Hot on the heels of Project CafĆ©, the 1973 Honda CB500 we transformed from a tired salvage yard reject to a beautiful cafĆ© for the street, weāre gearing up for our next project, a customized and upgraded 2010 Triumph Bonneville.Ā Dairyland Cycle InsuranceĀ is helping us make it happen, and when we're done,Ā you could win it!Ā
Since its introduction in 2001, the Bonneville has been a best seller forĀ the relaunched Triumph brand. Company founder (or is that re-founder?) John Bloor waited 10 years after relaunching Triumph to revive the Bonneville name, and owners of the much heralded and already iconic ānewā Bonneville will tell you it was definitely worth the wait.
When they reintroduced the Bonneville, Bloor and company knew their aim had to be true. As perhaps the most popular British bike of all time, they had to get the right look, while suitably endowing the new Bonneville with modern attributes to guarantee reliability and rideability.
Mission accomplished, as the Bonneville is hands-down one of Triumphās best looking motorcycles and arguably the bike that gave the retro revolution its legs.
While we plan more vintage builds in the future, this time around we thought itād be fun to see what we could do with Triumphās retro classic Bonneville. The standard bike looks great (thatās a stock 2010 Bonneville in the image above), but ours will be that much cooler.
Weāre not going to tip our hand just yet as to exactly what attributes our reworked Bonneville will have, but suffice to say weāre going to give it a new and distinctly American look, customizing the color scheme and upgrading components for a retro Bonnie with a lot more attitude.
The good folks at Dairyland Cycle InsuranceĀ are sponsoring our Triumph build ā and four of our planned 2010 shows, as well. That includes our show at the just announcedĀ Road America Vintage Motorcycle ClassicĀ (where weāll show the Bonneville for the first time), theĀ 19th Annual HOAME show in Kansas City, theĀ 5th Annual Bonneville Vintage GPĀ in Toelle, Utah, and theĀ 6th Annual Barber Vintage Festival in Leeds, Ala.
And the best part is, once weāre done, someone is going to take it home. Weāll bring our Bonneville to the 6th Annual Barber Vintage Festival Oct. 8-10, where weāll announce the winner of the Dairyland Cycle Insurance/Motorcycle Classics Bonneville.
Watch these pages, and log on to www.dairylandcycle.com and www.MotorcycleClassics.com for updates. Meanwhile,Ā just click here to enter to win our Bonneville Build!
Motorcycle Classics at Road AmericaCanāt wait for the 6th Annual Barber Vintage Festival to see our Bonneville in person? Then head for Elkhart Lake, Wis., and the famed Road America race course for theĀ inaugural Road America Vintage Motorcycle Classic, June 11-13.
This will be a great weekend of classic motorcycling, as Road America partners with longtime motorcycle events producer Will Stoner (Will established the highly successful swap meet at Vintage Motorcycle Days, among others) to create a new event for classic bike fans.
In addition to a swap meet and club corrals, the weekend will host round eight and nine in theĀ American Historic Racing Motorcycle AssociationāsĀ (AHRMA) Historic Cup Roadrace Series (www.ahrma.org).
AHRMAās been road racing at Road America for years, but for the Vintage Motorcycle Classic theyāre upping the ante with motocross, cross-country and trials on courses built specifically for the event (www.roadamerica.com).
Motorcycle Classics will be there, hosting the inaugural Road America Motorcycle Classics Ride and Show. The Saturday bike show will be open to all bikes 1990 and older, and will include a leisurely 40-mile ride through the scenic Wisconsin countryside, followed by judging and awards. Itāll also be your chance to check out the progress on our Bonneville build, as weāll be bringing our Bonnie along for its first public outing.
Motorcycle Classics
is America's premier magazine for collectors and enthusiasts, dreamers and restorers, newcomers and life long motorheads who love the sound and the beauty of classic bikes. Every issue delivers exciting and evocative articles and photographs of the most brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles ever made!
