So folks looking to get license in April will buy one of the above, told there the same underlying platform other than styling Whos owned both, and would like to share experiences, not ridden for years, grumpy old git, short arse but can reach floor on either. I’ll be a Sunday A/B road plodder no passengers with weekend trips to the coast Is it just a styling choice or things I should know
Hi Repooh, My personal choice from those 3 would be the T100. It has the most classic styling & a bit of extra bling. If your thinking of buying a used bike? You may also find there are more mint examples of the T100 available? I've seen very few scruffy ones. They seemed to be owned by meticulous people?
It depends on if you also like meddling...... Street Twin is very new on that approach but the T100 has lots of toys for it.
What might also be a factor, is whether you enjoy cleaning and polishing chrome. I don’t, so bought the Street Twin, although I wouldn’t deny how nice the T100 looks. The T100 is also slightly heavier and has slightly longer forks, so isn’t so agile in the twisties(small margins though). I’d guess that you’ll love whichever one you opt for, so good luck with your test.
Thanks folks I was thinking the same about the chrome, leaning towards the T100 Black I think one dealler told me there is a Street Twing Black coming, cant recall entirely
The T100 is physically a little bigger so it depends partly on which fits you better. I'm pretty stumpy at five ten ish and found the ST a little too small for me, but then I've been riding for decades. I opted for the T100 and love it. As the others have said either will make you smile from ear to ear.
From a riding experience you'll love either. As said it's then a case of whether you're OCD and love cleaning. The T100 does look nice though personally I'd choose cast wheels over spoked- you could check if the cast have tubeless tyres or not as the T100 will have tubes which are a PITA if you get a puncture. Make sure you test ride them though before ordering. Good luck with the test and keep us posted
Am I correct in thinking the Newchurch is an 865cc air cooled Bonne. So what's the practical differences / advantages between an air cooled and liquid cooled Bonne. Newchurch vs new T100. Keep it simple folks I pride myself on being stupid
Agreed I looked at a used Street Twin as a possibility before I bought the Newchurch. I've ridden a Street before and they're pretty similar really (as you'd expect). I went for the 865 on the basis it was a couple of grand cheaper for the 865 with less than 5000 miles on it, there's loads of bits for it new and secondhand and most glitches/problems have either been cured or well documented by now. The other thing I like is it's basic (none of the ABS malarky ), easy to ride and easy to work on..... (Full exhaust system swap took about an hour with a 10 minute tea break included)
Test ride both as I believe others have already said. The old air cooled 865's are tried and tested and have loads of after market parts available for customising - a big thing with Bonnevilles. As biglad said, the Twin has a bit more torque and ABS fitted (as all new bikes have to now have). The Newchurch is a special Edition cast wheel Bonnie launched by Triumph in recognition of the old Tridays festival at Neukirchen in Austria. (and the fact that the town used the English version of the name for this period - hence Newchurch). It has a different paint scheme - mainly the tank - a low profile seat and black detailing including headlamp bowl, bars, mirrors, springs, wheels and mudguards. Other than that it's a standard Bonnie.
I had a test ride on the Speed Twin and found the engine was OK but the handling seemed a bit uninspiring although this may have been down to the tyres fitted to that bike. I then tried a 2012 Bonneville and found it much more fun to ride around the country lanes but the big deciding factor was that on both bikes I felt I needed to change the bars to suit my ageing body (I wanted some that were more upright and a little wider) and I was told that on the Street Twin I could only have the standard bars or ace bars because the fly-by-wire throttle would not permit the fitting of higher wider bars so I bought the Bonnie. Now I've had it 9 months I'm really glad I bought this one as with a little tinkering with the exhaust it's way more responsive so I've started tinkering with everything else too
I got a 2018 Street Twin. Great bike with classic look. I also got bags and touring windshield. The windshield is a must. Makes the ride effortless.
I've got the 865 t100 and the wife has the new street twin the t100 is higher at the seat and feels heavier when slow manoeuvring, the streettwin feels nimbler and sounds awesome with standard pipes it's also smoother in setting off .....overall the street twin does feel a lot smaller and lighter and more modern but I prefer the style of the t100 every time
I test rode both and I thought the T100 was just a more complete, well rounded bike. In the end I bought the 2013 865cc EFI model, because it was such a bargain (what with everyone trading them in for the new, 270deg crank models) but the same comments apply. I’ve never understood why people are so obsessed with putting both feet flat on the floor. I’m 5’8” and rode a Commando back in the day, as long as you don’t fall over at traffic lights, what more do you want?
