Opportunities to purchase a new vintage motorcycle don’t come along every day. This 1979 Triumph Bonneville Special has just six miles since new, still retains the plastic on the seat and the NO OIL IN TANK sticker on the speedometer, and comes from a facility known world-wide for its curation of fantastic automobiles. Find it for sale at Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts for $9,500.
The T140 Bonneville arrived in 1973, a 750cc adaptation of the 650cc T120 Bonneville. Featuring a five-speed transmission, the 750cc T140 was a direct response to the popularity of 750cc bikes from Honda and the other Japanese manufacturers, which precipitated declining sales of the T120. Between 1973 and 1980, the T140 underwent many running changes, several to accommodate ever-stricter requirements in the United States, and was released in several special editions.
The 1979 model year introduced the T140E, the “E” signifying that the bike was emissions compliant. The engine featured revised cylinder heads and new Amal carburetors. Which brings us to this model, which is a T140D Bonneville Special. All Specials were finished in black paint with gold pinstriping and unique badges on the side covers. T140Es featured a grabrail that incorporated a small rack, but the Special had a unique grabrail that didn’t include the rack. The rear caliper is top-mounted on the Special, and those bound for the United States featured black Lester mag wheels and a specially tuned two-into-one exhaust.
Of course, the most unique feature on this particular Special is the mileage. Over 32 years, the bike has only covered six miles. We spoke with Alex Finnegan, sales manager at Paul Russell and Company in Essex, Massachusetts (known for the Pebble Beach-winning restoration of Ralph Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti T57SC Atlantic Coupe, among many others), and he noted that he bought the bike as a package together with a late 1960s Norton Commando which featured similar mileage. That bike has since gone on to a new owner, leaving the 1979 Bonneville available for sale. Alex notes that the condition of the bike is “as new,” though the manual and tool kit were never delivered with it.
As a gauge of value, we looked back to the Gooding Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, where a 1977 Bonneville T140J “Silver Jubilee” with eight miles sold for $9,500, plus a $950 buyer’s premium paid to the auction house.
The question here is: What do you do with a six-mile 1979 Bonneville Special? We suppose you could stash it in a private collection somewhere, but considering 1979 Bonnevilles aren’t the most collectible Triumphs on the planet, we think we’d replace every rubber part on it, fire it up and enjoy a brand new vintage motorcycle for a few years.
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sell it and buy a pre 1971?
i love triumphs. the first motorcycle that was ever mine, meaning i could ride it on the trails and through the new housing developments being built on northern california in the late 60′s without asking, was a t20c. on weekends my step father and his friends raced the same (mostly) triumphs that they rode to work during the week. i even sold electric start triples at tt motors in berkeley while in college.
but these bikes do nothing for me at all. once the oil in frame bikes came out triumph lost what made them special. this bike look like any generic suzuki, yamaha, kawasaki cruiser of the late 70′s…
It really does present a dilemma. If it were, say, a ’68 Bonnie, I’d be the first to urge that it be kept as is for posterity. But The OIF models just aren’t in the same category of demand, so this falls into a really gray area. Too much money for an old rider and not enough attraction for a spot in a collection.
On the other hand, there can’t be many/any left like this, and there are any number of examples of (now) cult bikes that you couldn’t give away at one time. I agree with Lanny in that the OIFs don’t do much for me, but if I’d had one as a youth, who knows?
Nice bike, in any case, I love to see NOS stuff like this.
Of course it should be ridden. That’s why it was built.
i’ve always wondered; if the boffins at BSA had not wasted so much money on the new frame (and the 350 bandit…) and had simply added a new fork, disc brake, 5 speed and maybe an electric starter, triumph would have survived? it’s not like BMW, moto guzzi or ducati were building world beaters that competed with the japanese and they all made it.
then again, most likely, horrid management and labour union issues could probably have killed them for some other reason anyway, sigh.
One question… Is it still under warranty? ;)
Can’t ride a bike with six miles on it.
Sell it in Japan for double.
Buy a clean Norton Commando and a not so clean 911 with the cash.
You’d pretty much have to take this bike apart and put it back together again, I fear, to make it a reliable, safe rider. I can’t help but believe the grease in the wheel bearings is hard as a rock, all the rubber in the hydraulics rotten, engine and trans seals cracked…
I could be wrong and I’m about to find out…there is a local with a “new, in the crate 1974 Commando” that he’s about to bring to my shop to be brought to life. I’m interested to find out if my theory (as usual, pessimistic) about the condition of the bike is true, or if all those old lubricants, and all those dry seals, hold up just fine.
