Hehe, sorry about that. Me too! It's my next door neighbor's water feature! It really messed up the audio, but I'm glad to say that it's fixed now with the introduction of some new technology ;)
That young lad Tom what a cool dude and what a great example of a proper looking motorcycle manufactured back in 69 the paint glistening under a perfect blue sky life just dosent get better than this, go to the top of the class for another great start to the day .
Back in 1985 I was restoring a 1954 BMW R51/3, 500cc. The bloke I bought it from also had a Triumph Daytona 500 which he gave me a ride of when I took the BMW around his place after finishing the resto on it. I was amazed at how light the Triumph felt and how well it handled. At the time I also had a Suzuki T500 which felt much heavier and almost cumbersome compared to the Triumph!
Tell Tom thank you for showing this beautiful example. Three things I found interesting were, one, the horns, never seen those before, and loved the sound. Also the exhaust cross over pipe at the heads, those must be stock header pipes I would imagine, pretty rare. Last but not least, the seat covering, that would be something easy to miss, a minor detail most of us would not notice, great information for a restorer entering judging competitions.
Thank you for this video of an immaculate, completely original version of one of my favorite Bonnevilles , the '69 & '70 versions. A friend of mind in highschool had in the early '70s , just like it.
54macdog The Triumph engine was always highly rated, especially the T110 and Bonnie T120. triumphs frame wasn’t up to the Slimline Norton featherbed as regards handling but they certainly had the look...of a Proper Motorcycle. In the sixties blokes in sheds took advance of both attributes and the Triton was born...
My new 67 was so unreliable that I almost lost my job being a no show or an hour late. Not a motorcycle if you really need to be somewhere but I looked cool.
Why would modern technology try to replicate a slow poor handling poor braking unreliable motorcycle? I had many Triumphs and a few Norton’s. They looked the goods and sounded great. Modern manufacturing methods left them for dead. Japanese bikes became better while the British bikes never improved. This is why they disappeared for a while. They came back with modern designs and now are doing decent.
@@frankbutaric3565 I remember the 'Jap Crap' mouthed by many riders and retailers of British bikes in the sixties when Japanese motorcycles first started to make inroads on the UK market. When the British were still offering BSA Bantams, James, Francis Barnet etc with low powered two stroke engines the Japanese offered the Honda 'step through' with its 50 and 90cc four stroke OHC engine that was clean easy to ride by almost anyone and did a zillion mile to the gallon. Japanese bikes had overhead camshaft motors, unheard of for brit road bikes. When their larger capacity bikes reached the shores of Gran Britannia it signed the death knell to the manufactures of larger capacity bikes like BSA, Norton, Enfield, Velocete and Triumph. who just could not or would not modernise. Although my present ride is a Triumph Street Triple 675R.( the best handling bike I've ever owned)... I have ridden many old brit bikes over the years. mostly those owned by enthusiasts who keep them in tip-top running order so riding them is a real old world pleasure. Whats great about this channel. It is enthusiasts whose pride of ownership shines....
Well done Tom a very beautiful Triumph in really nice colours and boy dose it sound nice too. Thank you for another brilliant video. Hope you all have a fantastic day take care out there guy’s
The most beautiful bike ever! That´s why I´m one of the -69 owners. There are any mc sounds like Triumph sounds. She runs as well here in Finland far away from You. Just put word trollikka into RU-vid and You´ll see. Have a good time with Your bike!
Another great start to my sunday Mike. Thanks to Tom for showing up on the Bonneville, no tank rack mm? Keep inviting those visitors Mike, great to see bikes & hear the 'story' behind them. atvb t ..
@@andytheflyer You sometimes hear about a rider losing his "package" to the rack. I suspect it was more because American riders had no use for the tank rack. Or that it looked cleaner and modern without them.
After 45 years of drooling, dreaming, posters on the wall as a kid, drawing them in my exercise books in school I've actually got the money now to get one. I've got to sell a bike first but I'm now ready to buy one, I've dreamt of owning one for so long, I think I will faint when I get it
Lovely Bonnie. 1969 was a banner year (Woodstock, Moon Landing) but we also lost Jimi and Janis that year. It was a good year for British bikes. My Commando S model is a '69 and, to my eye, the stylings for BSA, Nortons and Triumphs for that year had very nice lines. Thanks for another cul de sac concours!
I owned 2 Brit bikes in my youth. The first one was a 1968 Triumph Trophy bought new for $1050 and a 1968 Matchless G15 Mk II bought new for $1550. They were both beautiful , good handling bikes and then I took a ride on a Honda CB750. Unfortunately the rest is history.
