Triumph Speedmaster

Cruisers huh... Well, chances are you are either thinking of turning the page right about now or want to learn a bit about a new entrant in the category.

'Cos cruisers are like that. They polarise viewpoints. Thing is, in my experience the stronger the critic of the cruiser class the less likely they are to have actually ridden one. Well, you wouldn't want to ride a bike you hate would you?

And there's the rub. The class has an identity crisis with the young. An unfair one at that.

Cruisers are fun. Lots of. They offer a relaxed, cool type of motorcycling. You can live with and love a cruiser very easily indeed. You can be a shortarse and still ride one. They make you feel happy and even the less attractive of us look good on one - so I'm told. Chicks love 'em... Need more? Okay, guys love chicks that ride 'em (ha, you can't accuse me of not being politically correct now can you?)

Fact is cruisers are all the rage with returnees and a lot of them would have warm, fuzzy (the human memory is a wonderful thing) reminiscences of glory days living with a Brit twin.

Enter Triumph's new Speedmaster. Odd name yes, but a worthy new style of cruiser from one of the world's great brands. So what do you get?

It's a harder-edged version of the Bonneville America launched back in 2001. Over and above the spec of that bike, the Speedmaster offers a tacho, a twin disc front-end, mag wheels, custom paint, gunfighter-style seat and slightly lower gearing.

The bike looks a whole lot better then the cooking model America. It's tougher, leaner and more comfortable in its own skin in my book.

I'm not so happy with some of the "cruiser-personality" items like the tank-mounted instrument nacelle. I was a critic of it on the original America and it hasn't improved on the Speedmaster. It looks add-on with its rubber grommet fillers placed there for options that don't come standard, and the warning lights are too small and modern looking. The addition of the tacho is nice, but it is difficult to be sure of the correct reading because of its inherent angle. There is no way it is calibrated to take into account that flat angle and the inherent effect on readout correction required to give an accurate reading. It's an area of the bike I can't find a nice thing to say for. I don't like it and I'd love Triumph to redesign it.

Comfort is okay with such a low seat height of 720mm and the wide flat bars allowing easy traffic negotiation - except for the standard, forward controls. I have to admit to not being a huge fan of forward controls. While there is usually a trade-off in better ground clearance - the inherent bane of cruiser configuration - they make taking off and pulling up at lights and so forth a foot-flapping, where-the hell-is-it, trying affair. The set-up also dictates that all your weight is supported on the cheeks of your bum and that's a recipe for clackeritis. I've never owned a cruiser however and I'm willing to wager that you get used to these anomalies.

On the road the bike is a relaxed performer. It's not hugely quick, but there's good torque available from just off idle and the engine is sweet and revs freely. You could say that Triumph ought to have parallel twins worked out by now, and while the mob at Hinckley have turned out a good engine, you have to remember that they have really only been producing that configuration since 2000. And it's a 270-degree, eight-valve DOHC jobbie too. Sound like the stuff of Trumpy lore? Nup. History and tradition are one thing (well, two things really), but real-world fact makes Triumph new at producing an engine that, among diehards and newbies alike, would be seen as grist-for-the-mill for the Brit manufacturer. Expectation rears its head again - one of the strengths of Triumph and one of its bugbears - all at the same time.

You really need to work the 'box when pushing on, with the best result procured when it's kept in the middle. Bung on the aftermarket silencers and this transforms from chore to charming - the note is intoxicatingly enjoyable and the cans are a must-do. Budget for the extra or push your dealer hard on this point. You'll get around an extra 3PS at the same time and while that doesn't sound a lot, it's a five per cent rise, and that's significant. It's made in the middle from what I can tell without the aid of a dyno, and that's where the bike does its best work. The brand-common 'box (albeit with sixth given the short shift) itself is nice and relatively slick and the ratios seem to be about right.

Brakes are alright but nothing startling. Fact is, with the big front wheel raked out at that sort of an angle, big brakes are never going to feature on a bike like this. Whack on a couple of big rotors with six-piston calipers on a front-end with those mathematics and the front will bottom on its suspension and lock-up the wheel as quick as you like. That's why big brakes are a rarity on this category. In short, the bike stops well, but you still need to offer decent heft at the lever.

Finish is generally good but not great. The overall persona of the bike is one of high quality, so you find yourself expecting big things in the finish stakes. Close, but no cigar for mine. There's a big range of add-on gear to personalise your Speedmaster. One of the bikes I rode on the launch was fitted with an optional small fly-screen and spotlights. This offered a degree of cool and had the added advantage of deflecting a good deal of wind. The screen is understated and doesn't intrude on the mean look and attitude of the harder-edged Speedmaster. I'd be going for it.

All this may sound like a negative review. Okay, there are things about the bike I don't like, that's true. But most are fixable and personal. It's priced fairly well at $15,290, has a badge that can't be denied and an engine will probably prove itself bulletproof. I guess I just wanted more from what I was hoping would be an up-spec America. There's that dreaded word again - expectation. I'll go back to wishing for a Bonnie variant that makes no compromise to price. Unrealistic? Maybe, but I have to say I was left wanting a little more on this occasion.