[hondadude]

As an owner of a month old Superlow, I will chime in

First, I agree that it is a pain to own a Harley and ride solo to places where you don't need attention. Case in point, last Saturday I rode solo to Denkanikottai. I parked outside a small shop (away from the shop where there was no one). By the time, I ate a couple of idlis and came out, there were 10 people surrounding the bike. I drank the tea in a hurry all the while watching my bike and then came the customary "Can a take a pic" and "How much is it". I am always a bit worried stating the value of bike in an unknown place with unknown crowd. So, those are the times when I wish the bike would be understated

I got the bike with suspension mod right from day one. Ideally HD India shouldn't be selling the bike without this mod. Barring a few lousy speed breakers I go very comfortably over all of them. BTW on these lousy speed breakers my friend's Duke 390 also has a problem (i.e. touches the speedbreakers) so you get the picture I guess.

I bought HD because I liked the idea of ecosystem that HD has in place i.e. dealers, accessories, HOG, events etc. That said, I rode 1350 km in my first month I never rode with HOG so far. Always with friends who have different bikes

At the end, to each his/her own. The good thing is that we have so much choice in India now.

[dkaile]

Harley's for The Young Riders... Both bikes in this video are 2nd hand 883's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKxQtRpaBo0

It can get you attention when you want, and it can drive you away from attention when you want...

[absynthguzzler]

Oh Boy! seems a lot has happened on this thread!

I had to restrain myself form posting cause of the following reasons

a. I had only about 200 biking hours till date, that too on a 150cc. The pleasure i had experienced during those 200hours as an alternate to car driving was immense.
b. I had not ridden the Bonneville even before purchase and had opted blindly for the same as a gesture to my dad's fascination in reliving his old Triumph days. A question i had to ask myself was if the bike would suit me in the long term.
c. If i was ever going to invest in a bike, then it also had to be something that aged well. Point "a" clearly indicates that I had to mature along with the bike.
d.Why not HD, some may ask ? The reply in my head was simple ...... If i wanted HD, I should be thinking above 1.5ltr at the least. Yes, HD might have options below 1.5Ltr, but I didnt feel right within owning a true blood American Bike with a smaller engine. It would've also been brutish of me to opt for the big boys considering my experience to biking around.
e. I still havent figured out what my style or longing would be in the long term - Is it short super fast sprints, long distance touring, biking in groups, etc etc

You add all those factors together and invariably I can guess that most of my friends or forum members would've also suggested what i felt. "THE BONNEVILLE IS THE ONLY BIKE ON SALE THAT SEEMS TO TICK ALL THE ABOVE WITH CERTAIN LEVELS OF FLEXIBILITY."

One just has to browse the virtual world to understand the versatility of this bike. It sort of plays the jack of all , master of none role!

1 - Cruising Comfort and ease of bedding in with the bike ? Check
2 - Capable of good speeds when you're confident of hitting the roads - long or short ? Check
3 - Ease of use within city ? Check
4 - Something that will age well and not want you to upgrade ? Check

I have a feeling the small Harley's will make/want you to upgrade to the bigger ones. A Triumph Bonnie ownership ceases such itches . There is literally no modern alternative available at this engine capacity - One which serves the long term purpose of size and practicality.

The Bonnie has arrived and now the journey and experience begins . You'll shall hear more as i learn and potter along into a whole new world

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

The Bonnie has arrived and now the journey and experience begins . You'll shall hear more as i learn and potter along into a whole new world

Congratulations Absynthguzzler for the Triumph and shall be waiting for the first-hand report from you regarding the bike.

All the best and happy biking to you and your dad.

Anurag.

[abhjain]

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

The Bonnie has arrived and now the journey and experience begins . You'll shall hear more as i learn and potter along into a whole new world

Congrats !! Hope we are getting the first ownership thread soon to help budding buyers like me.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Good for you man. But don't under estimate or pull down the Harley. Enjoy your ride. I know I am doing mine. But my request is to not treat all Harley owners as blingers.

Hey man, I dont mean to demean it. Iam just stating my own personal opinion which iam entitiled too. And, I too request you not to project Harley (especially the cheapest and most incognito version) to be defacto choice for a prospective customer

Glad to know your enjoying your ride. I reckon that's all we are seeking at the end, aren't we?

My personal favorite as mentioned in my report is the Fatboy. Till the time, I save up for a fatboy, I plan not to look back at a Harley

Originally Posted by sanketdesai82

I question to you all: I haven't been riding a bike in ages now and last week when I test rode the triple, my palms just felt a lot of pain as though they were in a very uncomfortable position. Is this cause of the lack of me riding a bike in sometime or actually cause of the stance triple has?

I havent ridden the street tripple so cannot comment on its riding posture/comfort etc. but, since your riding after a long time, your palms will ache for sometime due to the weight you put on the hands. It will go away in some time, trust me

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

The Bonnie has arrived and now the journey and experience begins . You'll shall hear more as i learn and potter along into a whole new world

Congrats Arun, Your silver bonny looks smashing with that silver bluish tint and also for being the first Bonny owner in Hyderabad, The bike suits your frame very well and that's a great plus. Iam sure its a good feeling to see uncle smile with this surprise gift for him. All the best for him to ride it to Bangalore in near future.

With just 200 hours of riding your a toddler in the biking scene compared to my teenage experience while most others here are veterans. All I can say your one helluva lucky guy to graduate directly to a 865cc engine while I went through the graph gradually. LOL

Look forward to some initial delivery pictures and a detailed ownership report on the forum soon. Ride Safe and Enjoy Mate !!

