“ I get it ”. That ’ s the thought which crossed my mind only five minutes into riding away on the Triumph Speed 400 . I get why these are flying off the proverbial shelves , especially to those who prefer to cruise along our roads rather than tear them up ; this bike feels like comfort and style had a love child and crammed a 398cc engine inside it . But I ’ m getting ahead of myself ...
DAFT PUNK My name ’ s Ryan , and like many 23-year-olds before me , I enjoy riding motorcycles . Like many of those 23-year-olds , I love the faster-looking and faster-going sports bike side of road riding . Hence , when I was offered the chance to test the Speed 400 , I was excited but apprehensive . How would my underdeveloped brain take to a bike not built purely for amateur MotoGP impressions ?
I would be allowed not to like this , right ? It ’ s simply not my thing , right ? Wrong . Dead wrong . My first impressions of the bike were that it was a rather nice looking machine . The analogue speedo , bar-end mirrors , sleek finishing , and dangerous looking asymmetric exhaust all lend themselves towards a gentleman ’ s roadster . As if it was designed to be ridden with a leather jacket and pair of aviators to the nearest whisky bar .
66 KIWI RIDER