Triumph Speedmaster

Triumph Speedmaster

first rides 2007

An economy of scale

AMERICA IS SUPERSIZING. FROM furniture to cars to motorcycles, we seem to like things on the large side. And while you will get no argument that there is a real attraction to Triumph's own version of this largeness—the Rocket III and its 2294cc Triple—recently riding the 865cc Speedmaster back-to-back with its massive brother did reveal some real benefits to living on the lighter, more compact side of the cruiser scale.

Namely, approachability and ease of use. At a claimed 504 pounds dry, the Speedmaster is 250 pounds lighter. It is also narrower and feels as though it carries its weight a bit lower, which combined with the skinnier tires (110/80-18 front and 170/80-15 rear) makes overall handling sweeter. Even lifting the bike from its sidestand is easier.

Mechanically, the Speedmaster is unchanged from the previous version. As before, the engine uses a 270-degree firing order to give the exhaust note a bit more lope than does the 360-degree unit used in the Bonnevilles. (As a side note, this engine is for 2007 now used in the classic-styled America, replacing the 790cc version.)

A quick spec-chart comparison of the Speedmaster’s 51-foot-pound claimed torque vs. what is delivered by the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 reveals a 10-foot-pound deficit. But the new-design Kawasaki is both liquid-cooled and fuel-injected, two features that will become ever more necessary as emissions regulations tighten. For Triumph’s Twins, EFI at least

will probably make it onto the bikes in the next few years. Even so, the Speedmaster’s parallel-Twin runs well with its pair of Keihin CV carbs. Morning temperatures in the 40s at the bike’s Morro Bay, California, press introduction made the lean settings quite apparent as full choke had to be dialed up for some time. Once up to operating temperature, the engine ran sweetly. Shift action was light and slick, as was clutch operation. Levers, incidentally, are adjustable for reach.

As the urban drag version of Triumph’s Twin, the Speedmaster is equipped with a gunfighter seat and a flat handlebar on fairly tall risers. The riding position for my 6-foot-2 frame was on the tight side, but this compactness combined with the 28.3-inch seat height should make the bike a good fit for smaller riders.

The styling department was given a few visual cues to play with this year. Most obvious among these are the new castaluminum wheels, but the upper fork shrouds, chainguard and passenger footpeg hangers were all changed. In addition, new slash-cut silencers are in place. Further, the accessory catalog contains some 60 items for the bike, including the compact, color-matched flyscreen ($210) fitted to our tester. Monochrome Speedmasters are $8299, while two-tone-paint versions run $8499.

In a world where things seem to be growing ever larger and heavier, the Speedmaster isn’t a bad vote for lightening up a bit. -Mark Hoyer