2009 Triumph Bonneville SE Comparison Photo Gallery

The latest Triumph Bonneville continues a model series stretching back to 1959, when the British firm took its name in honor of its land speed racing success in the 1950s.

The Bloor restoration of the historic English marque saw the Bonneville’s return in 2001, where it has since anchored the company’s Modern Classics.

The SE’s analog right-side tach teams well with the left-side speedo (the standard Bonneville not offering a tach).

The two-stage choke, unlike the carbs, is real and needed on cold starts. As for those façade carbs, explaining them to curious onlookers is an amusing novelty at parking lots and gas stations.

One disc down up front compared to the dual-disc Ducati, the Triumph brakes without drama via a single 310mm rotor up front.

The Triumph Bonneville SE's dual rear Kayaba shocks are pre-load adjustable

Smooth and easy, a rider can’t get lost in the Triumph’s 5-speed gearbox.

Seamless power delivery and user-friendly throttle feel highlight the Twin’s traits.

The Bonneville handles sharp at lower speeds with its low center of gravity, and is one of the easiest-to-ride shifting motorbikes we’ve ever sampled.

While the Bonneville Twin can't match the Ducati, it delivers seamless power and is very user-friendly for entry-level riders.

The Triumph’s 865cc Parallel Twin doesn’t measure up to the Ducati, down 127cc to it competitor.

Head to head, the Duc’s dual Brembo calipers deliver superior feel, but Triumph’s Nissin 2-piston caliper binders make confident, controlled stops.

After the motor, handling performance is where the Triumph loses the most ground on the Ducati.

Short distance jaunts on the Bonnie are fine, but we started getting uncomfortable after about 100 miles, perturbed at 150, and delirious about the 200-mile mark in the Triumph’s excruciating saddle

The two-inch lower seat height, along with a narrower tank, makes the Bonneville feel way smaller than the Ducati

The Bonneville ergonomics fit smaller-statured riders well, Triumph lowering the seat height to 29.5 inches and repositioning the bars down and toward the rider.

Okay, it's not a road-racing replica, but the Bonnie can still hustle around the bends.

The Triumph Twin delivers enough pep to motor up to triple digits and is spunky in its 4000 rpm sweet spot.

Faced against the Ducati, however, we imagine if it could talk, even the polite British Twin would acquiesce it does not compare with its sportier Italian rival.

The Triumph Bonneville SE Twin cranks 58 horsepower at the rear wheel and 44 lb-ft torque

It doesn’t take long at the controls to realize the Bonneville motor is tuned for a more leisurely riding approach - much different than the Ducati’s rip-snorting L-Twin.

The two-inch lower seat height, along with a narrower tank, makes the Bonneville feel way smaller than the Ducati

The Bonneville delivers a lot of bang for the buck. At $8399 for the SE and $7699 for the standard Bonneville, it’s 30-35% less expensive than the Ducati!

The Bonneville and GT recorded almost identical fuel efficiency – the Triumph edging out a 48.6 to 47.3 mpg advantage.