New girl

[Scott_W]

Hi and welcome to the site!

[Guest]

Hi guys & gals, Sorry for long time no reply but I've been off but I'm back again now! If anyone has ever ridden a 1949 AJS rigid single (no rude comments please :) they will know what the remarks about lights & brakes refers to!! Back in January I was blatting down to Bath from Trowbridge in the dark with a candle on the front, thinking to myself its just as well I know this road and I thought wouldn't it be nice to have something that does it all effortlessly, hence the bonny!

[SkyJawa]

LOL!!!

[BB]

Sometimes I feel the Bonnie does it all too effortlessly, years of riding the classic stuff with their little idiosyncrasies have taken their toll!

[SkyJawa]

Idiosyncrasies - things like starting the journey and not completing it?!??!?!!! :-X : ;D

[BB]

Czech republic & back on a 350 Ajay with only 1 breakdown and that was a flat tyre?

Of course, the lights never worked any step of the way... ;D

[SkyJawa]

Thats pretty darn good going LMAO@ the lights!

[Amante_271]

I presume the Bonnie isnt one of Meridans finest then! :'( ;D

Always had a soft spot for them as had a mate with a Swedish chop with a Bonnie engine ..... You got to hear the exaust, then see the front wheel, then 10mins after the rest of the bike!!! He let me ride it, totally awesome!!

I rode a Triumph Trident up the strip years ago. Norman Hyde 1000cc big bore kit fitted, then he added a turbo from the States! He got bored with the turbo lag so added Nitros! An air shifter was next as well as 18" extended swinging arm locked up solid! It was a case of 4000 revs, hit the horn button (NOs) then Good bye Sanity Hello Horizon!!! Mad but SOOOOOOOOOO much fun!

[BB]

No, don't get me wrong, the Bonnie is an excellent bike - does everything it says on the tin - to quote a well known advert. It's just, well, difficult to describe really. :-/ I think it's me not the bike. I'll eventually get used to pressing a button to fire up and having the capacity to blast past other vehicles without effort or thought etc.

I suppose I've spent too much time with the old stuff where the potential for uncertainties (will it start)lend a frission to your journey (will it keep going) and a sense of achievement (or relief) when you complete a lengthy trip (yeehah, we made it).

I mean, lets face it, a 100 miles on a modern bike is an afternoon ramble - so what? Foreign touring on a 50+ year old classic is an adventure!

Having re-read what I have just written I feel I must add that I'm not knocking modern bikes - or riders come to that! It's just my lifestyle and circumstances have dictated that I have come the long way round to modern machinery.

I do enjoy the Bonnie very much, I'm just still on a learning curve with it at the moment - just bear with me!!

[JamesD]

A warm welcome to a classical enthusiast, not had anthing in the 50+ age range but ridden some of the early Kawasaki Z bikes (which my Dad has several), was an eye opening experience compared with riding todays modern machines.