Triumph Bonneville T100 vs. Ducati Monster 797 - Experiences

[bkksteve123]

Hi,

 

I know the bikes (Bonneville T100 / Monster 797) are very different styles, however I'm looking to buy either one. I'm more accustomed to the style of the bonnie, but the Ducati Monster also appeals to me.

 

If you have experience with either brand, please feel free to share your experience, especially regarding the questions below. Thanks!

 

1. Breakdowns/general issues with the bike?

2. Service quality - is it easy to get things fixed and do they actually listen to you and make an effort? (I live in Bangkok)

3. Rust - I unfortunately have to keep the bike parked outside during the day time, and my condo doesn't have fully covered parking either. Is the bike going to rust quickly? What is your experience, and how do you deal with it?

 

Any general advice is also welcome.

 

I will be test driving both this weekend, and hopefully can make a decision by then.

 

/Steve

[eisfeld]

Can't talk about the Triumph but I've owned a Ducati Scrambler for more than 2 years now which the Monster 797 is built upon or shares lots of parts with like the engine for example. I had tons and tons of problems, the saga is documented on another forum. 4 oil leaks, warped front rotor, burned out clutch, starter motor issues... list goes on. Just now I'd like to get rid of it but guess what? Can't sell it as the odometer stopped working. Need to wait 2-3 weeks for a password from Italy so the dealer can reset it. And that's quick, I'd had to wait for some replacement parts up to 3 months to ship from Italy even though they have a factory here. The old dealer in Phuket was completely incompetent. They had to fly a mechanic in from BKK in order to look at the clutch issue. They closed that old dealer and now there are some new mechanics, not sure if they are better. The dealership is some old Thai residential house without showroom, borrowing space from the Volvo one (same owner). I know of one farang who was interested in buying a Ducati but decided not to just because he saw this. As for rust, I had some tank screws and a washer on the rear exhaust pipe rusting. Nothing major and easy to replace.

Note that the engine gets really REALLY hot. It's air cooled after all and I'm not sure if it would be a great bike for BKK if you are stuck in stop and go traffic for extended periods of time. As long as you are moving, it's fine. An aftermarket exhaust without cat helps quite a bit in that regard.

The oil leaks and clutch issue were also experienced by other people.

 

That being said, I've heard good things about some branches (not all) in BKK. Vibhavadi should be good I think? And since you are in BKK, things should be going much better for you.

 

I think the two main differences between the bikes that you can check during a testride are 1. Heat 2. Throttle

By Throttle I mean throttle sensitivity and low speed handling. The 2015/16 Scramblers have a very twitchy throttle and shitty fueling at slow constant speeds. The 2017 Scrambler had a new throttle tube and fuel map but not sure about the 797. Have you considered the 821 btw?

 

In any case, both bikes can be a ton of fun I'm sure. As long as you get a bit lucky in the reliability department, it'll be a very rewarding ownership experience.

[CMKiwi]

Wow and I was led to believe all the Ducati problems had been sorted.... maybe you were the unlucky one and got the bike that was assembled on Friday?

 

That aside after sales servicing needs to be great...not just good.  I do feel for Ducati owners.  If you have a ggod one it makes things so much easier/better. But if its a dud then all hell will reign/rain down upon the experience.

 

Damn it all....both very nice bikes and with a lot of history behind them. In todays society with all this quatily assurance parlava you'de think they would have their act squared away.....

[Kwasaki]

 

17 hours ago, bkksteve123 said:

1. Breakdowns/general issues with the bike?

2. Service quality - is it easy to get things fixed and do they actually listen to you and make an effort? (I live in Bangkok)

3. Rust - I unfortunately have to keep the bike parked outside during the day time, and my condo doesn't have fully covered parking either. Is the bike going to rust quickly? What is your experience, and how do you deal with it?

Admire your enthusiasm only you can decide which one by riding them.

 

1..You can get breakdowns with any bike there's always a black sheep in the production line.

2.. Different dealer different treatment and expertise in my experience, find the one for you.

3.. A bit of spraying with say something like WD40, keeping the bike clean & polished, a good quality bike-cover will do the job.

 

Bangkok ??  l would add a good security chain with bike attached to something that don't move will be good idea. 

 

 

 

 

[bkksteve123]

16 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Can't talk about the Triumph but I've owned a Ducati Scrambler for more than 2 years now which the Monster 797 is built upon or shares lots of parts with like the engine for example. I had tons and tons of problems, the saga is documented on another forum. 4 oil leaks, warped front rotor, burned out clutch, starter motor issues... list goes on. Just now I'd like to get rid of it but guess what? Can't sell it as the odometer stopped working. Need to wait 2-3 weeks for a password from Italy so the dealer can reset it. And that's quick, I'd had to wait for some replacement parts up to 3 months to ship from Italy even though they have a factory here. The old dealer in Phuket was completely incompetent. They had to fly a mechanic in from BKK in order to look at the clutch issue. They closed that old dealer and now there are some new mechanics, not sure if they are better. The dealership is some old Thai residential house without showroom, borrowing space from the Volvo one (same owner). I know of one farang who was interested in buying a Ducati but decided not to just because he saw this. As for rust, I had some tank screws and a washer on the rear exhaust pipe rusting. Nothing major and easy to replace.

