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I bought this particular Triumph (shown above) with the intention of bringing it back to original condition.
Unfortunately, after owning it for several months, I realized I didn't
have the drive, time or money to bring it back from this sad state. I sold it. It was
my only Bonny. So much had been changed and abused. It would have taken a long time
and pocketful of cash to do it justice. I never licensed this 650 but it ran
- unfortunately not well in this condition.
The 1969 Bonneville T120R was the bike I always wanted but never acquired (desirability 10/10).
It has and had (in my view) the most balanced design for an all round motorcycle. The motor
with its 40 cubic inches (650 cc) had an undersquare (stroker?) design (71 mm bore 82 mm
stroke) that was certainly not at the cutting edge for that year. It was the feeling, the
sound and excellent torque that for me made the Bonnie great to ride. There were smoother,
more powerful motorcycles (esp. the newly-introduced CB750 from Honda) available in 1969 but
not with a dry weight of 365 pounds. The Bonnie was a contender in overall performance but
the symmetry and grace of the whole bike was what I fell in love with (see my Trophy,
Tiger and Daytona).
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