“
The Speedmaster is a classic. A laid
back cruiser, with proud Bonneville
DNA from the 50s, 60s and 70s, and
it does the cruiser-thing better than
pretty much anything else
The fantastic roar, smooth power and the
slowly decreasing times widened my grin by
the minute. I got to 13.2s - lowest reaction
time 0.102s.
It’s addictive, this racing the clock - and the
rider in the next lane. And you can spend all
day trying to get faster.
The 2018 Triumph Speedmaster, in all
fairness, is not designed as a flat track
dragster. But it’s no slouch either. Better riders
than me, and lighter (ahem), did very good
times indeed.
The Speedmaster is a classic. A laid back
cruiser, with proud Bonneville DNA from the
50s, 60s and 70s, and it does the cruiser-thing
better than pretty much anything else. It has
42% more peak torque, and 25% more power
than its 2015 predecessor, and 10% more
than my own 2016 T120. It sounds wonderful
with its unique twin, chromed, stainless steel
slash cut pipes, looks every inch the broody
Triumph, and will bellow when given a handful.
It’s a very attractive machine – an eye-catcher
– and cruising the streets of Ponsonby on a
morning with the wide ‘beach’ bars that come
standard, one starts to feel pretty laid back
and cool.
Hinckley has taken the old Speedmaster
and given it the full dream treatment and it
works. All the usual modern technology is
there and then some, ABS, Traction Control,
Torque Assist Clutch for ease of constant
urban use, a new headlight configuration with
the distinctive Triumph DRL optics, but it has
some serious new fruit as well with over 130
different options and custom adds. There’s
every reason to personalise your new bike in a
way that fits with your own Triumph ethos and
look.
Up front Triumph has gone for a heavier
16-inch front wheel on the Speedie, with a
130/90 tyre over 32-spoke rims. Far from
making the bike unwieldy, it feels planted and
turns in with pleasure-inducing aplomb. The
front guard is ridged and heavy – reminding
one of earlier bikes, and it looks damn cool.
Twin 310mm Brembo discs offer a distinct
improvement over the previous Nissins, and
deliver a graded handful of stoppage without
>
KIWI RIDER 81