Issue 136 : August - September 2004
BMW's Motorrad
Farmyard Party
European HOG Rally
World Ducati Week
Triumph Speedmaster
Boom Trikes
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BMW's Motorrad
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Speedmaster - long term test
I took the bike over to those very nice people at A1 Moto Services in York (my nearest Triumph dealer) for a service last week and was told that Truimph had put out a service bulletin on all Speedmaster and America models. Apparently, if you take the bike over far enough on a left hand bend, air can get into the rear master brake cylinder, causing the brake to feel spongy. The fault's easily remedied with the fitting of a small bracket but I couldn't believe it when I was told that I hadn't had the bike over far enough to take in any air! (And there's me, convinced Foggy rode like a poof). One of the advantages of having a motorcycle on test from a manufacturer is that you can go into most bike dealers, drop a dollop of bovine excrement, and they'll let you take out one of their bikes for a comparative test, so I've ridden a few bikes in the same class as the Speedmaster recently and none of them handle as well. The chassis feels rigid, right up to silly speeds and the twin-pot twin-disc brakes bring you down from silly to safe with a progressive two fingered squeeze. For a 'factory custom' with a 33 degree rake, the bike changes direction quite quickly and the standard Metzler tyres stick to the road very well (there's still plenty of tread left too). The 790cc motor has enough oomph to ride on the throttle and it's only when you're two-up, laden with camping gear that you need to drop a cog for those more ambitious overtaking manoeuvres. Above 85 MPH the air gets under the soles of your boots and a bumpy road surface sees you performing a bit of a tap-dance on the forward controls. I've found that the secret to comfort at speed is to slide back in the saddle, pull your feet back on the pegs and bend your elbows ever so slightly until the air pressure is neutral. Adopting this posture with the Speedmaster's flat bars exaggerates the already aggressive riding position and, on an un-faired bike, gives a real feeling of speed which is confirmed by the beautifully big white speedometer in the centre of your view. The Speedmaster's most at home on sweeping A roads where a glimpse down at the tank mounted tacho shows just under 5,000 RPM at an indicated 85 MPH. It's no Speed-triple, but if you do fancy a bit of a thrash when riding solo, there's a power band between about 5,000 to 7,000 RPM, and the solid-feeling gearbox allows smooth clutchless up-shifting with only a slight twitch of the throttle. As a rally bike, the Speedmaster's got what it takes. The rear racking system is functional, well made, it compliments the bike's smooth lines and takes a tent and roll bag easily without any notable loss of handling. Triumph offer a range of panniers which are again of good quality and deceptively spacious so you can pack up the bike with enough gear for a two-up weekend away without too much hassle. The only real hassle I've had with the bike has been caused by the lack of a centre stand. How manufacturers get away with supplying chain-driven bikes without a centre stand is beyond me and , with so many shafties in this class, it may just put off prospective buyers. Come on Triumph, be brave, make a stand, AND THEN FIT THE BLOODY THING AS STANDARD! Fitting the rear-rack and having a rear-wheel puncture on the same day gave me the opportunity to get me spanners out. (And there's another point Triumph, the kids next door wouldn't even know that bad word if I'd used a centre stand instead of a car jack and three chocks of wood. Think of the children). Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the nuts 'n' bolts 'n' bits that needed banging were actually made of good quality steel instead of that rusty coloured toffee-based material that Japanese manufacturers use to bolt their bikes together. It really is a well screwed-together motorcycle, and one which Triumph are selling in ever increasing numbers. The bike has to go back to the dealers in a couple of weeks and I'll miss her, so much so I've been practicing the wife's signature. If you're in the market for a VN, a Dragstar, a Sportster or something of that ilk, I'd recommend you give the Speedmaster a good coat of looking at. It goes, handles and stops, looks good, is a practical day to day bike and the tank badge has enough 'cred for all but the baddest of bad-ass dudes. The OTR price is currently £6,799 but ringing around can get the price down to around £6,300. In my humble opinion it'll be money well spent. Ride Free (well nearly free, I had to pay for the puncture!) |
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You'd think 6,000 miles in 3 months ought to be enough time and miles to fully evaluate Triumph's new Speedmaster, but the bike just keeps on surprising me. No nasty surprises, just pleasant confidence building surprises that make you want to take the long route home after a day's riding, or take it one more time through your favourite set of bends, just to see if it will go over any further. And it does.