My Triumph Bonneville T120 Black: Everything I Wanted in a Motorcycle

Meet my new-to-me Triumph Bonneville T120 Black. It might be the perfect motorcycle. For me, anyway.
This is an introduction to my channel, and to my Bonneville.
This channel is a spin-off of my wildy successful (in my mind) Vespa scooter channel ( / @itsthebugshow ). Things are a bit goofy over there, so prepare yourself..
In this intro video we take a ride from Vernonia to Portland, OR on a beautiful, somewhat twisty backroad, and talk about my Triumph Bonneville T120 Black.
Say hi on Instagram: / bugmotochannel
Filmed on my 2017 Triumph Bonneville T120 Black.
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Tech Notes:
I shoot these videos mainly on DJI equipment:
• DJI Osmo Action 4 cameras
• DJI Osmo Pocket 3
• DJI Mic 2 (used with Pocket 3 and in-helmet with Action 4)
• Sony ZV-1
• Fuji X100f for stills
All video is edited in Davinci Resolve Studio on a Mac Book Pro
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[@akihomax5345]

The colors of the flowing landscape are the best. It's so relaxing to watch.

[@Ridethe808]

Love this! Excited for more. The scenery is just amazing.

[@BugMotoChannel]

Thank you. I'm pretty lucky to live here.

[@sammitpotade]

I am actually in Boston now.. brought my first motorcycle in US last year RE INT 650 at 38.. started riding back home in India at 15 with scooter then had Honda motorcycle 100cc . 15 year break in between taken my masters, family, kids and corporate growth.. now back to riding!! This content is so relatable

[@hoymikey]

Having the same sentiment with what you are telling in your vid, got the 2024 T120 Black, can't wait to ride mine, this will be my end game big bike!

[@David-bf6pl]

Thank you for this specific channel! Im looking for places to ride to in the portland metro(and around)area, and your channel is exactly what I was looking for. Please keep the motorcycle videos coming. I eagerly await your next video.

[@BugMotoChannel]

Let me know if I can help you find some rides, or if you’re looking for a riding partner.

[@williammartin3793]

Landed on your channel because I've been looking to buy a Bonnie and I'm just south of you in Salem. There are a lot of pretty rides around our area, but I'm always looking for more to see and explore. My reasons for riding mirror your own, so I look forward to watching more of your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@BugMotoChannel]

Thanks! See you on the road sometime. I pass through Salem often on the way to the Gates area, where I like to camp...

[@rafaelcordoba13]

Best motorcycle! I have a 2022 T120 and I upgraded rear and front shocks with Öhlins, the bike doesn't dive as much in the front on harder breaking and the rear seems more comfortable, also more stable in curves where the road is not really smooth. I also put a handlebar riser and it's a lot better.

[@chillrider33]

Also add a booster plug, rear ohlins, and change sprocket and it’s a near perfect bike.

[@rafaelcordoba13]

@@chillrider33 change sprocket ⚙️ to have more acceleration? 🤔 I’ll consider the booster plug but need to wait the 3 year warranty to be over. Thanks!

[@chillrider33]

@@rafaelcordoba13 you can gain some acceleration at the sake of a minor drop in top and speed, but main thing for me is that it feels better geared

[@twinphill900]

OH, WHAT THE HECK 😮 You have 2 channels 🤗 Happy days, I really do your videos. Thank you for making these quirky, extremely funny videos. Although this one was less quirky, it's still fun to watch. More power to you 👍

[@BugMotoChannel]

Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I figured I'd be a bit (just a bit) more serious over here. I'm so torn though. I would really love to put motorcycle content up on the other channel but the couple of times I did, even though I got a lot of views, I lost some subscribers... I'm afraid to alienate folks who are there just for my scooter shenanigans... I dunno. It'll work itself out somehow I guess.

[@Shadow-Rider-88]

S22 + V. Keep the videos & the joy of riding coming! Stay strong, ride on!

[@BugMotoChannel]

Hey thanks!

[@jarleygarden3671]

Came across your channel by accident as I have the same bike as yours, T120 Black (2022). Love it. It was so fun seeing your first bike, as that Honda CX500 was also where I started my motorcycle life. I got divorced from my 1st wife, grew a beard, got my license and the Honda. Then followed a Yamaha FJ1200, then 14 years without a bike when my kids were small before getting back to motorcycles when I turned 50. BMW1200GS, then a KTM Super Duke 1290 GT, a KTM 790 Adventure before finally deciding to go in a different direction totally when turning 60 and got the T120. My riding nowadays looks much more like yours; shorter, slower, but much more enjoyable. And Telemark, Norway, doesn’t look too different from Oregon either😊 Picked mine up from the winter storage today, after 6 months of winter, so now I’m looking forward to 6 months of summer riding 😎 Keep up the good work and stay safe 😊

[@steveh545]

Cool stuff. New to the channel, thanks to the algorithm. I think your "Die young as late as possible" vid is getting you some traction. Watched that, and now going back to watch earlier vids. I was going to say look at a MotoGuzzi for character. Nothing wrong with Triumph of course, just an option, but i see on the screen you flashed up, that you rode one. So, all bases covered. Anyway, good stuff, now i have some old vids to catch up on., and you earned a sub!

[@itssyedfazal]

Thank you muting the wind blast it’s more clearer and background music very interesting!! Looking forward for more videos

[@VishalVishal-pf4nu]

Dr. Black and Dr. White was brilliant! 🙌🏻

[@EdMeyer22]

Hey Bug! I discovered your channel here about a week ago and am thoroughly enjoying your videos. I’m an older rider as well, 55, and really dig the mellow nature of your rides. Speaking of nature, I live in Texas now but moved here 20 years ago from Portland. So seeing your routes along those beautiful roads I know well is really very cool - the Portland area has some truly awesome scenery. I ride a ‘23 CB650R currently. It’s a ton of fun but I’m already thinking about a new or additional bike. I can see the novelty of the high-revving inline-4 wearing off, but I know I’ll miss it when it’s gone. Now to just convince my wife that I need another bike.. Anyway, the T120 is on my list. It’s a gorgeous bike man, thanks for the video.

