2004 Triumph Bonneville

The Triumph Bonneville America, as the name suggests, was firmly focused on the American market, and specifically built to take sales from riders who might have otherwise bought a Harley Davidson. It’s the longest and lowest Triumph to roll off a production line since the firm was born in 1902, and that makes it ideal for long, straight American highways rather than twisty English B-roads like its siblings.

Design of the bike started in October 1998, and looking at it you can see how the styling was designed to attract those for whom a V Twin was the usual form of motive power. To this end, the America’s crankshaft was rephased – the Bonneville traditionally had a 360 degree firing arrangement, meaning both pistons rose and fell together, but the America’s are arranged at a 270 degree interval, so it even sounds like a V Twin.

This fusion of American cruiser styling with classic wide front forks, pull back handlebars, forward set foot pegs and slash cut exhaust pipes, works really well with Triumph trademarks like the parallel twin cylinder engine, two tone tank and old-look tank badge.

The styling is finished off with the warning lights in a chromed console set into the fuel tank, a big white faced speedo and chrome headlamp, all of which do the job they were designed for well, and again, appeal to buyers of more traditional American styled cruisers. And this one has been customised to take this concept even further.

Harley owners love to personalise their rides, and the original owner of this Bonneville has done just that. The pile of spare parts you see in the pictures are the original items that have been replaced with custom chrome parts. And then there’s the fuel tank and mudguards, which have a bespoke air-brushed finish that cost £1000 on its own.

It takes a while for your eyes to get to grips with the overall effect of this motorcycle – it gleams so much it’s hard to know where to focus first. We’ll start with the ‘faults,’ which won’t take long.

There’s a slight tarnishing on one of the throttle tubes where the throttle cable exits the twist grip, and the rear sprocket has some slight surface blemishes, mostly caused by oil from the chain.

Other than that you could eat your supper off it. It twinkles and shines from every angle, and the tank paint is very cleverly designed to replicate a Union Jack waving in the wind, a feat it accomplishes with uncanny accuracy – the tank almost looks like it has ripples along its sides.

The deep red metallic base colour is echoed on the front and rear mudguards, with the latter featuring a custom airbrushed bulldog motif, along with the Union Jack and St George’s Cross, while the front has a bulldog in a Union Jack top.

The Keihin carburettors have the odd fuel stain but generally speaking the whole engine and gearbox assembly is stunning. There are some very slight signs of oxidisation in the alloy fins of the cylinder barrels, but we think it would clean off easily enough with a Scotchbrite pad.

Inside a bike? Well, okay, on the bike. Sitting in the large comfy saddle, you could easily be forgiven for thinking you were astride an American machine, except that modern Triumphs are built to a much higher quality standard than Harley Davidsons of a similar vintage.

The large speedo dominates the view, and of course the tank’s British flavour is contrary to the American cruiser vibe, but this bike has obviously had a lot of time and money lavished on it over the years. If we were buying it as a showpiece, we’d take off the Tom Tom satnav and sell it – it spoils the view somewhat. However, if you fancy some intercontinental cruising, just input your destination and head into the sunset.

The twin slash-cut exhaust pipes maintain the cruiser look, but cleverly incorporate some decent silencers which seem to get the balance just right between a nice burble and too much noise. All the chrome looks excellent.

At this mileage an original T120 would be ready for a strip down and major overhaul, but these modern Triumph engines are as bullet proof as any Japanese powerplant, and this one starts and runs perfectly.

The bike comes with a DVLA V5 and it has just passed the MoT test and had no advisories, so it comes with a fresh ticket and a clean bill of health.

The owner says:

‘I’ve only owned this bike for a short time. To be honest I only bought it because I have a large hallway and I really wanted to put it in there as an ornament. The chap I bought it from had done exactly that with it – he kept it in his lounge for a few years. But when I got it home and installed it in my hallway it just dominated it – it just took up too much space.

‘So unfortunately I now have to sell it. It’s totally original, with the correct engine and frame numbers. And it’s just passed its MoT test with no advisories at all. In fact the MoT tester picked it up from my house and rode it to his testing station, and when he brought it back he commented on how well it rides.

‘The paniers come with it – I put them with the bike, and they’re serviceable, but that’s about all – they have slight tears etc. The custom paint job on the bike’s fuel tank and mudguards cost the guy a couple of thousand quid a few years ago. There’s a picture on the listing of some spare parts – they’re the original parts that were replaced with chromed items – wing mirrors, twist grips, brake lever, clutch lever etc.

‘All the chrome is really good and it’s a very nice bike to ride. An equivalent Harley Davidson Fat Boy would probably cost you £10,000, or more, so at this estimate this Triumph is something of a bargain. Ironically, considering that it’s barely been ridden in recent years, it comes with a Tom Tom satellite navigation system, which all works as it should. The bike’s only done 10 miles in the last three years!’

What a fabulous bike to use as a visual talking point for a business – it’d look fantastic in a trendy coffee shop, for instance – or in the foyer of a large firm. Of course, it would work equally well as a practical motorcycle. Just jump on and cruise towards the sunshine. Either way, at this price we reckon it’s a bit of a snip.

We estimate this vehicle to fetch between £3,000 - £4,000 in auction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.