Comments on: The Chef’s Special: Tyler Florence’s Triumph Bonneville Cafe Racer (News)

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:02:17 +0000

Very Nicely done. Unfortunately, all the pics show the left side only. I would have liked to see the right side too.

By: Jim Meyer

Jim Meyer — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:03:38 +0000

My Speedmaster dynoed at 81 HP and I didn’t get too agressive with the mods. I think if you’re willing to throw ridiculous amounts of cash at the triumph twin, you can get 100HP.

BTW, it’s not this bike that is claiming 100HP, it’s another bike this guy built.

But I don’t see why this thing gets to be featured. Looks like one of a million “custom” bonnevilles.

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By: Scruby

Scruby — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:43:35 +0000

100 + HP,I don’t think so.

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By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:02:35 +0000

If our economy keeps going the way it is, with the top 5% building new homes in the burbs, as is the case in Boston, with most people just getting by, and us glorifying the upper crust, then we will see more bikes from China very soon. This bike is nicely done, for that customer anyway. Not my taste. Bars too low and too far forward. Ugly number plate. Ugly seat. Ugly pipe wrap. – I appreciate success in life, but I am seeing far too many examples of us glorifying mere mortals at the expense of us all. The guy is a cook. – I want to see bikes most of us can ride, like Cleveland Cycle Works but better quality. CCW is going to open a factory in Cleveland instead of China soon! – Nice bike. I just wish there were more of us commuting and because of our mass auto mentality and the few robbing the many in various ways, we will not see more bikes on the roads any time soon, just more cell phones!

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By: LMJS

LMJS — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:32:48 +0000

Taped pipes? Boring, overdone, overused, nothing new there.
Slippery Sam tank? Slippery Sam was a triple, a boxy Trident, not a Bonneville.
Triumph Bonnevilles are meant to be skinny bikes, not chunky lumps with tooled leather tool bags and number plates that are somewhat ridiculous on the street. A little logo cartoon deal on the fender or tank to celebrate the 8 year old idea would by far more in keeping with a cafe racer look and pedigree.
What’s with the bars? Have Ace bars all dried up?
I can’t help but think how much better this thing would look as a Dresda special with that idea of the faux patina on the tank, a tidier ride and “narrow through the hips”
design would make it stand out more for what it is supposed to be.
Commando exhausts? Why not? But a nice set of TT pipes would also do the deal.
Perhaps this bike looks better in person, as it stands it doesn’t look like anything too interesting in a Tickle, Dow, Kennedy, Lyster, Degens, and Dunstall way.
But the owner is happy and that is what counts at the end of the day, I imagine.

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By: j.davis

j.davis — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:16:47 +0000

I can’t think of anything positive to say about the bike.

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By: trent

trent — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 09:17:16 +0000

I just hope he actually rides it.

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By: Reinhart

Reinhart — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:11:16 +0000

Looks like your basic $8000 bike with $25,000 of icing poured over it.

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By: ReflexTowing

ReflexTowing — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:38:42 +0000

That’s true, plus my favorite service guy (Ari) is still there.

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By: Provalogna

Provalogna — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:31:14 +0000

I don’t know. But I can’t resist my 2c worth when asked twice.

Notice the bike has a big, wide, husky look. Replacing the 19″ front wheel with a 17″ lowers the bike a full inch, increasing the heavyweight look by minimizing vertical clearance. Header pipe ceramic tape increases pipe diameter. Beyond that it adds texture vs. a smooth chrome finish, and attracts the eye which now darts back and forth between all the other eye candy. Tape makes the pipes better match the “scale” of the hulking fuel tank and other design cues.

At first I wasn’t sure about the tape, and I even briefly agreed with the negative comments.

Now I love it.

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