Maintanence requirements on a new EFI Bonnie?

Triumph Motorcycle Forum - TriumphTalk

Help Support Triumph Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
D

Drummer

Member
Hi

I'm a newbie, currently desirous of a 2009 black Bonnie. :y72:

I think the new cast wheels means that this bike uses tubeless radials now, is that correct?

Also, can someone tell me what the maintanence requirements are?
Such as, how often are valve adjustments scheduled?
Is it easy to change the oil and oil and air filters yourself?
How often do you lube the chain?
And how often does it need tightening?

Thanks very much for any and all responses here...
(Sorry to be such a pain, but isn't that the way newbies are?) :smile:
 
During the initial warranty period,your Triumph dealer will take care of that stuff for you.
Otherwise,like any well engineered machine,change the oil often and don't mess with it!
Never needed to touch any of mine,other than unnecessary,involuntary fiddling.
 
The owners manual will have all the recommended maintenance info.
These are almost "never needs anything" kind of bikes. After the initial break-in period I had the dealer do the first maintenance check, but after that I just change the oil and filter well within the recommended schedule, lube the chain frequently (check and adjust as necessary), check and adjust tire pressure, and just ride it.
 
Valves should be checked at 12,000 mile increments. Neither of our bikes needed an adjustment a 12,000. Both needed adjustment at 24,000.

The book says lube the chain every 200 miles. I clean and lube mine every 400 miles. I adjusted the original chain only twice. I have adjusted the replacement chain once. When you replace the chain, be sure to replace both sprockets.

After the intial 600 mile mile service, I have changed oil, filters, and air filters in both of our bikes. I change the oil at 4,000 miles increments. When I lived where I rode on unpaved roads, I changed oil and filter at 3000 mile increments. The book calls for 6000 mile increments (I think).

The Bonnies are about as maintenance free as you can get - very reliable.
 
[quote author=CarlS link=topic=3629.msg23465#msg23465 date=1233938933]
Valves should be checked at 12,000 mile increments. Neither of our bikes needed an adjustment a 12,000. Both needed adjustment at 24,000.

The book says lube the chain every 200 miles. I clean and lube mine every 400 miles. I adjusted the original chain only twice. I have adjusted the replacement chain once. When you replace the chain, be sure to replace both sprockets.

After the intial 600 mile mile service, I have changed oil, filters, and air filters in both of our bikes. I change the oil at 4,000 miles increments. When I lived where I rode on unpaved roads, I changed oil and filter at 3000 mile increments. The book calls for 6000 mile increments (I think).

The Bonnies are about as maintenance free as you can get - very reliable.
[/quote]

Man oh man, that sounds wonderful! These Bonnies are looking better and better the more I hear and read about them..! :ya2:
 
If rumors are correct, the 2009 Bonnies now have EFI (electronic fuel injection) also. So you really will not have too many things other than the standard oil, air pressure, brake pads, etc. to fiddle with.

I would guess that the cast wheels also do mean it has tubeless tires, although I couldn't locate anything that mentions that anywhere online.
 
[quote author=The Seeker link=topic=3629.msg23498#msg23498 date=1233950883]
I would guess that the cast wheels also do mean it has tubeless tires, although I couldn't locate anything that mentions that anywhere online.
[/quote]

one of the major differences between the Speedmaster and the America was the spoke versus mag wheels, the spokes requiring tubed tyres and the cast using tubeless.
I personally dont like tubes, so it was a speedy for me.
:y18:
 
Not to bash anyone's dream bike here, but I'd actually prefer the 2008 over the 2009 (USA) models.

I like spokes on a classic-style bike, first of all. Secondly, they shortened the fenders (mudguards) so there are no longer any struts. Classic Bonnies had full fenders. I also would prefer carbs as opposed to EFI for two reasons......(a) the EFI would have oxygen sensors in the pipes making exhaust system switching tougher (b) carbs give you that nice "pop" when you throttle off.

All are just a matter of personal taste though. If Triumph cared about my taste, they'd have improved the Trophy 1200 and not dropped it from their lineup! So what do I know? ;-)
 
Seeker, I agree with you. Having grown up with carbs, I like them. I understand them and can work on them. And the carbs on the modern Bonnie have none of the problems of the old Amals. I definitely prefer the spoke wheels for the classic look. I have been riding on tubed tires for over 50 years and they hold no fear for me. Obviously tubed tires work for NASCAR and they drive a heck of a lot faster than I ride. :y114:

The new Bonnies are styled after the 70's Bonnies. The 01's - 08's are styled after the 60's Bonnies. I prefer that styling.
 
Let's just say Drummer that you won't regret buying a Triumph. The quality is top notch and when you park it someplace, people will gather. You will never have the problem of there being more than YOUR Bonnie in the lot at any given moment.
 
Drummer - been a biker all my life (all japanese mainly the older stuff) but always hankered for a Bonnie (ran a Z750 Twin for a year hence the liking for a torquey twin...but wanted the real thing!) Asked many a question on here and other Bonnie sites and all were answered honestly, result is I finally found the bike of my dreams

Go for it - mark my words, you'll soon understand that sometimes it takes a full tank of juice to appreciate one of the best bikes in the World.
 

Similar threads

D
New '09 basic black Bonnie for $11K?
Replies
2
Views
2K
CarlS
CarlS

Latest posts

Back
Top