[Candice]

My one year dream of owning a Green Triumph Bonneville T-100 is slightly deflated as of last night. I went to the Triumph/Ducati dealership last night because I had a work dinner to go to at 6pm and nothing to do between 330p and 6p so I thought, oh fun, I will go sit on some Triumphs and check it out because on the 23rd they have that demo deal going on which I still plan on attending but….

That darn bike is too tall for me! AND, kind of top heavy or something it sucked. I was seriously disappointed. So, I did try the Bonneville SE which fit A LOT better but the only cool color it comes in is BLUE, I like GREEN. Also, the little foot pegs are totally in my way when I put my feet down, what is up with that? Annoying.

I tried the Scrambler too and that was completely ridiculous, my right foot doesn’t even reach the ground. I thought I was on the taller side for a girl but geez, short people must have a hard time.

I also sat on the Ducati MONSTER because I like the name and that one is out of the question. I fit but it was definitely racer pose on that bike, I felt a moment of squid in me.

Now, I am thinking I may need a NEW dream bike. What to do, what to do. RESEARCH I suppose.

Thanks for listening!

[megaspaz]

hrm… dunno why you feel racer poser on the monster… it’s a nice cruising bike… nothing sporty really about it. if you really like the bonnie, you could always have it repainted elsewhere… or just deal with blue…

[Candice]

I am used to sitting more upright I guess.

[megaspaz]

Did you try the street triple? that one comes in green… i test road one when the triumph truck came to our work and it’s a sweet ride…

[Candice]

No I did not sit on that one but I’ll make sure to do that. I’ll drive the t-100, the SE, and the triple. That should cover it. Then I’ll see what I think. Maybe they will be redeemed in my mind once I ride it.

[megaspaz]

[roborabbit]

Those triumph sporties lack the appeal of the bonnies , the sexiest thing about the bonnies (for me anyway) is the 180 degree seat…. it just looks so classic and sexy. If it wasn’t for the placement of the exhaust on the Scrambler it would probably be my favorite bike… but the exhaust looks extremely uncomfortable seeing as how it’s placed directly under the right thigh…

[Candice]

I thought I would really like the Scrambler but like you said, the exhaust system is in the way, that’s why my foot didn’t touch the floor. I think it would get a little hot also. I do so much like the look of the Bonnies. I am really looking forward to riding it.

[DK]

I would definitely wait for the test ride to get a real opinion on your dream bike. It may just be that you need a little more time in the saddle before you are confident in your ability to upgrade. I don’t know if you have anything like this in your area, but we have a women’s bike shop down here (Roar) that focus on the needs of women who want bigger bikes meant for taller/bigger riders. My wife and I stopped in about a year ago, and I was very impressed with their business model.

[Candice]

Yes, I agree, I should test ride and then see how I feel. I also agree that I am not ready to upgrade. I just like to have something to look forward to. We do not have a ROAR kind of place in my area, but I like the idea, they have some cool looking bikes.

[chaiya]

Test ride the bikes before giving up your dream. When I sat on the Bonnie in the dealership before the test ride…it felt a little tall/ heavy,but probably every bike in the world feels tall/heavy after riding around on a rebel …Once I was out on the test ride with the Bonnie…I was in love. The monster was not very comfy for me either… I felt really stretched out to reach the handlebars. It just didn’t feel great being stretched out like that and on my tip toes.

Have a great time at the demo ride!

[Eddiepowerfm]

you considered yourself tall for a female, so out of curiosity how tall are you? I am short and that is part of the reason I did not want to go with sport bike catagory.

[LanceD]

If you don’t mind sticking with a cruiser, you could check out the America or Speedmaster. They have seat heights even shorter than the Bonnie SE. Comfy bike if I do say so myself… and same engine as the T100 (or any of the ‘Modern Classics’ bikes)… just a different posture.

[LanceD]

Have you thought of just putting a different seat on the T100? They sell seats with lower profiles that are narrower in the front (which REALLY helps if you have shorter legs). I sat on a showroom T100 and felt the same way you did… Then I sat on my friend’s Bonnie with a Corbin seat and it felt 100% better. It was like night and day.
He’s got this seat (http://www.corbin.com/triumph/bonnevillegnl.shtml)

There are also other options like shorter shocks/springs that can take it down an extra inch or so, but that’s a rather expensive options (and it decreases your lean angle in the turns).

Try asking questions (or just searching posts) on http://www.triumphrat.net. Friendly folks and there’s a wealth of knowledge. For seat options, you can try http://www.corbin.com or http://www.british-customs.com.

Also, your dealership is probably associated with a R.A.T. club (rider’s association of Triumph). Find out when they meet and show up. You’ll probably get to see dozens of bonnies there with different seats, configurations and customizations as well as get an earful of advice from the owners…

Hope some of this helps.

[Candice]

I’m 5′ 7″, that’s probably more on the average side than tall but I know a lot of gals that are shorter than me and not too many that are taller. My hubby is only an inch and a half taller than me so he says I’m tall for a girl. Hee hee.

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