Triumph Bonneville, First thoughts, Comfort Seat, Centre stand, initial thoughts and your photo's

[@droptuned83]

Great to see my photos on your channel, glad your getting your Triumph sorted out to your liking mate. 👍

[@shottostravels]

Pleasure, ride safe Mate. Enjoy the Bullet. Send more when you go somewhere scenic👍

[@5150show]

Beautiful bike , this is on my list for my next bike after I’m familiar with things on my classic 350 , long gap in riding since my classic - 30 years

[@shottostravels]

Welcome back to motorcycling Ride safe👍

[@5150show]

@@shottostravels cheers from New Zealand

[@shottostravels]

@@5150show great to hear from you, send me a pic with a nice New Zealand landscape👍to [e-mail]

[@5150show]

@@shottostravels sure will .

[@shottostravels]

@@5150show look forward to it, ( works better in landscape!)

[@garryclarke-kray4071]

Thanks for showing my picture , welcome to club Triumph!

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Gary, ride safe👍

[@EastboundDwn]

Great bike, Keith! I always enjoy your videos. I skipped over the comfort seat and went with the king&queen on my Bonneville.

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Bud. Others have recommended that. I think I'll keep my eye on eBay and when one pops up I will get a king and queen, I just don't want to pay full price!

[@bankruptpensioner]

Mmmmm Keith, that centre stand does not look OEM. I have put a couple of centre stands on the 865 and they were much more substancial. Great video 👍 And that said, I have never bought a bonneville that came with a centre stand as such, had to fit one etc etc

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Mate, no it's not it's Tec stand. Proper one is on now, seems good. 👍

[@ianhalliwell8604]

I also had an old air cooled Bonnerville in 2009 and replaced the seat with a gel comfort seat costing £200 back then. It was a big improvement and infact I've still got it in my garage, i should have put it up for sale but somehow never got round to it.

[@shottostravels]

I agree Ian, that was about the age of my Bonnie. Mine wasn't the last word in comfort either.

[@richiedewen9289]

I have a Brown comfort seat fitted to mine, I've also fitted the progressive front fork springs, junked the truly awful stock Pirelli Phantoms and fitted Bridgestone BT23 Battleaxe tyres too, that has certainly calmed things down a bit up front. Your Centre stand is deffo aftermarket too... (As per photos I've emailed of my OEM one).

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Richie, your not the first to mention the fork springs. I didn't realize the tyres were that bad to be honest. I will ask the question of others on here to see what they say about them, you may well be correct. I now do realize it's not a genuine stand and have been offered a genuine item at cost as the dealer says they can't warrant an aftermarket stand. Thanks for commenting, Ride safe Mate👍

[@seancarter8006]

Beautiful bike 😍 2 wheeled Willie raves about the Bud Ekins edition and I can see why 👌

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Sean. I need to go and have a look. Ride safe Mate👍

[@seancarter8006]

​@shottostravels his channel is "unique "! But he's a top dude 👌

[@matt904sl]

Hi Keith fantastic looking bike mate and I bet she goes well 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽 go steady

[@shottostravels]

Hi Matt, it does go nicely. I bet youre not a miserable mechanic. Ride safe👍

[@matt904sl]

@@shottostravels 😂😂😂😂 I am a bit miserable sometimes Keith but when I'm on my motorbike I couldn't be more happy 😁😁😁😁😁

[@shottostravels]

@@matt904sl your right mate, that's us blokes for you. You are not alone.👍

[@simonhall5086]

What a lovely bike. Do you find it a but heavy though? After the Enfield. Looking forward to some more of your travels👍

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Simon, not heavy at all on the move. Maybe a bit heavier when manoeuvering around the drive, it doesn't have quite the lock of the Enfield but it is a small price to pay for the massive increase in performance. Ride safe Mate👍

[@davidmarten619]

Congratulations on the new bike, looks great. 😃 I would love to go up from the meteor to an interceptor, but at 5' 6" & a fag paper with a dodgy left ankle, it's a bit high & heavy for me. Little Red has been on a diet & lost just on 10 Kg. Finished all the mods for this summer, the rest can wait for winter ! I will Email you a list of the mods & some pics. In the meantime, enjoy your new bike & ride safe. Cheers mate. ☺

[@shottostravels]

Thanks David, I'm presuming you have tried an Interceptor? I didn't think it was that tall but maybe ( no probably) I'm wrong. Try a Triumph for size also. Thanks for commenting, look forward to seeing your photos. Ride safe Mate 👍

[@rogerthelodger]

I also have the Triumph comfort seat on my T100, also centre stand and I fitted the TEC progressive springs last week. It made a big difference to the weird tracking effect I was experiencing. This maybe the stock tyres causing this. I also have the YKK rear shocks fitted and is the only bike I have owned where I don’t get the numb bum effect.. I think the bike is now truly sorted.