I’m betting it runs for about five minutes before oil blows past the points seal, and drowns the points. That’s if the Amals hold gas at all, and the throttle slides haven’t become one with their bores.
@Lanny
They did build a bike that was all that and more – the Trident. It was a very good machine indeed. The problem was that it took two or three extra years to get it to market and six years to get it sorted out to be competitive with the Japanese offerings (as the 1975 T160V) and by that time it was far too late.
BMW, Ducati, and Guzzi were, and for the most part still are, niche builders serving a very small market segment at high prices. Different sales model.
Before even seeing CycleMikey’s comment, I had the same word go through my head: DILEMMA. I’m not at brave as Tom, in that although he’s probably right, I don’t think I could ride this. Why not buy a similar model with more mileage then? This probably should be on display in this condition.
Lovely in any case, with sterling provenance.
Wish I’d seen the Norton Commando they had.
BTW, Ducati is almost like the Aston Martin of motorcycle companies. It’s been through a lot of hands and a lot of restructurings.
This is one bike you want to pick up in person. A tour of Russel’s shop will give you nice dreams for many years.
What can you do other than leave as it is? You can get a sterling example with a few thousand miles for half that price. Replace all the 32 year old rubber bits for another $500? Don’t forget some of those rubber bits are things like the crank seals. Leave it as an example of “too little too late”, a monument to corporate myopia.
I think this one should be relegated to a static display in one of the many motorcycle museums around the country. It can serve as a reference sample for future restorations. As others have pointed out, there are nice “riders” out there for less money if that’s what you want. As time passes, this model will take it’s place in the line of collectable Triumphs and be sought after as the earlier ones are now. In my 20+ bike collection I have a ’73 Triumph Daytona in nice condition that, in my mind, is a P.O.S. as far as being a motorcycle is concerned. But, that doesn’t keep it from being looked at fondly by others when I’ve had it out on a ride. Go figure.
This does look like your Jap copy of a British twin not the other way around…I prefer the Triumph Thunderbird Sport 98-04
Vintage much more eye candy in my moto world far better picks out there for that money…..!
Six miles with NO OIL! Eeeeek!!! :-)
@ Cyclemikey
Good thing mine is a 69 Bonnie, so I can personalize it to my heart’s content, right? :-)
@randy
i would have to disagree with you on one point. my stepfather had an orange/black T100R as a commuter (don’t remember the year) that i was always jealous of. you are pprobably right that they are a p.o.s. but they are surely pretty enough to be on my want list :)
@ lanny
I agree 100% that they are very good looking and very good sounding. It’s other issues with the riding experience that makes me less than enthusiastic about them. :)
So….was it driven 6 miles with no oil? Or was it filled up with oil in 1979 and left ever since…
In ’73 factory test pilot Nigel Longbottom would fire up a newly minted T140D to bed in the motor. After 1 or 2 laps of the grounds ol’ Nige would drain the fluids, apply stickers and roll it into a shipping container.
Check out Hughie Hancox’s book “Tales of Triumph Motorcycles & The Meriden Factory”, for a very entertaining and informative inside look at Triumph — the bikes and the factory — from the 1950s to the glory days of the 1960s, to the final demise, including the Oil In Frame fiasco.
Come on guys…belt in the oil and fuel… check fluids and then fire it up and ride it…I have one of these there’ll be no dramas with it..the rubbers / bearings will be fine…just take it easy for a few (30) kilometers and she’ll be apples mate….I just bought a c.69 Garelli Bantom Cross with 10 miles on it… just fueled it up and put in a new spark plug… it’s now got 400 miles on it… are you bikers or have you all gone soft?
In the late-80′s, I went into a small cycle shop nearby, looking for a tire for my ’79 Yamaha XS750F. This place was more like a junk store than a clean operating establishment. I quickly decided to turn around and walk out when in the corner I saw 3 brand new late-70′s Triumphs sitting in the corner, still with the plastic on the seats. I know nothing about these bikes, but I went and had a look. The shopkeep came out and said he bought them for cheap and he can’t even sell them.
I have no idea what model they were (not Bonnevilles, IIRC), but my thought is that these bikes were not incredibly big sellers in the day, so maybe it isn’t too surprising to see them in this condition (?)