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Bonnie Black
On 12 November 2005, I drove home my new '05 Triumph Bonneville from Canton Cycles. It was a 53-mile trip from the dealer
to my house. I had completed the MSF class in October and gotten my license, but had never been out of 3rd gear in a parking
lot before driving the bike home. Half the trip was back roads and small town thoroughfares. The other half was highway, part
of which was through the city of Hartford. The bike performed beautifully! I am so happy with my new ride. I want to thank
my wife for finding this bike for me. I love you, Honey.
I also want to thank Canton Cycles for making the purchase of my very first motorcycle a wonderful experience.
Dave and Bill took great care to ensure I was happy with the bike. Dave spent plenty of time with me going over the
features. When I left the parking lot, I knew I was riding the right bike. I also want to thank Ralph and the
guys downstairs for setting me up with a helmet, jacket, boots and gloves. I came in there with nothing and left ready
for the road.
13 Nov 05: Went for a 140 mile ride with my good friend Glen. He used his GPS unit and mapped out a nice route
that was all quiet back roads. From Coventry, we headed south to Gillette Castle and then over by Mohegan Sun before
turning up north again. He's an experienced rider and gave me great tips and guidance.
14 Nov 05: Rode the bike into work so all my friends could check it out. Took off early in the afternoon
and put another 75 miles on the bike.
17 Nov 05: Took the day off and went for a ride with my wife. Went up to the mall and then back and around the
lake. I adjusted the rear suspension and the bike handled beautifully with a passenger. So far, I've put 311 miles
on Bonnie.
20 Nov 05: Rode 75 miles with Jim V. today. It was in the high 50's or low 60's and may be the last nice day of the season.
Lots of bikes out as we rode up to Union, MA and back through Woodstock.
11 March 06: First warn day of Spring and I just had to get out. Made a 40 mile run through Herbron and Columbia. It felt
so good to get on the road again.
20 May 06: Nothing like a quick ride in the afternoon, chores are done and your free for an hour or so. I
get about 3 miles from home and look back and see a black line of clouds blotting out the sky. I turn and run for home,
but I can see the wall of rain coming up the street. The tops of the trees are bending back and forth. I'm in
for a soaking. With no place to duck in, I take it nice a slow. Hail is bouncing off my helmet and gas tank.
(Little ones, no damage.) I was relieved when I finally got into the garage. The ride was scary and exciting at
the same time. Heck of an introduction into riding in the rain.
14 Jun 06: Took the day off and rode up to Canton Cycles. They put on a center stand for me, a Father's Day gift from my
wife and daughter, and gave Bonnie a free oil change and check-up. They had looked up the records and discovered one was
due prior to my purchasing the bike. I can't say enough good things about the service and friendly attitude of the folks
at Canton Cycles. It's a 105 mile round trip to get there, but worth the ride. I took the twisty backwoods route via RT
20. A picture below shows Colebrook Reservoir, where I stopped to take a few pictures. I was racing a huge storm line to
get home and just got caught by the outer fringe. All in all , a great ride. My Bonneville is a wonderful bike, plenty of
highway power and fun on the back roads too.
| Colebrook Reservoir, 6/14/06 |
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Glamour shot of the Bonne
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