One of Triumph’s best kept secrets may just be the Bonnie America. Very rarely do we hear about it, but in 2007 the America got Triumph’s latest 865cc parallel twin engine.Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Martin Leyfield & Tor Sagen
Over the years I have tested the whole Triumph modern classics and cruiser range. All but one that is, I had blissfully ignored the America. I had already tested the new 865 in the Bonneville T100 and Thruxton 900. Still people kept asking me whether I could test the America. The very first press bike I ever picked up from the Hinckley press fleet was one Speedmaster around 5 years ago.
The America is the most laid-back in the range with forward mounted foot pegs, raked-out fork and a comfortable seat. The comfortable seat is the first thing that I did notice along with the relaxed forward mounted foot pegs. The engine is also very quiet so I lulled myself into cruiser mode after kicking up into fifth gear which is the top gear on the America.
If you don’t like noise the America is perfect as it is. I did a little pillion comfort comparison too on the Sportster and America and here the America won by a very good margin. Even though I carried a very light passenger, she still had great impact on the slow-speed handling. This tells me something about the weight distribution which perhaps should be slightly more towards the front than today.Triumph is aiming at a customer group well grown up with the America. After spending a lot of time on one I’d say that the Bonneville America is the perfect born-again motorcycle. Whether it’s perfect for Americans too I don’t know, but the forks look fat, the fork is raked out and the wheels are solid so I guess it is.
You might have guessed that the America is not the most exciting motorcycle on the motorway. I was happiest on the A and B roads where I could slow the pace down and just cruise along and sometimes look at the countryside view with one hand on the throttle and the other scratching my balls. This is what the America was made for and in the US where the 55mph A roads stretches endlessly in a straight line there’s plenty of time for ball scratching (it’s not just me is it?). 69Nm of torque peaks at a low 4.800rpm and riding in fifth gear is possible in most speeds. The double cone chromed silencers are placed low and contributes to the looks of the America. The sound coming out of them is not very American though and we tested the idle noise next to a standard Harley Sportster 1200. There is no competition here, Harley-Davidson is doing resonance research and ads complicated meshing to the inside of its engine covers. I am not so sure Triumph is as advanced in this area in the cruiser market.
There is one thing that keeps surprising me about the 54bhp 865cc parallel twin engine and that is how little vibrations there are. Everything is just smoother than smooth. I am a bit tempted to say that the big Triumph is a bit like a Honda in that respect, but I didn’t say it did I? I know how these engines really come to life just by replacing the stock exhaust with Triumph’s aftermarket items so I’ll shut my gob. So the engine is up to 865cc from the 790 from last year but still fed by two carburettors rather than fuel injection. The carburettors are of the electrically heated type to avoid icing in cold weather. As it happens I got a rough deal on my one long journey on the America. Returning from the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the South of England I rode all the way up to the North We(s)t in constant rain showers. All the way it rained and rained. After more than 120 miles of constant riding at motorway speeds it seemed that the carburettors just drowned in rain somehow and burrrp, the engine died right there on the M40 in the rain. I had a déjà vu moment there from pre-fuel injected Harleys that threatened me to stop in the same way without actually doing it. I am not sure exactly what happens, but it seems to happen if the throttle has been opened fully for a number of miles in pissing rain with little fuel left in the tank. I left it for a minute or so and hit the starter button again. The America started fine and we could ride a few more miles and hopefully to the next garage to fuel up. But no, brrrp again. This time I left it a little bit longer before starting the engine again, crossed my fingers and luckily got all the way to the service station this time. It never happened again after this and I stopped slightly more frequent for fuel just in case. To be fair to the America, it’s not that often that it rains as heavily as it did for so long as this day. When arriving home after this journey I felt like I had swam the odd 300 miles rather than riding them.
