be used for touring.

Time-wise I'm thinking the fall. I have a custom Harley Sportster project that needs to be finished and sold to make room in the garage. Hopefully sell the Harley this summer.

 

Tried it once with a set of new Warp-9 SM wheels that I got for my DRZ400. Didn't work out - always had a slight leak even after taking it all apart and re-coating. May try it again, but use some of the stuff bicyclists use to seal their tubeless conversions. Easier to get something designed for it and not have to worry about spoke hole leaks.

Anyway, think I've settled on the path of least resistance with great dealer and aftermarket support here in the USA - Harley Davidson touring bike. Probably a Road King.

A few weeks ago I visited with a band of Harley riders in Tucson, Arizona (led by our own illustrious @Sandi T) with the intension of riding my own bike while there. My bike never came off of the rack on the back of the camper van. They enthusiastically loaned me three Harely Davidson bikes to ride - Mr. Sandi's (Steve's) 2021 Road Glide (great wind protection), Russell's 2023 Street Glide (good wind protection and very comfortable), and Russell's 2023 Heritage Softtail Classic (classic look, but smaller and lighter than the other two). Well, they sucked me right into the dark side of motorcycling. "Go with the flow" they said - I'm going with the flow...