Today, I wanna talk about my Triumph Bobber. This bike is a real beauty, but like any machine, it’s had its ups and downs.
I got my hands on a 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black. Brand spanking new, right off the dealer’s lot with just 1 mile on it. I was stoked! But guess what? At a measly 67 miles, the engine light popped on. Talk about a buzzkill.
Turns out, this isn’t super uncommon. I did some digging, and it seems like quite a few folks have had issues with their Bobbers. I mean, it’s a machine, things happen, right? But still, you expect a bit more from a brand new bike.
Maintenance
- Oil Changes: I’ve been pretty religious about oil changes. Found some forum posts where people shared their DIY experiences. It’s not rocket science, but you gotta be careful.
- Service Intervals: Triumph says to get a major service every 10,000 miles. That’s pretty decent, gives you some breathing room.
Now, the Bobber’s a single-seater, so don’t plan on taking your buddy for a ride. I learned that the hard way – tried to squeeze my friend on the back, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. But hey, the bike still ran fine, so that’s a plus.
I’ve heard some chatter about Triumph’s reliability. Some folks swear by them, others not so much. Seems like they’re not quite up there with the Japanese brands in terms of reliability, but they’re not terrible either. I saw a stat somewhere that said Triumph had a 29% failure rate, which is, well, something to think about.
One time, my Bobber started acting weird. It would start up fine, rev like normal, and even shift gears, but no power was getting to the wheel. I was stumped. After messing around for a while, I figured out it was something with the clutch. Got it sorted eventually, but it was a headache.
All in all, the Triumph Bobber is a sweet ride, but it’s not without its quirks. You gotta be prepared to deal with some issues here and there, and maybe get your hands dirty with some maintenance. But hey, that’s part of the fun of owning a motorcycle, right?
