I’m sitting in the garage looking at the Triumph Speed Twin. Having just ridden 160 miles home from a weekend away, I’ve got several other things I should be doing, but I’m looking at the Triumph, which looks good even standing still. It is almost as if I can hear it whispering in my ear.
Who am I kidding? I can do the right thing, such as unpack or wash the road salt from the Yamaha, yet there I am with the keys in my hand.
You know what happened next …
A Bit More
Riding the 900cc Street Twin last year, I was surprised by the size of the grin the smaller capacity Triumph put on my face. Along with the extra 300cc, the Triumph Speed Twin comes with a six-speed box and an extra disk to assist with stopping. Not that the Street Twin had any problems.
Overall, the Speed Twin is a little bit more of everything except the wheelbase, where the Street Twin bests its bigger sibling by 37mm (1450mm against 1413mm).
The Speed Twin’s tank holds two litres more fuel. The seat is 54mm higher but still a perfectly accessible 809mm from the floor. The tyres are a little bigger at 120/70 on the front and a 160/60 on the rear. BHP and torque are naturally more impressive at 98BHP and 112Nm, and even the Marzocchi forks are 2mm wider than those on the Street Twin.
And Triumph has used that little bit more to give you a little more of everything to love. Nothing is out of place or suddenly unobtainable. It retains the perfect proportions of the Street Twin, just with a little more beef from a few sessions in the gym.
And The Award Goes To …
If there was an award for the most infectious standard exhaust note, I’d have to vote for the Speed Twin. The burble on overrun is delightful.
So infectious that I found myself building a little speed as I passed through the towns and villages, just so I could close the throttle and listen to the exhaust. Childish, I’ll grant you, but it is an auditory delight.
While I’m handing out awards, next on my list for the Speed Twin would be the gearbox. It is an engineering masterpiece, silky smooth to use and coupled to a light clutch. There are no mechanical complaints from first to second, and the ratios deliver the handfuls of mid-RPM torque delightfully when exploring the country lanes.
Evoking Emotions
By now, you have guessed that I didn’t go and do the domestic chores. Sitting still in the garage, the Triumph Speed Twin was too hard to resist, although I can’t work out how Triumph has achieved this.
One part of me wants to say it is because the Speed Twin is what a motorcycle looks like. If you asked me to draw a motorcycle, that is what I’d draw, but perhaps that is an age-related thing. Ask someone who grew up in the 90s the same question, and you will get a picture of a race replica.
Perhaps it is the riding position. Body canted slightly forward; elbows bent against the wind. There is an eagerness to the position. It is as if you are chasing after something even when travelling through one of the 20mph zones that are appearing in towns with increasing regularity.
Or is it that an indicated 70mph feels fast when you are exposed to all the elements.
Whatever it is that is going on I’m grinning inside and out and loving every minute of it.
Sunshine and Lollipops
Approaching one of my favourite pairs of double S bends, the twin Brembo 50mm callipers effortlessly drag me down to a respectable speed. Two quick taps on the gear lever, and I’m on rails through the first bend and sneaking a handful of torque as I head towards the second.
The handling is crisp and light, and the suspension a delight on the surprisingly smooth piece of Lincolnshire tarmac.
But it isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. To reach this smooth section of road that has me grinning requires riding through some of Lincolnshire’s less well-maintained sections, and back then, I wasn’t feeling the love.
If I have a complaint about twin-pot Triumphs, it is that the suspension and frame geometry is perfect on smoother surfaces, but break up the top layer of tarmac, add in some over banding and the occasional pothole – more like black holes in Lincolnshire – and the ride becomes skittish.
The Marzocchi forks are non-adjustable, and the twin rear shocks have five pre-sets, in keeping with the retro style from the 1980s.
If the Speed Twin was mine or a long-term test bike, I’d take the time to dial in the suspension to my taste. There isn’t much to play with, so a trip to a suspension specialist would be on the cards.
Speed Twin Summer
If I paint you a picture of a warm summer evening, smooth roads lined with fields of crops, and wherever you are going, you are not in a hurry to get there. Sixty is all you need, but there is much more in reserve for the overtakes and when the mood takes you.
When you get to that place, the Speed Twin is the bike you want to be riding. Yes, you could do everything on this bike, but if the Triumph Speed Twin has a sweet spot, in between the hedgerows on a warm summer’s evening is where it’s at.
