1978 Triumph Bonneville 750
VIN: T140VXX02569
3,175 Original Miles! This motorcycle has undergone a re-paint.
This is a nice example of the twin carb 750cc 5 speed Bonneville equipped with disc brakes front and back that the Triumph employees produced after they took over operation of the Meriden factory in 1975. The factory employees were on a mission to prove a point, and the Bonneville that they produced in 1978 was actually far better then the classic Bonneville's of the 60's in terms of performance and reliability. They made one big mistake, however, which was in the choice of their chocolate brown and gold paint scheme, which led to such derisive nicknames as “The Brown Cow” and the “UPS” model, because “it belonged more appropriately on a delivery fleet than on a performance motorcycle”. This resulted in such poor sales that several hundred units were shipped back to Great Britain, and many American buyers quickly repainted them.
The example shown here is one of those repaints, and the dark chocolate brown and yellow gold has been replaced with a more pleasing golden brown metallic and tan combination. The bike is otherwise bone stock, and in excellent condition. It was purchased by the current owner in 2005 with just under 2,800 miles on the odometer, and received a complete service at that time. In 2007, at 2,932 miles the engine was freshened with new valves and rings, and in 2008 it received its repaint along with a new petcock, fork seals, and carb cleaning. It has been carefully maintained and ridden sparingly since, and currently the speedometer reads a low 3,175 miles.
THIS MOTORCYCLE TO BE COLLECTED FROM HELENA, MONTANA.
The Motorcycle has been consigned to the Classic Motorcycle Online Auction hosted by the Classic Car Auction Group. The auction is Saturday, May 9, 2026, with online bidding only. To consign your motorcycle and/or to register to bid on this and other bikes in the auction go to http://www.classiccarauction.us.
