Bonneville or Commando. Which was better?

The odd thing about the video is that is totally misses the mark…

The Commando’s obvious contemporary was / is the Trident.

And we all know the answer to that:

Bonneville or Commando. Which was better?
 
As a 50 year Commando owner I will on a long dark night having tried out a few G&Ts admit that a 1968, 1969 or 1970 Bonneville is very possibly in the top 5 most beautiful bikes ever built.

But not an oil in frame model and not as good a total package as a Commando.
 
Richard Tool said:
Rosie O’Donnal or Sofia Vergara ???
View attachment 119731
View attachment 119732
Simple math - Bonneville = Rosie
Yep - I took the bait …
Click to expand...
Damn RT, I'm sure some of the year round residents down LBI look like Rosie. At least the seasons are changing and you should see a lot more who look like Sophia. Congrats on the grandchild. Looks just like you, same schnoz, just missing the soul patch and wrench in hand.:)
 
I had a 68 Bonney and now my Norton. The Triumph was much much easier to kick thru and start.
And it did feel a bit lighter. But it had very slow acceleration. The first time I rode a Commando, I was consciously aware that I must hold tightly to the handlebars, the accel was that much different. Throw in black and gold looks and its no contest. Still got my Nort.
Jaydee
 
A different question is “Which is better,” rather than “was.”

They both had some disappointed and frustrated buyers when they were new.
 
There are cool Bonnies, and some that "just ain't right".

SAME GOES FOR COMMANDOS.

Being that the Commando came late to the game, it had the benefit of better technology on Day 1. It started out as a 750 and became an 850, that's another plus.

For me, personally, I'd rather have a Commando 750 than a Bonneville 750, same goes for the Trident (but NOT really a valid comparison, the Trident being a triple)
 
Triton Thrasher said:
A different question is “Which is better,” rather than “was.”

They both had some disappointed and frustrated buyers when they were new.
Click to expand...
And the bikes we now ride are quite different to those that left the factory ~50 years ago. Upgraded front brakes on the Commando being an obvious example, so it is probably ~48 years too late to make meaningful comparisons, (on the basis that the last Commando was made in 1977).
 
If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of comparison you'd have to compare every aspect
Town riding
Country riding
Motorway
Reliability
Thtashability, touring etc etc
I've owned a few 650 and 750 triumph twins
I had a t140e for 17 years I had a tr7 for only 1 year plus all the 650s I have owned
None of them come close to a commando when it comes to sitting at 90mph on a motorway
None are close when it comes to a fast A road !
But around town (if you can put up with a heavy, slipping dragging clutch) or a really twisty back lane the bonnie is a better bike,the tr7 better still
And you can rev the hell out of a triumph twin without any worries
Just my opinion
 

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