[@PhilipBallGarry]

Good morning Keith. Just catching up (been busy with the wedding coming up). My T100 was surprisingly comfortable. Standard seat good for rider and pillion but all bums are different. Rear shocks too were excellent compared to some I've experienced before and certainly plush compared to those on the Super Meteor 650 we've just bought (wedding present to each other). Those Pirelli Phantoms were OK too. They did track over white lines and banding but I wouldn't have replaced them till they wore out. Fuelling was perfect too and much better than the Speed Twin 1200 that I borrowed whilst my T100 had it's service. Having said all that, mine was a 2022 model which had a few improvements according to Triumph. Right then, time to catch up with the vids 😊

[@shottostravels]

Hi Mate thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts. Good luck to you on your upcoming wedding, I hope the weather is kind and that you have a wonderful day.👍

[@Kamarov2090]

Honestly having standard parts even on a special edition is a blessing at least parts will be available in 10 to 15 years time

[@shottostravels]

Thanks for your thoughts Ride safe Mate 👍

[@Damien-omen666]

She sounds lovely mate and looks like she picks up well do like it alot but will she last more than 6 months 🤔🤔 shall we have a bet 😉🤣

[@shottostravels]

Ha, you never know. 👍

[@Butlers_Bike_life]

Another enjoyable video, takes a while to get a new bike to how you want it but it looks the business. Just wondering if you're using a go pro ? Im impressed with your sound quality, been trying to get my audio sorted but just get crackling and popping. Tried every setting so thinking it's my mic. What mic are you using ? 👍...Cheers for now

[@shottostravels]

Hi Mate, I was having sound issues. I'm still not fully resolved but it's better than it was. I use an inst360rs, you can see it on the tank at times when I'm using my phone. A tip I found worked was moved the mic away from just in front of your lips, get it a few inches away, mines just poking out of the cheek pad on the inside of my lid. I also turned the gain down, I can do this on my camera. Don't know what you use. Another thing is a cheapo lavallier mic works in this environment just as well as an expensive one. It's just trial and error Mate. Taym did a video on it, have a look at that, may be helpful. All the best.👍

[@Butlers_Bike_life]

@@shottostravels Many thanks, I am using a go pro with a purple panda mic, I will try moving it to a different position in the helmet, I think its to do with the amount of noise the go pro picks up and not being able to process it. Ive spent hours trying different things but will look at the video you have suggested, I will get there but as you know it's a lot of phaffing about 🤣 thanks for getting back to me. Cheers 👍

[@shottostravels]

@@Butlers_Bike_life It's a pleasure Mate, get the mic away from your lips. If it's too close it'll be horrible, mine was..👍

[@ianbaines9705]

I bought a Bud Ekins T100 just a month ago. Would you believe it has the same Tec centre stand (no problems - touch wood - on mine). Having come from a T100 790 that I owned for 20 years and on which I swapped out the front suspension for progressives and the rear for Hagon shocks I’m definitely noticing the difference on the newer model - it ‘jars’ my wrists so much more on the front, the rear though doesn’t feel too bad. It’s on my list to swap both out though. Already got the Hines and Vance exhausts ready to fit. Followed your channel also so you’ve gained a subscriber.

[@shottostravels]

Thanks for your thoughts. Make sure you don't sit on the stand! It'll collapse. Is yours hard/ a maul to get onto the stand in the first place. Interesting to hear that you intend to fit the progressive fork springs? Is that really worthwhile, what does that do? Sorry for my ignorance. Thanks for Subscribing! Ride safe Mate👍

[@ianbaines9705]

@@shottostravels - the stand is fine and very easy to get the bike on it. Not much clearance to spin the back wheel but enough. From now on I won’t be sitting on it using the centre stand. When I swapped out both front and rear on my 2004 790 I found it improved stability and felt more planted on the road (it didn’t bounce over the bumps as much). With the current bike I feel the front is more the problem - felt it bottom out a couple of times or at least not ‘give’ (hence the wrists hurt) and once even thought the front ‘flexed’ a little whilst going round a roundabout which was somewhat disconcerting. A swap is probably on the cards but I need to ride it a little more yet.

