Well second actually, if you count bringing it home from work yesterday. After a coffee and I get kitted up I'm going out on our demo Speed Twin this morning to scrub in the tyres and put a few gentle miles on it. Looking forward to an enjoyable 100 miles or so.
Looks like it is to be a nice day Let us know your thoughts, good and bad, we will rely on you for some honest feedback ...and pictures, must have pictures
Phew, back safe and sound after 112 miles. Bloody cold and misty over in the Welland Valley. Nice and warm and sunny back here in Bedford. Nice bike. Very agile. Light, easy to turn in front. Hard suspension. Rock hard seat. A bit snatchy slow in second. Feels like there's plenty enough reserves of power, presumably the same as the Thruxton, though still running in so kept it around the 4000 revs mark. I'd have one. Now, anyone want to buy a couple or three surplus bikes, hardly ever dropped.
Good report Rich, thanks. I was only thinking the same as SJ after I read your report,,,,,why do Triumph keep putting crap seats on their Classic range of bikes. I don’t know how much adjustment there is on the suspension,,,,if none or very little that’s another negative by the sounds of it, again like the rest of the Classic range.
I think if you're heavy (Fat) like me the suspension will be fine,everyone told me the speed triple had firm suspension and the seat was hard ..guess it does if your only 12 stone!
Maybe the reference to hard seat and suspension sounded negative, The bike holds the line through every corner, banding and pothole - not twitchy like the Street 3 RS. The positive is there is no flabbyiness or wallow. If you like the Thruxton but want a more relaxed riding position this is the bike for you. As I said, I'd have one, and if I ever get round to selling my surplus bikes I will have one. I did do pretty much three and a half hours with only a couple of photo stops, so it's not painful. If classics are your bag then I'd recommend a long demo ride, not just 10 minutes round the block.
Isnt it going to be snatchy just cos its brand spanking new?Excuse my ignorance, please. How fast did you go? Fast enough for time travel? Is that a phone in that phone box. 88 miles an hour was it?
I rode one yesterday, i went to buy myself a second hand speed triple. Looked around the showroom as always and see this new speed twin. Hmmm, me thinks, looks fab in the flesh, retros are not really my thing at all, but this one is very impressive indeed. Looked around it for ages and ages, then took the speed triple i had come to see and went out on this new speed twin for a test ride straight after. The twin feels light, very handlable, its seat is not so much uncomfortable, its just a little narrow in comparsion to most modern seats. The bike itself feels narrow low down, your legs and feet feel fairly close and most peple will be able to get both feet down with ease. On your upper body it feels a little bigger, the tank is wide as are the bars and the whole sitting position very comfortable and easy riding and i imagine most will be able to deal with 2 or 3 hours on here no problem. Engine is better than i thought as well, drags you along nicely and cranks up faster with more guts than the i had anticipated, along with the added slip ons, it thudded its way along lovely. Only very minor thing i found was the clocks are at a very flat angle and a little difficult to see and in comparison to the rest of the bike, the rear number plate and bracket are hideous, needs some kind of tail tidy. Got to say, I really liked it. So much so, i had to go off for a two hour lunch to try and decide what to do now (lol)..... Which should i buy? After much deliberation, i rode the used 94 limited edition speed triple home. It was a very tough decision and i eventually came to the conclusion at my age, if i dont take the triple now, i doubt i will ever own one..... How long my knees will put up with being bent up on the triple i dont know? It may not be that long before i succumb to the relaxed twin burble.
Thanks for the report Rich. I hand the demo bike for about 50mins and loved it. I can't wait to get my hands on my very own Speed Twin in the next few weeks. I know that they are not every bodies style of bike, but I like it. Wessa
I was over at Pure Triumph Woburn yesterday booking a service and a test ride on the Speed Twin. Might be tempted! My mate rode that bike yesterday and loved it. Btw, the cafe is much better than the last time I visited!
Is it me (it probably is!) or is the bike in the second photo snuggling up to you like a faithful, loving old dog? Please note, I do have a vivid imagination, which is more active at the moment due to a change in manufacturer of my prescribed beta-blockers.
Great reports guys. I noted the mention of slip ons, do speedtwins have a cat converter as it appears not from the photos
Yes they all do, it’s tucked away under the engine towards the front but it is easily replaced by an “x” pipe which also releases a few db improving the sound and is lighter than the cat unit.