Thanks for making and sharing this. I had a T120 in the 80-90s. Had the tank repainted when I bought it. The gold pinstripes were done by hand, candy apple red metallic on silver, stunning to look at. It made modern bikes look boring. Mine had a 750 with megaphones and it went superbly. Had to upgrade clutch springs and plates to handle the extra power. Also did away with the points and fitted Mikuni carbs.
I've owned half a dozen of the bikes you have had on your show , these days i only have a few japanese bikes . I would love my W650 to sound like this Bonnie, what a great sound . Dave NZ
Thanks Mike and Tom, love the 69 models, enjoy my 69 TR6 which I've owned since 1989, joyful when healthy and in a good mood! Good winter riding in Brisbane, Australia.
Of all the Triumph color schemes, the "Olympic Flame" is my favorite. This Bonne's the twin to my 1969 T120R (100% restored), with one exception,..........The color scheme on my fenders are reversed, with the stripe done in silver on the "Olympic Flame" fenders. I know it breaks away from the originality scheme, but this switch looks amazing. I was also lucky enough to get the original horns. In my humble opinion, I think the 69 was the sexiest bike ever built, and I ashamedly admit that I spend almost as much time gazing at it as riding......... LOL I rode a 67 Bonne, "back-in-the-day", but the 69 is superior bike.
Absolutely great to see these bikes over the pond being used I have been out on 16 rides since lockdown have a tr6 with twin carbs and a tiger 100ss happy days to you all
I want to live in your Cul de Sac 👍 The sound of these Triumphs is bringing the memories back 😀 What a great story find the bits and let’s build a bike ! Thanks so much for sharing, all the best Mike, have a good week and save us a biscuit 😂
I rode a friend's '64, and test rode a '65 single-carb; Triumph 650 was the best looking and best sounding motorcycle ever. Second best sounding was the Honda Scrambler without the slip-over muffler...
Nice triumph and I hear in the video that you like to use modern tec were possible I am constantly working on upgrading my classic were it is possible with out spoiling the look I am sad to say that some of the purist over here are not quite on the same page but I ride my classic all the time and if it makes it safer and more reliable I am all for it if my bike is at a show it got there under its own power stay safe and keep the video coming
Okay, I'll admit it, the 69 Bonnie does look more pure than my 71 oil in framer....great bike and a modest and knowledgeable owner .Another absorbing interview, Mike. You're very good at letting everyone be themselves.and relaxed with it.
These bikes were immaculately styled. It's immediately apparent if anything is incorrect or out of place. It's important to remember they were designed before motorways - ride one on an A road and it makes absolute sense.
Mike you know some very interesting people! great episode keep em coming. Living vicariously through you old bike wise. Hope to get to the Commando in France in September..................
Beautiful bike! My best friend in high school had one, exact same model/year! His was bright red, with the same paint scheme. I had a 500 Daytona, which I rebuilt from a basket case to a real looker too. Should have never sold it. Oh well, I bought a 1978 Ducati Darmah 900 which I still own. The bike does sound like it could use a carb sync/tune.
A very nice restoration, it sounds like it is running a bit rich on mixture, but the pipes make it look like it is running weak, unless that is a product of modern fuel. Stay safe! Chris B.
Just awesome, these old 360 degree parallel twins sound really good + to me these are as gorgeous as a Jag XKE. Brings back semi-good memories (fun rides until something broke which was nearly every ride). I actually prefer the sound of my 2020 KTM 790 parallel twin with it's 285 degree crank. It's kind of funny looking but it works like magic.
@@TheMightyGarage i took out a street twin from my local dealer for a test ride and i asked him too why triumph don't follow the paint lines here ; very disappointed this bike was not on today's cul de sac meet .
69 was an exceptional bike, but 70t120r is the top of the hill. Only minor improvements over 69 but 70is the best Bonneville ever. I speak from extensive experience with Bonnevilles.
Great video. I love the old Triumph and BSAs of the 60s. I was wondering if you'd done a video on the Triumph 500 Daytona or a Tirdent 750 or a 650 Trophy which had the scrambler high pipes. I'm new to your channel and enjoy it very much.
Hi Michael, welcome! We haven't had those bikes yet but hopefully one day. I did some work on a Daytona a number of years ago. Here's a link to the playlist. ru-vid.com/group/PLgDzKiI-i6nZbl--WDJpJVlYL_mo_NOBS Cheers, Mike
Hi Mike, tell Tom he’s got a beautiful bike, his Triumph is a triumph to him lol 😂. I love the export Triumphs for the American market, especially the one with the white and purple skinny teardrop tank . Always loved the exhaust note from the Triumph, are those the ones with the 360% crank???. Nice video Mike. 😎👍👍👍🇬🇧 Liking Toms Joey Dunlop tribute crash helmet. 🏍
The Triumph 650 Twins had a 360 crank. Even the modern retro Triumphs (major exceptions being the Scrambler and the 2017 and later bikes. I'm excluding the America and Speedmaster on purpose). I'm not aware of any 270˚ cranks from the factory for the 650/750 class of Meriden engines. I will happily be corrected.
