Badge Engineering

I have now owned my 2008 Triumph Bonneville for almost two years and I can say it's been two years of bliss.  I love this bike.  It does everything I need it to do: it's fun, sort-of quick and it looks good.  In short, I am going to own this Bonneville for a long time.  I may be buried on it.

But there has been one thing that has bugged me since I bought it: the tank badges. 

In 2008, Triumph's Bonneville range received electronic fuel injection (EFI) in every market except the U.S., which received EFI in 2009.  And with this change came a new gas tank to house the electronic fuel pump.  Even though my Bonneville is a carbureted 2008, it has the new tank.

To offset the cost of the EFI, Triumph replaced the metal tank badges with lumps of chromed plastic.  I've hated those lumps of chromed plastic since the day I picked up the bike.

But hope lies ahead.  You see, Triumph left threaded bolt holes underneath the plastic badges on the 2008 models.  They're perfect for mounting metal tank badges.  I think you can see where this is going. 

I ripped off those horrid lumps of plastic and replaced them with proper, metal tank badges.  Finally, those cheap badges are gone!!

Here's how I did it:

First, I removed the tank from the bike.  Look at that ugly thing.  Yuk!

After getting the badge loose with some fishing line, I worked it off with a screwdriver and an old CD.  Not the best way but it was all I had.  Abigail Van Buren thinks it's a good idea.

There you have it: no badge and two bolt holes.  Check out the reflection in the tank.  Oh no, Thing has grabbed my camera!

And now the tank with the new metal badge.  I chose the "garden gate" style from the late fifties/early sixties.  These are available as a Triumph accessory for the 2007 and down Bonneville models.

And finally, that lump of plastic in the trash where it belongs.  Good riddance!