Note that the engine gets really REALLY hot. It's air cooled after all and I'm not sure if it would be a great bike for BKK if you are stuck in stop and go traffic for extended periods of time. As long as you are moving, it's fine. An aftermarket exhaust without cat helps quite a bit in that regard.

The oil leaks and clutch issue were also experienced by other people.

 

That being said, I've heard good things about some branches (not all) in BKK. Vibhavadi should be good I think? And since you are in BKK, things should be going much better for you.

 

I think the two main differences between the bikes that you can check during a testride are 1. Heat 2. Throttle

By Throttle I mean throttle sensitivity and low speed handling. The 2015/16 Scramblers have a very twitchy throttle and shitty fueling at slow constant speeds. The 2017 Scrambler had a new throttle tube and fuel map but not sure about the 797. Have you considered the 821 btw?

 

In any case, both bikes can be a ton of fun I'm sure. As long as you get a bit lucky in the reliability department, it'll be a very rewarding ownership experience.

Thanks for the honest review. Sounds like after sales service is not good, at least not in Phuket. Might be a different story here, but nevertheless, would probably have to wait for months for a spare part here as well, which sounds really annoying to me.

 

Very true what you say, with these brands it's more about luck (or should I say badluck) than anything else.

 

I just got back from test riding the Bonneville T100. It was very nice, a bit heavy, but still smooth and powerful enough. Breaking could be better.

 

Tomorrow I'll test the Monster. The 821 is also an option, I guess the main advantage being it's liquid cooled and won't get too hot? Aside from the extra power of course.

 

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

 

Admire your enthusiasm only you can decide which one by riding them.

 

1..You can get breakdowns with any bike there's always a black sheep in the production line.

2.. Different dealer different treatment and expertise in my experience, find the one for you.

3.. A bit of spraying with say something like WD40, keeping the bike clean & polished, a good quality bike-cover will do the job.

 

Bangkok ??  l would add a good security chain with bike attached to something that don't move will be good idea. 

 

 

 

 

I was recently the owner of a very unreliable bike, which I had known if I had just asked before deciding to buy it and avoid the entire brand.

 

Obviously all brands will have black sheeps, point was just to see if there are many of them within either brand. As far as I'm aware, both Ducati and Triumph are known for quality and reliability. So in this case the most important aspect would be after sales service specific to Thailand. Sounds like Triumph wins in that department based on eisfeld's experience. I would definitely not want to wait for months for a spare part to be shipped from Italy.

 

 

[Kwasaki]

39 minutes ago, bkksteve123 said:

Breaking could be better.

Any tree, concrete lamp-post or bridge will do that for ya.

 

Ride to live.  

[thaiguzzi]

I presume T100 = 900cc?

Do you not want to check the T120 out? 1200cc and apparently a torque monster.

[bkksteve123]

52 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

I presume T100 = 900cc?

Do you not want to check the T120 out? 1200cc and apparently a torque monster.

 

Yes, been looking at the 2017 Bonneville T100 which is 900cc.

 

The T120 is tempting, but the price here is 120 000 thb more than the T100, which is a bit of a stretch. In other markets (US/UK) it's typically just 1000€ more (40 000b).

 

The T120 is a bit heavier but with a lot more power, has a 6th gear, twin disks (front brake), and some minor things. Not sure I need the power though, and I can live without a 6th gear. I just don't think it's worth the extra 120 000 baht.

 

Also, I wouldn't buy a Triumph for the performance (power). More about the feeling and style.

Edited August 4, 2017 by bkksteve123

[guzzi850m2]

I would shell out the extra 120k and get the T120.

 

I read on the huge Triumph forum that many T100 owners upgrade to the T120 for better performance and brakes.

 

But I understand you, the T's are not about speed but still nice it's there in my opinion.

[Kwasaki]

17 hours ago, bkksteve123 said:

Also, I wouldn't buy a Triumph for the performance (power). More about the feeling and style.

Yeah l get that,  I see there all liquid cooled now is there 3 models.

 

T100 Black have std too.  source 115 mph  ( 185 kph )

 

 

Bonny  T120.. source 120 mph  ( 192 kph )

 

 

T120 thruxton...source 130 mph  ( 205 kph )

 

On my UK Suzuki 1200 bandit over 90 mph ( 145 kph )  was battering time.  

 

 

[Neilly]

I brought the Street Twin...the T100 hadn't been released at the time, I sat on both, the ST and the T120, for where I live I didn't need either the extra power or the weight. So far I've been impressed with the aftercare from Britbike...I bought the bike in Bangkok but have been using Phuket for servicing etc.

 

Couple of pic's, one in Island mode and the other in touring mode...

 

 

[bkksteve123]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I decided to go with the Triumph. The riding position and overall feeling of the Ducati Monster just wasn't for me. In the end, an easy choice.

[JaiLai]

To some extent Ducati dealers out with BKK are not really 'service centres' which they claim to be.

Beyond anything simple like an oil change, anything that requires a bit of thought or trouble shooting you're normally met with 'send to BKK misterrr'.

Also the lack of simple spares kept in stock is a joke but what do you do, it's just the norm here..