>>Click here for a photo gallery of the Triumph Bonneville long term test bike<<
Okay, confession time.
I take motorcycle maintenance seriously enough to have penned several basic how-tos on the topic, but apparently not enough to take my own advice. So when I decided to sign up for the SoCal TT-- a two-day classic bike rally that runs through Southern California—- my long term Triumph Bonneville wasn't quite ready for prime time.
With 4,569 miles on the clock, my Bonnie had accumulated over a thousand clicks since I first acquired it, confirming that it's more fun to fill 'er up and ride than it is to perform basic maintenance; it was high time I covered the areas that needed attention.
First on the 'To Do' list was tire pressure, quite possibly the most easily addressed maintenance item (and one that's commonly neglected, too.) Bringing my trusty VDO tire pressure gauge along to a local gas station, the Bonneville's front and rear rubber were only holding 30 psi—a full 14 psi below the recommended level. Ay. After topping off to the recommended 44 psi (and checking chain pliancy while I was down there), the ride home revealed notably crisper and more responsive handling. Those extra pounds of pressure made a huge a difference.
Next up, clutch action. Within those thousand or so miles of riding, the clutch lever stretched enough to make the point of engagement occur when the lever was almost fully released. Though it can be adjusted at the lever, I used the two nuts at the end of the clutch cable to tighten the slack so the clutch now engaged and disengaged about halfway through the lever action, rather than at the end. Easy enough.
On another note, I had previously removed the seat to charge the battery after accidentally leaving the key in the "Accessory" position, an awkward operation that required maneuvering a hex key around the chrome grab rails in order to unscrew the saddle. Thankfully, checking the oil level proved slightly easier. Ideally performed by two people (unless your Bonneville is equipped with a center stand), I managed to check the oil myself by carefully lifting the bike off its side stand to a vertical position and taking a peek at the oil level window before carefully letting the bike back down. I was happy to avoid a horizontal parking experience, since the bike could have easily slipped out of my hands while I peered down at the oil window. Whew.
Finally, I had to clean up the Bonnie so I didn't show up at the rally on an embarrassingly filthy ride. My apartment building doesn't allow bike or car washing, so rather than performing a traditional wash I decided to spray the Bonnie with Meguiar's Quik Detailer, and wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. The light scratches on the fuel tank still showed, but at least the paint looked glossier. Once again, a small time investment with a big payoff.
Fueled up and ready to ride, my long term Triumph Bonneville was finally prepared to tackle two days of touring along the twisting canyon roads that span from Los Angeles to Los Gatos. How did the Bonnie meet that challenge? Look out for the next long term update to find out.
MILEAGE LOG
- Total miles ridden: 1,099
- Total miles ridden this period: 406
- Total odometer miles: 4,569
- Average fuel economy: 42.7 mpg
>>Click here to read Triumph Bonneville Long Term Update #2: Settling in with the Bonnie<<
>>Click here to read Triumph Bonneville Long Term Update #1: Configurate Me!<<
>>Click here for a Long Term Triumph Bonneville Photo Gallery<<
