I have a Bonneville 865cc fuel injected first registered January 2008 with the identifier of SMTTJ which, on look up, says it was built at Jacknell Road, Hinkley. So it must be one of the last British built Bonnevilles and one of the first fuel injected. Perhaps it may have been one that was built in Taiwan but assembled in Hinkley?.. If anyone knows more then please let me know. Thanks…..

Picked up a 2016 T120 black, two years ago next month. Bought unseen (apart from dealer pics) online for £5995 with just turned 16,000 miles, 3 months dealer warranty and a years MOT. Had it delivered up to SE Scotland for £175. I’ve put 11,000 miles on it so far and haven’t stopped grinning yet. Oh apart from the day I had to cough up for an MOT, full 20k service, two new tyres, chain/sprocket kit, time and vat. 😢 Though I was grinning again by the time I’d rode it home.🙂

Owned a 2018 t120 from brand new 30000k miles done all over britain and europe and just off to holland on it for the market garden commemorations. Its a definite keeper freddie every time i consider selling it i ride it and then realise its a great all rounder you can load it up with kit and go anywhere on normal roads your comments are spot on

Freddie, just wanted to say that it is always a pleasure to watch your videos. I said it before and I will say it again: for me you are my number 1 content on YouTube .
Thank you very much again and of course Monica as well 😀

BTW , I own a 2021 T120, 20000 km a year and I love it.

I have never owned a Bonnie - but in my youth when I was riding a Yammie RD350 ( two stroke hooligan bike of the late 70s ) there were the “smellies” riding oil leaking Bonnies of that time. Leathers, Black Sabbath denim waistcoats, flared jeans covered in engine oil, chip grease and curry sauce, long greasy hair, sideburns, Mod bashing knuckle dusters, some kind of hobnail boots - none of Freddie’s tan gloves, beige trousers and Barbour jackets!!!

Nostalgia?  More like broken noses,  split lips and a ready access to a barrel of Castrol GTX

Brilliant, i was totally happy with my one Triumph Thruxton, now, after watching this I've gone out and bought a stunning 2010 Bonneville 😊

My first Bonneville - owned a 2004 Hinckley T100 790 for 20 years. It was literally gorgeous and lots of mods (suspension etc) made it mine. Went all over on it - various European countries, Scotland, Wales etc you get the picture. Then in 2023 - it broke down, not sure why, various niggles that compounded each other and after 4 mechanics, 6 breakdowns, 18 months of hardly being able to ride it and a lot of repair money I decided I had to let it go. It had reached a stage where it needed a ‘Wurks Joe’ to give it more love than the average mechanic. A very sad day when it was sold.
What did I do? Went out immediately and bought a low mileage 2020 T100 Bud Ekins and started again - new suspension, new exhaust’s and lots of mods etc etc etc and I’m in love again. I’m hoping to keep this one as long as I’m riding ❤❤❤.

Freddie I’ll take that 1966 Bonneville in my garage any day. So much nostalgia that I couldn’t resist.

One huge thing with buying the 2016 Bonneville is that it's still a current model, meaning you likely have another 10 years of manufacturer support in terms of parts. As cool as those early 2000s Bonnies are - once they break down you might be in a heap of trouble. I have a 2018 one myself (love it) and secretly I hope they keep making it forever, for the reason mentioned 😅

Have owned a 2003 T100 790, 2006 Scrambler 900, 2009 Thruxton 900, 2016 Thruxton R 1200 and now 2025 T120 1200.All have been great not a bad one in the bunch. The 790cc T100 was a sweet ride for sure.

I have a 2009 865 Bonneville SE in blue and white, had it 17 years and still love it. If my garage catches fire and I can only save one of my bikes the Bonny will always be it.

