Triumph Speed Twin - Ride Report
By Rich Taylor - 12 Feb 19
We didn't make it to the Triumph Speed Twin press launch in Majorca last month, but GQ's Motorcycle Correspondent, Rich Taylor did.
"Unlike everyone else, I wasn't overly excited for the Speed Twin to start with. It seemed, on paper, like it was essentially a Thruxton for pussies. But, as usual, I was wrong - the more I thought about the prospect of a Thruxton with 'bars, the more I wondered what on earth I was thinking: after all, I freaking love big naked bikes with 'bars. Easy to man-handle around, easy to ride fast/stupidly/badly, comfy, with loads of attitude and metal on show. Yeah, I don't know what I was initially thinking either."
"In short, it's the Street Twin, except turned up to 11, and even better looking with all the lines and angles giving it a front-heavy, stocky look. 60% more power (96 HP), 40% more torque (112 NM), better brakes, suspension and electronics. It's the same 1200cc parallel-twin engine that we're all used to, as employed in the Thruxton, Bonnie T120, Scrambler 1200 and co., but with a new, lighter clutch and crank, plus a lightened cam cover and cases. There's a tonne of other weight saving too, and in total, the Speed Twin's a full 10 KG lighter than a Thruxton..."
"And that's probably why it passes the "ride it like a reprobate" test with flying colours on Mallorca's mind bending roads. Build quality's right up there, and it's hard to argue with Triumph's claim that it's the highest build quality they've ever pushed off the end of a production line. It all sounds perfect, but where it suffers is around town; the fuelling's a bit snatchy low down and that's super uncommon for something from Hinckley these days. That aside (and no doubt Triumph will fix it; it's probably all in the 1s and 0s) there are far worse ways to make use of £10,500."
Read more from Rich's review over on the GQ website.
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