[@InTransit8911]

I dig it. I'm from the Portland area. I'm riding a 22' Speed Twin 1200 and I love it.

[@mikemcgeehan4321]

Nice ride.

[@Lar308]

I bought a new T120 (candy red/silver + lots of chrome) in 2017 after a 17 year gap between my last motorcycle. I always wanted a classic Bonneville but with all my classic cars I just did not want to get into classic bikes too. Then I discovered I could buy a brand new Bonneville so went and got one. But then I discovered the Triumph Thruxton R and wanted one of them too so in 2019 bought a very low mileage and original one in the UK and brought it back to Ireland. It was the classic and very beautiful ice silver metallic. I still kept my T120 but then I found I was riding the Thruxton all the time and then got some more bikes so the T120 was basically something I liked to polish and admire rather than ride. So in 2022 I traded it in for a Ducati Panigale V2 Troy Bayliss edition. But still I did enjoy my T120 and had it 5 years and did over 8,000km on it. Enjoy this video I played it over and over while waiting for my T120 to be delivered and it captures the freedom and exhilaration of biking on a nice day and I had many of those on my T120 which your video made me miss. I still have my 2016 Thruxton and could never imagine my bike fleet without a Triumph in it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5SpcpV-jpuEkMk

[@graynurse1001]

Great videos, just got a new to me 2017 T120 Black as my first bike at age 50 and it’s fantastic! Damn near perfect. In Portland as well so it’s nice to see the Oregon landscape.

[@BugMotoChannel]

Sweet! Have you been out to Triumph Columbia River? I just got back from having a recall thing done (you should check to see if you've had yours done, it's some sort of electrical harness thing that takes 5 minutes for them to fix, and it's free). That place is like a toy store. It's beautiful and filled with a TON of fun things. Came home with two tshirts, a neck gator, and plans to dump hundreds into side luggage. :)

[@graynurse1001]

Haven’t made to the east side store yet, only to Cascade in Beaverton. Thanks for the heads up about the recall. Will definitely look into it. If you’re ever in the Rock Creek/Helvetia area let me know, maybe we could take the twins for a ride.

[@itsthebugshow]

@@graynurse1001 Definitely! I love it over there.

[@seansixfive]

If both the bike feels good at low speed and you feel good at low speed then you probably have a great bike. If both criteria are met plus you can just open the throttle in any gear for an overtake then you probably have an excellent bike.

[@Setzerpendence]

sounds like it all fell into place ;) nice bike, sounds smooth

[@slowsteve3497]

I have a tiger sport 660. Love it.

[@edwinbrown3303]

OK I'm hooked. Thanks

[@terrygorry]

Nice relaxing video 👍 I will go and check out your Vespa channel now as I recently bought a Vespa. And unlike you I have never ridden a motorcycle or scooter in my life, until I bought my Vespa. And I love it even though it is seriously underpowered for a guy like you. I would be very interested if you did a video on your video/audio set up for your videos 👍 Maybe you have done one already?

[@antex1992]

Hello Bug, newest subscriber here. This is kind of video I like to watch during working, resting, just to chill. Thank you for those 10 minutes. I remember first time I saw Boneville my father felt in love with it, so do I. When I grown up I got my first bike, that's Honda CBF600, naked version, I think Boneville will be a bike I'd get around my 40's. Still a bit too young though. I have one question, i really like your video style, do you edit colors in post-processing or do you use some kind of lens on your DJI? By the way, I do also watch my riding videos to remember myself good rides. Cheers!

[@peterdonnelly6804]

Dr Black & Dr White are your therapist's 😂 ❤

[@quickshoe6]

Like bike.

[@sarkiskopushyan]

Hello. Does the Triumph T120 have a gear indicator?

[@toquio3]

It does.

[@whiterabbitt2002]

Portland ? Have you ever run into/met the Grimm that lives there ? And if you would say, what did you pay for your Bonnie T-120 ?

[@BugMotoChannel]

I have not, no. :) I paid $5k for it, with about 9000 miles on it.

[@logangodofcandy]

So, you robbed a guy and lied about buying a bike. Nice.

[@luvsallbikes279]

I do miss Monroe .

[@victorhawkins3461]

Sooooo...you thought you could slide another channel onto KZbin and I wouldn't notice, huh? Well, you were WRONG, Peter Pumpkin Head! Sheesh...you've started sounding like Steve over on "Scooter in the Sticks." Wanna get an adventure bike, wanna ride the twisties, yada, yada, yada. You miss shifting. Shifting! That's one of the reasons I sold Mo'Dean, my Kawi Vulcan 2000...well, that and the fact that she weighed a whopping 850 pounds. It was like wrestling a water buffalo every time I took her out! Okay, so I'm old. I'm OLD, I tell you! The CVT life is the life for me! But I s'pose I'll have to check in on this channel of yours, too, you rascal...'cause as a retired TV writer/producer, I think you make some damn fine videos. Just sayin'... Congrats!

[@BugMotoChannel]

Hey thanks! Isn't Steve great? I watch all his stuff and in fact he was one of the inspirations for me getting a vespa in the first place. I am looking forward to someday hearing of your TV adventures. I went to film school, but studied journalism... (I think I've made that joke before... It is true though). My heart has always been in tv/radio/film.