Triumphrat

MickyC · 12-14-2006

Few quick questions, if you dont mind!

A) Are they the same bike underneath?

B) Is there any differences between them other than the bodywork (e.g. suspension, bars (clip-ons?), engine spec/performance)?

C) What is the S4 like as a daily bike?

D) Does that teenie tiny flyscreen above the headlights offer any wind protection whatsoever?

My riding is a 20 mile mixed-road commute (A-roads, B-roads and short distance through town), weekend thrashing and the odd trip up the A1 (motorway/dual carrigeway for the US guys

) possibly with the missus as a pillion.

banda · 12-14-2006

A+B) Almost entirely the same. Differences are: exhaust cam - wilder on the TT, milder on the S4. Front springs - harder on the TT, softer on the S4. Cosmetic - obvious

C) Depends on what you do daily. There are less expensive bikes that are easier to ride in stop-and-go traffic, with a pillion, at around-town-speeds. On the other hand, there are more expensive bikes that can't touch it on a twisty back road or at a track. The TT and S4 really shine when you flog them, ride them aggressively.

D) Mine doesn't because I took it off. But in the spirit of your question, yes, it displaces some air, and the difference can be felt.

Treehugger · 12-14-2006

MIckyC I ride my S4 daily in town, I use it to get away for the weekends (all year) often take pillions and load it up. I sometimes use her so often i forget just what fun you can have on it. I took the day off today and went for a bit of a burn. Its true when you open it up she just screams and theres nothing but a smile on my face as I try to keep the front wheel down.
the screen does offer some protection, I am 6ft 1 / 2 and I found that by adding a secdem screen i still got the S4 looks and good enough protection.
Your 20 mile ride sounds perfect to me, I wish my ride to work was as long and as varied!

After a few mods, the bike now strikes the perfect balace of everything for me. I think for the money, you'll be hard pushed to find so much satisfaction/pride/joy/adventure/reliability ever again IMO

anyone know a girl like an S4? if so let me know :hammer:

PDXSpeed4 · 12-20-2006

I looked at both bikes when I bought my Speed Four. It came down to the way I felt on each bike. I felt like I was just another guy sitting on a street racer on the TT. I couldn't help but feel like a bit of a trouble maker sitting on the Speed Four. Although they share the same bloodline, the S4 is the black sheep of the family. I get so much more attention on my S4 then I thought I would. It's a great bike and I ride it daily in the summer season. It's a great city bike. Here is a picture of my S4 sitting in front of Alcatraz island. How fitting is that? Good luck on your decision. You can't go wrong with either bike.

The shield buffers the wind around your hands a bit and if you are tucked pretty close to the tank.

FuryFour · 12-20-2006

im a bit of a hooligan. s4 suits me fine. I like looking different

12-20-2006

Without the cowl (and removed CA smog *****, and 15/49 sprockets) I can go alot faster without wind pissing me off as much. I lost mine due to an accident durring the rain though. I am thinking about putting the slightly different Speed Tripple cowl over my lights.

FuryFour · 12-21-2006

Quote:

On 2006-12-20 22:57, kubihibi wrote:
Without the cowl (and removed CA smog *****, and 15/49 sprockets) I can go alot faster without wind pissing me off as much. I lost mine due to an accident durring the rain though. I am thinking about putting the slightly different Speed Tripple cowl over my lights.

i have a stock on eim trying to part with if you are interested

R100Pilot · 12-21-2006

For the kind of riding mix you're talking about, the Four is probably the best option. No offense to those who love 'em, but I'd ditch the pixie hat - those things just look goofy to me. If you have to have a windbreaker, there are other options, but with naked bikes as with naked women - the more naked the better.

Treehugger · 12-21-2006

we're back on women again, naked is good, true. however naked with stilettos is better IMO, technically thats not naked. Well it is, like the S4 it's naked, just accesorized

12-22-2006

I can answer C and D and the others seem to have A and B covered.

I ride the S4 on a daily basis, until it got too cold for me without my winter jacket, and it was great commuter. Got a bit hot during summer, but I am in Arizona desert conditions. Fan was always running during summer. My commute was 13 miles of 35-50 mph traffic, pretty easy.

Weekend trips were 100-200 mile jaunts with a few 600 mile weekend trips.

Stock windscreen was helpful, but I have upgraded. I bought another tophat and attached a higher screen from www. laminarlip.com. This way, on my longer trips, I have some better protection. I switch out the two whenever necessary.

Hope that helps.