Yep that’s a 360 crank, a beautiful sound. Sadly I can’t get that sound with my modern Interceptor as it doesn’t have a 360 crank because Royal Enfield wanted a Harley type sound 😔
That is beautiful, incredible. That is a wonderful restoration, I really liked the Dunlop K 70's, are they still "top shelf" for comfort, handling? I love the twin leading shoe setup, and it looks very good as well. I've really enjoyed all these "cul-de-sac visits", so many fine bikes, and welcome owners. I've been off my bike over ten years, and looking forward to this summer, these have simply stoked the need. I drove into town this week to eat breakfast with my son in law, and accidentally bought a 2000 883 Sportster. I'd not looked at it, and he suggested we look, and it was simply too good to pass up. I have to wonder if "isolastic suspension" would be a significant improvement. I don't think one can beat an older Triumph, for looks and the beautiful exhaust sound. I wasn't bothered by the water the least bit, thanks!
Very nice bike and commentary. I would love to see a comparison between a 650 Bonneville, like Tom's, and the new Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor. I'll bet they are very close. All of the comparisons I've seen so far have been against the newer, large-displacement Triumphs, which are heavier and much more powerful.
The 68-69 Triumph Bonneville 650s were the best ones IMHO. Triumph should never have gone to 750cc because of the lower compression and way more vibration, not to mention the terrible quality control with oil leaking everywhere. Back then any young guy looked cool on a Triumph or BSA.
Wow - behold the aesthetics! I agree with others that the one feature that most degrades the contemporary Triumph’s “retro” models is their fuel tank’s exposed underbelly pinch welds. Triumph’s persistence on punching out cheap tin-toy looking tanks has baffled many a potential buyer. Come on Triumph, if aesthetically pleasing tanks with hidden or integrated pinch-welds could be produced fifty years ago, you can probably do it now, right? Opps - my remarks may have been a tad harsh - the tank’s on Triumph T120 scrambles have removed the pinch-weld blemish. But on the other retro models, it’s still tin-toy time. Anyone know why?
swooshdave: I’d agree with cost of production, but it has little to do with maintaining the quality of production. Triumph makes the tanks on their T120 Scramblers with a smooth hidden weld as well as on their Rocket 3. As well, the other manufacturers offer aesthetically pleasing unexposed pinch-welds on most of their retro/classic bikes, akin to the models from which they’re inspired. Nope, I think Triumph is just cheap on their “classics” - and they know it doesn’t piss off most people enough not to buy. Like me.
Bike is lovely , weather looks excellent....First kick to start twice....Is the chalk on the road, like they have in the Tour de France, for their favourite rider...?!....As always great video...😎🏍🇬🇧🇺🇸🌍
Very nice video on Toms Bonny and great narration. I"m an enthusiast and love Triumphs. Can you help me reach Tom as I have some Triumph questions I'd like to discuss with him. I've tried the amca oregon chapter with no results, thnx Mike
Gorgeous bike. Dont missunderstand me, I love your chanel and really enjoy this series but....I have to ask though....why do so many of your cul de sac visitors not use their kill switch but rather they decide to shut the bike down with the key? The kill switch is an emergency shut down item, in a panic situation most people revert to what they have always done and searching for a key while the throttle is stuck open might not end very well.
Hehe, I need to get the guys to work on that! They have all been so... polite 😀. it would a great thrill for one of them to just burn it down the street one of these days 😀
Hi, Mike, Tom's iconic 69 Bonnie what beauty and also his other Triumphs, i.e. the 52 Thunderbird. I too am a Triumph guy. I have a few bikes but would prefer to let you know privately.
Many thanks for your comment. You're most welcome to contact me if you like. You can send me a private message via Instagram @themightygarage instagram.com/themightygarage/ Sorry but there really isn't a great way to get in touch with RU-vid. Cheers, Mike
@@TheMightyGarage gracias a uds, nos hacen evocar, soñar con tener esta belleza, yo escuché hablar de la boneville a mí padre allá por 1975, sigan adelante
Quite stunned to hear that the double- leading shoe drum on the front actually stopped better than the disc brakes of the era, is that. the British Lockheed discs or the Japanese discs as well?
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