I had a 2006 Triumph Bonneville for two years and it was totally dependable after a day-one problem with the gas tank breather tube having been kinked during installation. Only other problem I had was one broken spoke (no biggie, and fixed free under warranty). I rode that bike 70 miles a day, 5 days a week for 18 months or more. Triumphs come with a two year warranty whereas most other manufacturer’s bikes come with only one year (I think).
Does great on the freeway and will cruise very smoothly all day at an indicated 80 mph no problem at all. The engine has counter-balancers which virtually eliminate vibration. Top speed is reputed to be ~110 mph, but the steering gets disturbingly heavy at ~100 (cough, I’ve heard). Handling and ride are good for a bike of this old-school design, but definitely not in the same league as my Suzuki GSX650F (“fully-faired standard”), which has obviously benefitted from technology developed for Suzuki’s racing bikes.
I know the Bonnevilles are marketed as “beginner bikes” (as is pretty much everything under 1000 c.c. these days), but definitely a second bike, not a first in my opinion. It’s kinda heavy, but that helps with the ride. Power delivery is completely linear; no surprises. Newer ones are fuel injected, so I don’t know if that changed anything in this regard.
If I were going to do it again, I’d probably get the new Bonneville SE because of the alloy wheels/tubeless tires, as tubeless tires are roadside repairable (Note: Any bike with wire-spoked wheels will have tubes in the tires regardless of what the tire says on the sidewall). I’d also replace the seat, as while it looks really cool old-school, it is agonising after two hours or so. I’m not a loud pipes guy, but this bike would definitely benefit from loud-er pipes.
Just about everywhere I went with the Bonnie, riders and non-riders alike would come over and talk to me about it. With the Suzuki? Nah, it’s just another lookey-likey “sport bike”.
If, like most American motorcyclists, you’re going to use your bike as a toy (i.e. for pleasure rides), then you couldn’t do much better than a Bonnie. For regular, distance, commuting in all weather, I’d choose something a little better suited for that.