Driving report Triumph Speedmaster

Menus

Driving report Triumph Speedmaster

Living history

Commit 100 years of motorcycle construction. Triumph is aware of this and is keeping the tradition alive with the new Speedmaster.

Santa Barbara on the west coast of the USA. Away from the glamorous metropolises of Los Angeles and San Francisco. No trace of hectic and business. Stress is not in vogue here. Surfing, power walking and cool cruising on the hot iron are all the rage. Okay, sunglasses, Speedmaster and time. Ready to go.
Triumph’s successor to the legendary T120 from 1964 offers a comfortable place in the sun. Thanks to the wide Gunfighter bench that is pulled deep into the frame, there is casual comfort on board. In contrast to its sister Bonneville, the Speedmaster conveys a cruiser feeling through its seating position. Hours of tours are no problem. With arms outstretched, the flat handlebars firmly under control, the upper body takes an active position. The footrests mounted far to the front bring the appearance of the Speedmaster to the point: cool gliding. Posture grade: very good.
The rev counter and indicator lights form the central information unit on the top of the tank. Far from the field of vision. In addition, even with moderate solar radiation, the end is visible. The fact that the ignition is switched on at the rear left under the seat bench and the choke is on the same side of the carburetor is not entirely up to date. But in proper style.
A little grease and the 790 cubic centimeter two-cylinder in-line engine starts without any problems. Only its appearance is striking. The polished edges of the cooling fins and the perforated air filter housing in chrome look create striking contrasts to the dominant matt black. Nice thing. To prevent the heat collapse, an oil cooler was placed between the frame beams. The driver is more likely to get flushed heat when using the side stand. Bolted to the front of the frame, with a boom that is far too short, it gets short-legged people into trouble and sweat when fumbling with feet.
Klock ?? quietly engages first gear. A first gentle burst of gas. It sounds a bit lifeless, more sound ?? grumbling and pounding ?? the Speedmaster would look good. Something could still be done with sound engineering. Two uncontrolled catalytic converters and a secondary air system ensure that the British Twin ?? according to triumph ?? significantly undercuts the Euro 2 emissions standard applicable from April 1 for new motorcycles. The four-valve engine revs up casually. Thanks to the two balance shafts without unpleasant vibrations over the entire speed range. The five gears can be shifted silently.
The chassis set-up of the Speedmaster is pleasantly comfortable. The rear disc wheel in combination with a 170 mm rear tire gives it a dynamic and well-proportioned rear view. Sufficiently tight spring elements keep the machine calm even when it is moving faster. Whether along the coastal road or at a brisker driving style through the mountains, the Speedmaster lies well on the asphalt. Clear lines with fine steering precision, clean straight-line stability. On the other hand, she cannot cut longitudinal grooves, as the Englishwoman develops an uncomfortable momentum of her own.
The Speedmaster collects plus points compared to the Bonneville in terms of acceleration and pulling power. Your overall translation has been chosen to be shorter, which makes the new one from Hinckley a bit sportier and the pulling power is better in all situations. Nevertheless, the 790 cm3 engine with its 61 hp lacks the bearish, fat pulling force that can only come from the displacement. Comfortable cruising without shifting gears? no problem. But if things really get down to business, the Speedmaster driver has to downshift.
GThe front brake takes some getting used to. The two double-piston floating calipers offer sufficient deceleration, but the pressure point feels very spongy. Caution is advised if the driver has to pack harder. Then the wheel suddenly tends to lock. Triumph should improve the dosage as quickly as possible. So that the image of the Speedmaster, in which the British have succeeded in combining elegant and bulky design, is not tarnished. It is sure to be a lot of driving fun even without sunglasses and when the sky is overcast.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *