Test Ride On New T100 Today

had a test ride on a new, 2018 T100 Bonneville today.

Interesting morning out. Rode for just over an hour. Mostly back roads but a short squirt up the A1, 12 miles Peterborough to Stamford. I also ride the “two hills” on the A605 W of the A1, these are hardly Mam Tor or Snake Pass but they ARE a short, sharp drag up and give a good idea of a bike’s pulling power under load.

What to say? A well-mannered, nicely developed roadster of no tremendous performance, but what power is does have is well distributed, pulling strongly uphill and overtaking on the A1 in the 50-85 mph range. Smooth and quiet. Doesn’t have the “angry” quality of my 2013 model, which is a bit “special” so not really a fair comparison.

Clutch is definitely lighter and easier than my machine. The new machine felt lighter and narrower, somehow; more like a Meriden Triumph than mine. Pirelli Phantoms on 18” rims definitely suited it. Seat was a marked improvement, I find that after an hour on my machine’s “ironing board” I’m ready to get off, but after an hour on the new bike I’d happily have kept going. Didn’t like the turn indicators but that’s the sort of thing you get used to.

Suspension seemed no improvement over my machine. I didn’t notice the ABS, which I suppose is the point of it?

Would I buy one? Hard to say. I know someone who rode both, and bought a Street Twin, on the basis that for the same total cost he could have a centre stand, 2-1 exhaust, remap and new Hagon suspension front and back. He also reckons the Street is 40lbs lighter than the T100 and that shows.

Have to ride a Street next, but it’s hard to find one as a demo bike.. perhaps that’s why?

 

I sat on a "first year" Street Twin and didn't care for the seat, but it felt nice. I'd like "proper" hard panniers if I had luggage, how does the Street cope with that?

I'm not really a "wire wheels" fetishist. The cast wheels on the Sportster are about half the weight of the wire units. I had cast wheels back in the 1970s, after all. If i get a puncture, I call the RAC. I once had a deeply scary experience involving a plug fitted by a PO (which I wasn't aware was fitted) and have zero confidence in them.

 

They aren't particularly light. I'm not a fan of modern styled bikes, the tipped up rear seat sections, deeply indented and sculpted tanks, rearset footrests and the rest aren't designed for a short, heavily built rider with limited flexion of one knee from an old injury.

 

It was from Webbs, yes. They promised me a Street to try but (not for the first time) didn't produce one on the day.