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Hey man, I dont mean to demean it. Iam just stating my own personal opinion which iam entitiled too. And, I too request you not to project Harley (especially the cheapest and most incognito version) to be defacto choice for a prospective customer

Glad to know your enjoying your ride. I reckon that's all we are seeking at the end, aren't we?

My personal favorite as mentioned in my report is the Fatboy. Till the time, I save up for a fatboy, I plan not to look back at a Harley

Well you are entitled to an opinion and so am I. And I thought this was a Harley vs Triumph thread in which your opinion can be rebutted, can't it?. So my opinion stays that the Harley 883 is a better choice than Triumph Bonne as an overall package. The incognito model you are talking about is the largest selling Harley in India for your kind information. Yes, Fat Bob and Fat Boys are my favorite too but the 883's are no less capable and carry the same heritage. In the end it's all about enjoying our rides, which I am doing to the hilt.

PS- And I thought high/unsafe speed videos were not allowed on TeamBhp or does that rule not apply to moderators? Because I have a few of the 883's which I have refrained from posting.

[absynthguzzler]

I get the feeling that this thread is headed towards one feeling compelled to ingratiate their alliances.

I'd hope that this trend ends by everyone accepting that there will always be a superficial element (different for every person) whenever there are choices made in a non-essential category.

The whole globe is aware that HD doesnt just sell a bike, but an image too. Literally every other manufacturer tries hard on the same but stays clear from stepping onto the "cruiser" class branding.HD has got zero presence in anything other than this and that's where every other bike (Old and New) has made a niche for themselves ---- The Bonneville is just one of them.

Largest selling bike/cars in India have NEVER ever been the best that is available , but always been the best at a certain price point. The thread started as a choice on bike as per budget and riding preference. There is bound to be that superficial element mentioned earlier utilized in judgement. NONE, BARRING THE BUYER, SHALL UNDERSTAND THIS.

[ebonho]

Congratulations absythguzzler (have you ever really tasted the stuf? ) on you new Bonneville. Please do start an ownership thread with a lot of nice photos of the details of the bike. Would love to se the close up fit and finish of this legendary marque that came back to life. Personaly, always been a Brit bike man at heart. That's where my loyalties and heart lies.

[harsha.muvva]

hey mobike,

It was a nice comparison and the fact that you don't have any prior experience with either of the brands made it look un-biased.

Since you have mentioned that you are fan of performance rather than heritage/aura around it,i would request you to have a look an kawasaki ninja 650. It has very comfortable riding position,very good ride&handling,power which is more than enough to keep one occupied and not to mention the looks(however that is personal preference)


P.S : please no half-face helmets, Get yourself good riding gear(armoured jacket,full gloves,knee guards & riding boots) i.e if you don't have them already

regards,
harsha

[Maverick5490]

Awesome review Mobike, Bonnie has been a dream for me for many years. Love the understated looks and sure hope you go for it!

@absynthguzzler: Congratulation on the First Indian Bonnie on the forum! Look forward to your review!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Well you are entitled to an opinion and so am I. And I thought this was a Harley vs Triumph thread in which your opinion can be rebutted, can't it?. So my opinion stays that the Harley 883 is a better choice than Triumph Bonne as an overall package. The incognito model you are talking about is the largest selling Harley in India for your kind information. Yes, Fat Bob and Fat Boys are my favorite too but the 883's are no less capable and carry the same heritage. In the end it's all about enjoying our rides, which I am doing to the hilt.

Your most welcome to your rebuttal which your anways popular on the forum for whenever something is said against any product that you owned

Anyways, Iam not going to give an opportunity to make this a Harley vs. Bonny thread knowing that there is someone waiting in the wings with a rebuttal

I have made my choice so hereon will stick to speaking more about Bonny and avoid talking about Superlow entirely from my future posts

Originally Posted by dkaile

PS- And I thought high/unsafe speed videos were not allowed on TeamBhp or does that rule not apply to moderators? Because I have a few of the 883's which I have refrained from posting.

Apologies, In my excitement I forgot the rules of the forum, removed it

[Cyborg]

Congratulations absynthguzzl
Will wait for your review, with lots of pictures please.
Guys, any idea when Triumph is opening a dealership in Bombay?

Super write up Mobike008, loved your honest views and presentation of the HD and Triumph.

@Dkaile: The video which you have put up seems a HD advertisement instead of simply two guys really having fun with their bikes.

Cheers

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by dkaile

But my request is to not treat all Harley owners as blingers.

But then why did you say this earlier:

Originally Posted by dkaile

I have seen and felt the Bonne in the flesh and you are a brave guy to plonk your well earned 7~8 Lacs in a understated bike like the Bonneville.

I have no leaning towards either Triumph and Harley.
To me both are fairly expensive deals for a set of two wheels. Perhaps I should call them rich man's toys. (Surprisingly they are not seen this way abroad, now this is quite similar to the Skoda brand phenomena in India/abroad ... LOL)

But the net outcome of this thread is coming out as Bonnie is understated bike for loads of moolah. Sportster is a bling bike for the same moolah.

To be honest I like the shape and design of Sportster (esp with respect to tank and V twin) much better than Bonnie. Bling or not. And love that galloping offset engine sound.

Mobike008 did you get the pricing of spares comparison?

[ebonho]

Wanted to share this really cute ad for the Bonneville (this is a side car racer Bonneville).



Truly, as long as you are riding, you never get old.