I've wanted a Bonnie for as long as I can remember - certainly since playing Top Trumps as a youngster in the mid-1970s.
Even then, I remember thinking that the Bonneville looked exactly the way a bike should look.
Its design was understated, the engine reasonably powerful (for the time), the body had a decent amount of chrome (though not too much), and overall it was proudly British.
I never got round to owning a Bonneville. At first, I couldn't afford one. And when the time came that I could own a bike, I needed one that was reliable and required minimal maintenance.
I chose a Ducati Monster 800 - and despite being a temperamental Italian streetfighter, it hasn't let me down yet, whether commuting in London or out for a blast in the country.
A few years on, I'm in the happy position of having a bit of extra cash and being able to ride for pleasure, rather than needing to get from A to B within a specified time.
So the Bonnie it has to be.
My criteria for this bike are as follows:
- It must be a UK market version T120, not a US specification T120R.
- It must have matching frame and engine numbers.
- It must have V5 and original registration.
I realise it is probably going to be difficult to source one of these bikes.
But I don't mind too much what condition it is in, so long as the engine is in good shape or salvagable and the frame is straight.
My reason for this is that it will cost roughly the same, for example, to replace or restore completely damaged components as it would to replace slightly damaged components.
So as long as the basic building blocks of engine and frame are there the rest doesn't really matter too much.
In fact, it will probably make the restoration more fun, if not more frustrating.
My budget for the initial purchase of the bike (excluding the rebuild cost) is a maximum of £3500, though obviously much less if its a complete basket case.
Oh, and I am restoring this bike to ride, not to turn it into some kind of museum piece.
I don't have the facilities or expertise to rebuild a whole bike myself, so much of the work will be farmed out to various experts along the way.
But I do hope to show that a complete novice can restore one of these bikes.
