Great names: Triumph's Bonneville and my Bonnie

Triumph called their Bonneville The Bonnie in this 1976 ad.  

 "Which Bonnie is the Best?" 

 That was the headline of the top article in the Motorcycle Classics email newsletter recently. 

 For me, it was liking hitting a speed bump at speed. 

 Wait. My wife's name is Bonnie. I have no question which Bonnie is Best. 

 Mine is. 

Turns out the subject of the article was not my wife, but "a look at three eras of the famed Triumph motorcycles to find out which Bonnie was the best."

That's just wrong. For starters, the article was about "Bonneville" motorcycles, not "Bonnies." Did Triumph ever call its products Bonnie? (Turns out it did, in 1976 at least.)

My wife frequently points out that her name marks her as a Baby Boomer. The name Bonnie swooped to popularity in the U.S. thanks to the movie "Gone With the Wind" (Scarlett and Rhett nicknamed their baby girl Bonnie).

It hung on strong until the 1967 movie that condemned every Bonnie to be everlastingly teased about "Bonnie and Clyde." After that parents probably wanted to spare daughters the trauma.

Bonnie ranks fairly well as a girls name in England (number 62), and very well (number 34) in Scotland. But in 2020 it was only number 604 in popularity in the U.S., according to Nameberry.com

Perhaps, as a result, my wife is occasionally asked by those unfamiliar with it what "Bonnie" is "short for?"

Rather than explain that it is not a nickname (except for Triumphs) she eventually began answering that her name is short for "Bonneville." 

So, I suppose she could be responsible for some confusion between herself and the motorcycle. Or a Pontiac. Or the location of the land speed record venue for which the Triumph motorcycle actually is named.

But, in regard to my particular Bonnie, I have never been confused about the difference. She's the best.

I'm no expert on Triumph Bonneville motorcycles, but the early ones look OK to me, too. Well, maybe not the 1959 original, which Motorcycle Classics labels "dowdy." Better looks came in 1960 and riders loved it.

The Motorcycle Classics article flatly states that "already becoming a classic, the 1970 Bonneville wasn’t broke and didn’t need fixin’."

Unfortunately, "they fixed it anyway."

That was my impression: when you dip into Triumph motorcycle history of that era you are plunging into sadness. This was the case with the Bonneville. It was modernized with troubled oil-in-frame design and unloved new styling.

In an effort to be fair, Motorcycle Classics credits the "fixed" 1971-'72 Triumph Bonneville, despite its faults, with real progress. Yup: It had turn signals.

But, hang on. Motorcycle Classics believes the 1973 T140 finally got things right, thanks to retro-styling.

With clear sailing now ahead, Triumph went into receivership in 1983.

They're back strong, as everyone knows, but never mind. In its "best of" article Motorcycle Classics isn't concerned with the present iterations.

So here's what Triumph itself says of its 2022 Bonneville T120: "The original silhouette and style of the legendary Bonneville, with a premium modern finish."

So the Bonneville stills has the retro-thing going on.

And I love its nickname.

Trifield is a Royal Enfield with 865cc Triumph twin

The Royal Enfield Bullet looks great a with modern parallel twin motor.

Should Royal Enfield build a twin and, if so, should the new motor be a V-twin or a parallel twin (like the Interceptor)?

Well, ask the man who built one. In this case I don't mean Aniket Vardhan, who combined two Royal Enfield singles to build his V-Twin Musket.

Let's ask John Dawes, a Brit who lives in Spain and whose "Trifield" is featured in Sump Magazine.

It's a Royal Enfield motorcycle with a parallel twin Triumph Speedmaster motor. That's 865cc (60 horsepower!) in a finished and fueled motorcycle that weighs 100 pounds less than the Triumph.

The Speedmaster's unusual 270-degree crank positions its parallel pistons in such a way that they produce a lopping pattern of power pulses akin to those of a V-twin.

"It's a blast to ride," John commented recently on my item asking what kind of twin Royal Enfield should build.

"I say definitely a parallel twin with an offset crank is best; then you can draw on Enfield's history and keep the V-twin guys happy too!" he wrote.

Check out the Sump Magazine article for details on how John performed the neat looking transplant.

Want to trade your Royal Enfield Bullet for his Triumph?

The Triumph Trident three-cylinder motorcycle was fast and controversial.

Time for something completely different? The owner of a 1974 Triumph Trident is offering to trade it for a Royal Enfield Bullet.

His ad on CraigsList in Corpus Christi, Texas, says that he wants a Royal Enfield for his wife to ride.

"She wants to start riding, so I thought I would try a trade." The bike is not for sale otherwise, he writes.

The Trident is certainly interesting. A three-cylinder in-line, four-cycle, 740cc motor made it in the eyes of some the first "super bike" when introduced in the summer of 1968.

It was soon overshadowed by the Honda CB750 four, however. The Honda came with overhead camshaft and an oil-tight engine. The Trident couldn't initially match the Honda's five-speed gearbox, electric start, left-side shift and front disk brake.

The Triumph was fast: probably 120 mph. The collapse of the British motorcycle industry was proceeding just as quickly and production of the Triumph and similar BSA Rocket Three trailed off with only 27,480 built.

Vintage motorcycles shine in Florida sun

1950 Imme (German) carries a spare wheel and tire.

My Royal Enfield Bullet took a "First Available Parking Space" award last weekend at the vintage motorcycle show in Dania Beach, Fla. True, this was a self-awarded honor. The Antique Motorcycle Club of America Everglades Chapter assigned real winners in categories honoring American, British, European and Asian motorcycles.

Winning Brit was Triumph TR6C SR.

A 1965 Triumph TR6C SR took first place in the British class. The owner generously pointed out that the 1967 TR6C parked next to him was just as perfect.

Proud tank of 1965 Triumph TR6C SR.

The club also exercised great common sense. The 1911 motorcycle entered had already won a prize so the award for "oldest" motorcycle went to a 1929 Indian Scout.

British competitors muster around Union Jack.

The award for "Most Unique" went to a motorcycle I would not have believed existed had I not seen it. The 1950 Imme carries a spare wheel and tire! It also had a very neatly fitted tire pump.

I am a sucker for low mirrors and bar end lights.

Bullet lights on 1957 AJS casquette.

This was the third year for the Dania Beach event and 87 motorcycles were entered, almost triple the number of the year before. Harley-Davidson was well represented, of course, but British motorcycles abounded. There was a nice line up of Japanese motorcycles, but only a few BMWs.

1971 Velocette only a mother could love.

Mine was the only Royal Enfield on hand, even in the parking lot. This was an event for vintage motorcycles that actually are old, and my 1999 machine wasn't eligible to enter. But it wasn't the only bike doing mundane duty. A lovely 1952 Vincent Black Shadow was helping prop up its owner's art show tent. A concrete block would have done as well but the owner just smiled when I asked about it.

It was a sunny day, a good day for a low-key motorcycle show.

Vincent Black Shadow props up booth.

Winner of "First Available Parking Space" award.