I walk to work everyday, which means my Vespa ends up seeing very little action during the week. But when I get to Spear St, I’m enticed by a block-long row of parked motorcycles and scooters, of all shapes and sizes. I have no plans to get another two-wheeled means of personal conveyance (anytime soon), but that doesn’t keep me from wanting one. Perhaps in a future life.

You may recall that I posted some pictures of the Triumph Bonneville here before (see: Vintage racers and Vespa is a gateway drug…), so I decided to check out their 2009 model. They made a few design changes which make this cool bike even cooler. And which make me want it even more.

In particular I really dig the shorter front mudguards and the shape of the exhaust pipes. I still love the black engine components, and I like that they went with a painted Triumph badge, rather than a glued-on piece of chrome—though I’d just as soon prefer a clean tank without any branding. The only thing I don’t like are the new, modern-looking cast wheels. They’re not bad, I just prefer the old-school spoked wheels. I’m sure they could be come by, as spoked wheels are standard issue on the Bonneville T100.