Triumph finally revealed the new Bonneville at Munich last year after nearly ten years since the rebirth of the company name. The unveiling marked an important point for the factory that has done so much to put British motorcycles back on the map. It’s been an eagerly awaited model since the Triumph concern first opened the doors of the Hinckley factory and started building the new modular range of modern motorcycles. The Bonneville name was once one of the strongest brands in motorcycling and the years that have passed since its heyday have done little to diminish its shine. Triumph was duty bound to bring the name back, however the factory had to get it right on its first shot. Get it wrong and they’d quickly alienate a huge following of dewey-eyed nostalgics with check books at the ready for the return of the bike that was once King. The Bonneville is back, but did the factory get it right?

From the outset, Triumph’s intention with the Bonneville was to produce a machine that combined the old model’s timeless appeal with modern technology. Triumph wanted authentic styling, which had to include a parallel twin engine and to replicate as much as practically possible the feel and sound that forged the original Bonneville legend. This meant using, for example, a 360-degree crankshaft (pistons rising and falling together) and a twin-shock rear suspension system.

The Triumph Bonneville 865cc DOHC parallel twin starts easily with the push of a button thanks to electronic fuel injection. You wouldn’t know the Bonneville feature EFI, thanks to the faux carburetor (complete with choke-like fast-idle knob) keeping the retro look authentic. Through low-slung megaphones pipes, the engine idles surprisingly quietly. But click it into gear, ease out the clutch, and the smooth low-end power sets you on your way.

A quick ride through Topanga Canyon took us from valley to ocean, and was my first taste of the Triumph Bonneville SE off the suburban streets and freeways. It moves easily through turns. Riding casually, it feels light and responsive, and the relatively narrow 17-inch Metzeler MEZ4 tires are fully predictable. As we came upon my favorite section of the road, through undeveloped state parklands, I felt thrown back in time aboard this tribute to a 50-year-old legend.

Once we hit Pacific Coast Highway, we stopped to fill up the bikes for our journey down the coast. The Triumph Bonneville has an old standard designed gas cap (no locks here) and runs on regular (naturally). Spin the tripmeter back to zero (with an old-fashioned knob) and we were on our way again.

The MP3 has all the usual characteristics of a modern scooter including an eco friendly, liquid cooled, four-stroke single-cylinder engine with auto transmission. The engine is available in learner legal 125cc and a larger 250 capacity; a 400cc will also be available next summer. It also boasts a capacious under-seat storage area, with a separate ‘hatch back’ compartment, capable of storing a full face crash helmet. In all there’s a whopping 65 litres of storage space under the seat. Good weather protection is provided by the legshields and Piaggio even offers a large screen and heated lap cover as extras.MP3. When you see that file extension acronym in E-Gear Magazine, 99 percent of the time it is going to be associated with a portable music player or device making it easier for you to listen to your tunes. But Piaggio, the Italian scooter manufacturer has something else in mind. The clever marketing department figured they would tie-in with the famous MP3 moniker to persuade a younger, hipper audience to launch a unique vehicle.Radical three-wheeled scooter brings congestion-busting, fuel-frugal and wind-in-the-hair scootering with much enhanced confidence thanks to the stability of three wheels.
Yet this isn’t an ATV, or some kind of three-wheeled car. It leans, just as any scooter does.

What makes that possible is the Piaggio-designed parallelogram suspension. Imagine two single-sided Vespa-style suspensions linked by an alloy parallelogram and a central steering arm. The set-up lets both wheels tilt parallel to each other at up to 40 degrees.

It takes a fraction more body language to prompt that tilt - and parking manoeuvres take a little getting used to.

Stopping? You can lock the MP3 vertical and set the hand brake. That means unlike most large scooters - few of which have sidestands - you can park it on awkward slopes. Once you get used to it you can lock it upright as you roll to a halt, then pull away again by winding the throttle on - there’s no need to put your foot down at the lights.

The advantages that extra wheel brings are greater stability on bumpy or uncertain surfaces, better braking and greater stability at slow speeds.
There are other advantages - the under-seat boot can carry 65 litres of guff and that 250cc engine mated to a CVT auto transmission is grunty enough to manage even fairly demanding open roads, despite fairly uninspiring on-paper power figures.

What do you get when the world’s oldest manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles crosses over a motorcycle and a mountain bike? The Sachs MaAss is definitely one badass moped - we’re not even sure if it even fits in the dinky category anymore. The German-designed bike is powered by a 100cc four stroke engine housed in a head-turning tubular space frame which also doubles as a fuel tank.

From the front, the vertically-stacked twin projection headlamps are certified attention-grabbers. Disc brakes provide stepping power for the front and rear wheels. Available in automatic and manual versions, the MadAss looks pretty from the back too with the dual outlet exhaust and LED tail lights. Upgrade parts are also available for MadAss.

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