Triumph celebrates a coincidental 50th with new Bonneville SE

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Triumph’s newest version of the famed Bonneville is like a single-malt Scotch from the islands: It’s lost much of its edge with time. A modern take on a 50-year-old classic, it’s for riders who desire the mystique that the names ‘Triumph’ and ‘Bonneville’ conjure without the hassle, treachery and discomfort of bikes from the era in which those names were made famous.

First introduced in 1959 by brand originator Triumph Engineering Co., the Bonneville is beloved for its classic style and sporting pedigree. Racing to victories at the Isle of Man TT and Daytona in the ‘60s, the Bonneville has been considered the playboy gentleman of bikes ever since -- the sort of fellow who will kiss a lady’s cheek, hold open her door...and pinch her well-toned fanny.

But the SE isn’t such a cad. Manufactured by Triumph Motorcycles in Hinckley, the third and most current owner of the marque, the SE looks similar to an old Brit with its megaphone dual exhaust, spoked wheels and other retro ‘special equipment,’ but its temperament is reminiscent of another island country -- Japan. It’s like a Boddington’s ale with a sake chaser -- or three.

The SE has few mechanical traits in common with its distant forebear -- a 650 cc, double-carbureted twin which needed a swift kick to start its pushrod engine and some patience to endure its leaks, vibrations and shorts of finicky electrics. The SE is, like all modern Bonnies since 2007, an 865. It employs a double overhead cam, and it’s fuel injected.

The dash is old-school analog rather than new-school digital, and it doesn’t have a clock. It does, however, have one nice modern-day amenity -- a light that lets you know when you’re running on empty. There’s no petcock, of course, but for riders desiring the illusion of a carbureted experience there’s still something of a choke. Pulling the fast idle knob at the left knee gets the bike revving faster, even if it is completely unnecessary.

Smooth shifting, easy handling, responsive, balanced and quiet, the SE is targeting the (new) biker who wants to ride easy. The saddle is low to the ground. And the riding position is so traditional as to be missionary. It’s a lot of fun, but it isn’t remotely wild.

In wheeling out the SE for 2009, Triumph Motorcycles takes advantage of our culture’s penchant for anniversaries. Much like Harley-Davidson did with the Nightster version of its Sportster in 2007, Triumph is wheeling out its new Bonneville 50 years after the original bike came on the market, though the SE is more of a coincidental anniversary model than an actual one. Unlike the Sportster, the Bonneville hasn’t been in continuous production since it was first introduced.

It has, however, been a consistently good seller -- not as good of a seller as it was in its ‘60s heyday, when hundreds of thousands of Triumphs were sold in the U.S., but a solid one. The Bonneville, which is currently produced in three different versions, accounts for about 30% of the company’s sales. In a clever numerical nod to the displacement of the original Bonneville, a mere 650 of the SE will be produced.

At least there’s some Bonneville left in the new SE.

2009 Triumph Bonneville SE
Base price: $8,399
Powertrain: fuel-injected, air-cooled, DOHC, parallel twin, 5 speed
Displacement: 865 cc
Seat height: 29.1 inches
Dry weight: 440 lbs.
Road test MPG: 54 (based on 182 miles traveled)

-- Susan Carpenter

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