[@shottostravels]

@@ianbaines9705 thanks for sharing your thoughts. My stand is hard to lift onto It's obviously knackered. I have mentioned to the dealer that onine there is a bit of a secondary clunk when I hit a bump or pothole, I have asked them to check the forks, head bearings etc. this may just be all part of the same issue. Who knows. But If they come back and say all is OK, I will look at the fork springs. Others have mentioned it too. Thanks for commenting. Ride safe👍

[@nicholasjarrold8649]

Nice little mutter I’m still thinking of the T120 because I still want that bit more hp and torque because if I’m jumping from my rocket to the 120 it will be bit boring but the bonnie is only for a pootle round on my own and rocket more for group ride and spirited riding when I feel like it which isn’t very often really just now and then I have a mad moment 😂😂🤷‍♂️but only in the right places take care ride safe I don’t think that is a triumph stand either

[@shottostravels]

Hi Nicholas, you might be surprised. I would say don't dismiss a T100, I rode both and felt it was the right choice for me. You may disagree, horses for courses. I'm loving it but I am going the other way from a relatively low powered bike to this. I now know it's not a Triumph stand, the dealer has offered a proper stand at cost price which is ZoK by me. Thanks for commenting. Ride safe Mate 👍

[@markpercy4277]

Morning Keith, that's definitely not a Triumph stand and is dangerous if the back wheel is not off the ground. l put a pair of TEC progressive fork springs and preload adjusters on my T120 and it's made a world of difference to the front end. And l have fitted Motech soft panniers to the bike as well l was determined not to to fit a topbox even thought my wife likes to lean on them😂 hope you are enjoying the Bonnie bud take care 👍

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Mark, it's wonderful. The dealer says it's not Triumph, he's offered me a Triumph stand at cost so I think that's the route I'll take. You are not the first to mention progressive fork springs, is that a route I need to go down? I love my box, even if it does look crap! Ride safe Mate👍

[@mikehatswell3961]

Morning Keith, that’s not a Triumph centre-stand, the standard one is easy to use, as for the seat, Triumph do a King Queen for the T100/120 I fitted one to my Speed Twin, fabulous. I definitely agree with you regarding the front mudguard I looked everywhere for a better one something like they fitted in the 70’s to Triumph’s but in the end I modified and fitted the best front mudguard on a bike available today, yes a Royal Enfield Classic 350 one 😂😂😂 works a treat 👍 all the best buddy 👍

[@shottostravels]

Hi Mike. You are absolutely correct. I have been back to the dealer who says it is not a Triumph part. They do not guarantee aftermarket parts. They have said they will take it off and get it welded so that it stands correctly. They also offered me the option of a Triumph stand at cost price. I may take them up on that as this one is a bugger to get the bike up and on. Good to hear about both the king and queen and the mudguard. Send me a pic of the front mudguard, fitted. Thanks for commenting Mate, interesting points, ride safe 👍

[@markwood9755]

Hi Mike, Mmmm, very Interesting ref Mudguard, any chance of a photograph please ?

[@mikehatswell3961]

@@markwood9755 Hi Mark, keep a eye on Keith’s channel, I have sent him photos and he’s going to show them for anyone who might be interested. If you ride all year,it’s a worthwhile mod, and easy to put back to standard for the summer, all the best 👍

[@shottostravels]

@@PeterHolland-mu7yn I agree, it does doesn't it. He's done a wonderful job.

[@markwood9755]

Excellent, thanks Mike, I am subscribed and will keep my eyes open 👍😀

[@danielmart7940]

I have the comfort seat on my T120. Weekend before last I rode 280 miles or so. I usually stop every 50-70 miles to look around ect. I can spend 6 or 7 hours of riding now, compared to 2 or 3 max with the stick seat. I'm only 5'4" and the comfort seat is a higher seat, but has softened up enough to be perfect. $400 well spent

[@danielmart7940]

I also added the expense Fox piggy back shocks. They make a HUGE difference also. I will eventually add the front profressshocks and put on continental tk70 tires for more back road capability

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Daniel, all very interesting. I love to hear what other owners have done to improve their experience. Is the suspension that bad that it needs to be swopped out? Someone else mentioned the stock Pirelli tyres are crap, would you agree? They seem.OK to me 🤔 Thanks for commenting Ride safe Mate 👍