Freddie- I had a friend who past away last December who had a 2010 Triumph Bonneville T100. His wife took it back to the bike shop where they bought it 2 years ago. It was in the beautiful green color with new tires (not even 300mi. on them) & leather saddlebags. I couldn't believe it when his wife called me & said that they sold the bike this past Saturday for $5300 of which she got $5000 & the bike shop took a commission of $300.They bike only had 5000mi. on it. I told her before she sold it that the only way that she would get over $5000, is if the right person who specifically was looking for that particular bike.  That's exactly what took place; so you never know! Cheers & blessings from Illinois,   USA

My very first motorcycle was a 1979 Bonneville T140 I bought brand new in San Diego California when I was in the US Navy. It was black with a silver flash 750 spoked wheels and I loved that bike. Yes I sold it in 1986 after my discharge and moved back to Ohio, and i deeply regret it. Bought my second Bonneville T100 in 2014 after my children were all grown, after nearly 30 years without a motorcycle. I am now 69 years old, still have my 2014 Bonne and i will have this bike until i either cannot ride any longer, or am in the ground. I love Triumph motorcycles so much I even have the Triumph crest tattooed on my chest..

100% agree on the romantic take on riding. I think having an emotional connection to the machine and the culture itself makes it so much more than a simple tool

Glad to see I'm not the only one bemoaning the gradual increase in weight of the modern motorcycles.

😀lol, watching this as I'm working on my 1970 Bonneville that I've owned since 1986.

Loved this week's podcast.
After an operation on my hand, I needed to look at an easier to handle bike than my R1200GS.
I looked at Bonnie's and really fancied the model before yours.
I think the English build was the main draw.
I looked at a couple that were either not in the best condition or way above my budget.
Looking around a local bikeshop, I came across a bike I wanted about 15 years ago.
A left field option.
A Yamaha BT100 Bull Dog.
 rare in the UK but plentiful on the continent.
A Japanese V twin designed in Europe.
The rumble and low-down grunt is intoxicating.
Needless to say, I bought it, and my dream of a British built Bonneville was missed.
I hope I don't come to regret it, but so far, I'm loving the Bull Dog.
It's a bit strange going from years of fuel injected bikes back to carbs and a choke.

1990’s to the 2010’s is indeed ‘peak motorbike period’. Ridden bikes since I was 16 in 1985 and the ‘blades, ZX9Rs, VTRs, etc. of this period are just sublime. Currently have an immaculate’05 Firestorm that cost me £2,500! 😊

Another interesting and thought provoking video Freddie ! You made a good point, identifying that "sweet spot" in motorcycle production when the brakes, handling and reliability were all great, but bikes weren't over run with tech. Those were my golden years (late 1990's to mid 2000's). I'd returned to biking after a 10+ year break, bought a new fuel injected GSXR750 SRAD, traded up after a year for the carbed R1 and then had a succession of litre and above bikes up until about 2009. I LOVED every minute of it, but eventually life got in the way and I took another 10+ year break, returning to bikes again in 2020. I have to say, every new/newish bike I have owned since has been a disappointment. After thinking it was me getting old, or the roads getting too busy, I finally realised it was the tech on the bikes - for me it dulls or even removes my connection with the bike, especially ride-by-wire throttles - simply awful ! I have since bought a few older bikes from the "sweet spot" - some with carbs, some injected - and I love biking again. I even specifically went for the 2009 Fireblade - all the power but cable throttle, no ABS, no traction control etc  - just to avoid the tech. And its awesome ! I do have a newer bike with ride by wire throttle/abs/traction/Bluetooth/CarPlay yadda, yadda and it does a job - but I am just not as connected with it and can't ride it as intuitively as my older bikes. Pardon the slightly left field analogy but it's a paint roller,  not a pin-striping brush. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for anyone who has only known the new, techy bikes.

I've had so many different bikes, From KTMs to Fireblades to Gixxer 1000s, and as I've gotten older and my bones creek. and my wrists ached. I never would have thought of a Bonneville. But seeing Freddie Bimbling around France on one opened my eyes to what seemed like a totally impractical bike for anything more than a sunday morning squirt .. Having Owned one for a Year, a 2010 SE.. I absolutely Love it . Everything passing at a differnent pace and  that sound track.. I often deliberately get myself lost so its just me and the bike. Highly recommend at least throwing your leg over one for a test ride.. pretty sure you too will be suprised .