What Year Is My T100 Bonneville

[acton mike]

I purchased a new T100 in 2017. The bike was still in the crate and the machine was put into service in the spring of 2018. The machine was registered as a 2016 model year.

The machine has an 865 cc air cooled engine according to the owners handbook.

In trying to purchase parts or accessories from on-line sellers, when I enter the model year as 2016, and if the system asks for engine size, the systems will not recognize the 865 cc - the engine size option that pops up is 900cc.

If if go back and change to model year to 2015, the systems are happy with the 865 cc engine size

Have I confused everyone?
.
So the question is : what year is my motorcycle.

Is there a place where I can decode the VIN

 

[sikatri]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number#Transliterating_the_numbers
This thread....

https://www.triumphtalk.com/threads/decode-your-vin-number.34651/

 

[Wire-Wheels]

There should be a plate on the right side of the steering head that shows the VIN# and the month/year it was produced. MOST Triumphs have the plate. But one of mine does not. ...J.D.

 

[acton mike]

There should be a plate on the right side of the steering head that shows the VIN# and the month/year it was produced. MOST Triumphs have the plate. But one of mine does not. ...J.D.

plate shows the motorcycle was produced 05/15 and so i would presume the model year is 2015 and not 2016?

 

[sikatri]

plate shows the motorcycle was produced 05/15 and so i would presume the model year is 2015 and not 2016?

Production year and model year are not always the same. My Triumph was made in 2004 and is a 2005 model. My MINI was made in 2008 and is a 2009 model.

 

[acton mike]

Production year and model year are not always the same. My Triumph was made in 2004 and is a 2005 model. My MINI was made in 2008 and is a 2009 model.

 

[Wire-Wheels]

plate shows the motorcycle was produced 05/15 and so i would presume the model year is 2015 and not 2016?

MAYBE. My 2002 says 10/01. It was sold new in California in 2002. Another thing the nameplate gives you, at least in the U.S. market. It will tell you if it was built to U.S.Federal specs. or California Specs. I have 2 bikes that I know we're sold new in California that are Fed Spec. Apparently they can and DO sell Fed Spec. bikes in California. My 3rd. bike has no nameplate at all. Don't know where it came from or if the nameplate is just missing. A VIN search says it is a 2000. Same yr. it was registered. ...J.D.

 

[sikatri]

It depends when the model year changes. I would say it's at least the 8th month in my manufacturers case. No idea if it's the same for all manufacturers. I would guess any 5th month production is the same model year as the production year.

 

[Wire-Wheels]

Really a moot point though. It is a 865cc e.f.I. bike either way. ...J.D.

 

[sikatri]

Out of curiosity, did you (OP) try the link in the thread for checking the VIN just to see what it tells you?

 

[Qship]

There was an overlap of Bonneville models in 2016 as the old air cooled T 100 865cc was still for sale as well as the new T 120 1200cc Bonnies.
If you search for 2015 parts, all should fit yours and there won't be any confusion of models 'cause the was only one Bonneville in 2015, and that was the air cooled T 100. The newer T 100 model with the 900cc liquid cooled engine out of the Street Twin didn't emerge until '17 or '18 IIRC.

 

[acton mike]

i looked on a web site it based on the VIN it said my bike is a 2016 and the engine is 900cc; the owner's manual says the engine is 856cc

There was an overlap of Bonneville models in 2016 as the old air cooled T 100 865cc was still for sale as well as the new T 120 1200cc Bonnies.
If you search for 2015 parts, all should fit yours and there won't be any confusion of models 'cause the was only one Bonneville in 2015, and that was the air cooled T 100. The newer T 100 model with the 900cc liquid cooled engine out of the Street Twin didn't emerge until '17 or '18 IIRC.

Good enough. based on the fact that the 900cc engine is liquid cooled and my bike is air cooled then I know that my T100 has the the 856 cc engine.

I was thinking initially that the dealer I bought the machine from had bamboozled me and sold me a 2015 machine as a 2016.

But the VIN plate tells me that it is a 2016 and so a 2016 it is.

What I shall do when ordering pieces for it from the on-line merchant is enter the bike as a 2015 and then their system does not get bent out of shape over the engine size.

It is a great bike by the way; 40,000 kilometers on it and running as sweet as the day it came out of the box and absolutely no problems/repairs needed except for the time when i backed into it with the lawn tractor and broke the tail-light off it.

This is quite different from the Bonnevilles of the 60's/70's/early 80's when an afternoon of riding resulted in a re-fit being required. One accidental bonus with those old Bonnies was the steady stream of oil leaking kept the dust down on the back roads saving the township money

The only beef I have with my machine is the seat.

I bought the upgraded seat but my ass still gets sore after an hour or so. On a long ride, I stop for ten minutes or so every hour to stretch and give the gluteus maximus a rest. I suspect the foam in the seat is breaking down

Any suggestions on an aftermarket seat to make life more enjoyable?

 

[Greyfell]

I bought the upgraded seat but my ass still gets sore after an hour or so. On a long ride, I stop for ten minutes or so every hour to stretch and give the gluteus maximus a rest. I suspect the foam in the seat is breaking down

Take the seat off and look at the bottom. There are two spots where you should be able to see the type of padding used.
Yesterday, I discovered my original seat had bubble-wrap for padding. So glad I had search for a King/Queen seat, it has real foam padding, and is on my bike now.
A King/Queen seat may be available for your bike, as it is a newer vintage/series than mine (2008 aircooled). The seat I found was the last in North America for my vintage.

 

[Qship]

i looked on a web site it based on the VIN it said my bike is a 2016 and the engine is 900cc; the owner's manual says the engine is 856cc

Most manufacturers always round up when the displacement goes over the 50cc mark, so your Bonnie is classed as a 900cc for sale and you can be damned sure insurance purposes

 

[sikatri]

Most manufacturers always round up when the displacement goes over the 50cc mark, so your Bonnie is classed as a 900cc for sale and you can be damned sure insurance purposes

It’s the same with my Thruxton, it’s not a full 900 yet! LoL.