[@danielmart7940]

The stock suspension is adequate, but, the Fox piggy make it more plus, paired with the king n queen seat. The progressive fronts will take out the twist when you hit bumps n control dive I will also add steering damper I have a long list of mods to do. Including Zard low mounted exhaust so I can adjust chain n change real tires, without having to remove exhaust. Plus, the shorter exhaust will make it easier to clean n lube chain properly

[@shottostravels]

@@danielmart7940 ah, interesting. Thanks for sharing Mate👍

[@1223snickers1223]

Can you say how much additional height the comfort seat added? 6’6” rider and looking at the T100

[@clivejones6206]

I have a 2020 t100 and a comfort seat fitted . I found I had num bum after 40 miles on the original seat. But when installed comfort seat that went to 80 miles But after using it for over a 1000 miles I dont get numb bum at all now.

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Mate, good to know. Ride safe👍

[@1223snickers1223]

Can you say if it added any height to the “seat height”, thank you

[@simonbowen6653]

Triumph comfort seat is better than the stock plank and okay for a couple of hours. At £310 is ought to be. The bike is definitely a heave to get onto the official Triumph centre stand. Pirelli phantoms track and follow road imperfections. The same happened when I had them on an Interceptor.

[@shottostravels]

Hi Simon, thanks for commenting. It's just exploitation isn't it, how much more does it cost to make a comfort seat than a standard one. I suspect not much. So why don't they do it as standard. Well, we all know that one too. Interesting to note you also don't seem to be a Pirelli Phantom fan. And I was expecting it to be easier to get on the main stand if I do go down the official Triumph route. Thanks for your thoughts 👍

[@bsabiker-d7z]

When I bought my T120 in 2017 the comfort seat was an extra I bought straight away and it was worse than the original. Later I bought a Corbin Gunfighter and Lady which was slightly better but after an hour I always suffered from the numb bum syndrome. Heated grips were standard back then and that's a game changer, never had them before and will always have them from now on. The centre stand must be wrong and most likely the aftermarket model which was a lot cheaper than the original Triumph equipment. BTW did you enjoy Bournemouth, don't think it's as good as when I was younger back in the 1960's. My house is only 7 miles away on the edge of the New Forest. Or did I miss hear you and you never went down south.

[@shottostravels]

Hi Morgan. I just happened to spot the comfort seat so I thought I'd give it a go. The stand isn't Triumph and will be replaced soon. I didn't go to Bournmouth Mate, I went to Barmouth in Wales, it's a nice ride over there through Snowdonia from where I live in the North Midlands. Ride safe 👍

[@bsabiker-d7z]

@@shottostravels Sorry about the mix up with Barmouth - my hearing gets even worse with old age and senility.

[@shottostravels]

Don't be daft, my accent and the wind/ bike noise doesn't help.👍

[@Dave_East_Riding]

It's a TEC Bike Parts stand, I fitted one to my Speed Twin (£99 as opposed to £250 for a genuine Triumph). TEC warn you not to sit on the bike when it's on the centre stand as frame lugs can't take the weight. I hope this information helps.

[@shottostravels]

Thank you Dave. That explains it then. The lugs have indeed collapsed. Wasn't me your honour! I'm surprised at tec mind, it would of been easy to beef it up but thanks for the info. Ride safe Mate👍

[@Dave_East_Riding]

@shottostravels No, it's the Triumph part that's not up to the job, not the stand. Nice bike by the way. I had a look at one but decided to go for a new Speed Twin as it was the same price as the 4 year old special edition T100. (Tight Yorkshireman here)

[@ianhughesroyalenfield]

Morning Keith, funnily enough, on your unveiling video, I thought the stand looked a bit “odd”. Didn’t like to say anything though 🤔😂

[@shottostravels]

@@ianhughesroyalenfield Hi Ian. That's how thick I am. I didn't start to investigate, didn't realize until it dawned on me that the back wheel wasn't off the ground! If brains were dynamite, I wouldn't have enough to blow my hat off👍 You should of said! Ride safe Mate👍

[@robgerety]

Pretty sure your center stand is a TEC stand. Consider OEM relacement.

[@shottostravels]

Thanks Rob, you are correct. I have a Triumph one on now. Ride safe Mate👍

[@deltabluesdavidraye]

Bad reliability

[@shottostravels]

Thanks for your thoughts. Ride safe Mate 👍