2009 Triumph Bonneville SE...

has stock pipes. Wondering what some after-market pipes would accomplish. Sound? Performance? Appearance?

Your opinions are appreciated.

dave in University City, MO
2004 Mini cooper S
2005 Vespa ET4
1961 Austin Healey BugEye Sprite
2009 Triumph Bonneville

I hade a 2007 Bonnie and liked the stock pipes I admit. Lots of folks used the "off road" pipes for a bit more sound and to free things up a bit. I never felt the bike was missing any performance though.

My question back would be what are you feeling your bike is lacking? Too quiet? Too slow?

I do sometimes miss my Bonnie, even though I like the airhead that replaced it. Great bikes.

Drew: Don't quite understand "airhead that replaced it". I don't feel like anything on the Bonnie is lacking. Sometimes I just like to waste $.

dave

198686d said:

Drew: Don't quite understand "airhead that replaced it".

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No, it's not a reference to my wife (she's brunette anyways ) -- I sold my Bonnie last year and bought a '73 BMW R75/5 in its place. They're known as "airheads" in the BMW world (air cooled flat twins).

The real complaint most folks have on the pipes is generally the look or the too-quietness of stock pipes in general. Not much burble. Many of the aftermarket pipes offer a little more bark, and can look nicer as well. My era of Bonnie had the pea-shooter pipes with the bit of a kink in them that many folks didn't like the look of. Never bothered me.

Don't know that you'll gain that much power from just a pipe swap on your bike; maybe a handful of HP but that's just a guess.

Only thing I added to my bike was some soft-luggage brackets and lots of miles. That was a good bike. I do miss it a bit.

The only thing I've added are the brackets and soft luggage (Triumph sourced). There's absolutely nowhere to hang or stow anything on the Bonnie.

So, guess I'll tweak the BugEye with something instead. Thanks for explaining "airhead". My wife's a blond. That's why I was confused.

dave

No problem. Airhead has many meanings...

I loved my Bonnie, but I was never much of a customizer. There are quite a few things that can be done (big more kits, etc) but I figured that if I really wanted a bunch more power I'd buy a faster bike. I did have the soft bags and a small soft tail trunk on mine. You're quite right, Bonnies really lack places to put stuff.

Is the BMW black? White? I really like those bikes. 4 speed?

I live in an urban area by Washington U. My Vespa ET4 (150cc) is great for cruising around the neighborhood and nearby Forest Park. We have a lot of scoota's here mainly because of the students.

The BMW is black and a 4-speed. Drum brakes front and rear. It's a neat old bike that can still function reliably as a modern bike (though mine is a bit ratty and needs work).

I have a 02 Bonneville America. I put the "off road pipes" on
just for the sound. Power wise it didin't make a noticable difference. I bought the bike because it was different than most other bikes.

JFeher said:

I have a 02 Bonneville America. I put the "off road pipes" on
just for the sound. Power wise it didin't make a noticable difference. I bought the bike because it was different than most other bikes.

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Been thinking about an American for a while. How do you like it? Have you had other bikes? If so, how does the America compare?

This was my second new bike. My first was a Yamaha 250 bought when I was 18. Since then I've had a 78 Yamaha 650 Special and an 87 Honda Shadow. The 650 Special was kind of a Japanese copy of the Bonneville. My family and a few friends
used to put on a charity motorcycle show and when the dealer brought this in I just had to have it. It doesn't have a big engine (790 cc's and 60hp). About 20 more hp than my mini! More than enough power and then some for my wife and I, about 300lbs between the two of us. It's about 8 ft long with more of a rake than the Bonny. It rides and handles well. I like the seating position. You sit upright and the foot pegs and controls are out front. The seat is big and comfortable. My wife doesn't care for the passenger seat. It's the size of a small loaf of bread. Corbin makes a nice upgrade I'm thinking about buying.

beautiful bike!

the accessory Triumph pipes will maybe give 1/2 hp. the Arrows slip ons a bit more, full system a few more ponies