Triumphrat

Paul7412

I recently seen a Speedmaster at a dealership and now I have to get one. They have some 04 and 05 bikes. Now I am not sure which year to buy. Is the bigger motor going to be worth the extra cash? This will be my first bike in 15 years, I thought about a mid eighties Shadow before I seen these Triumphs. I need to make a decision soon. I really need to get me one so I can sleep again!!!!
:knkknk:

dazco

Personally i'd probably go for the 05 not because it's necassarily better, but i love torque and that engine is supposed to be tweaked for torque. On the other hand the 790 engine has more HP and is said to respond better to pipes. so i don't know what to think never having ridden a 790 SM. I just know that i love the 05 i bought and that it's definatly got lots low down grunt. And after installing Tpipes and tweaking it the bike runs quite a bit quicker than stock, and i'm stupid happy with it. But there aren't many who've ridden both to tell you, so if you can test ride them that would be your best bet to decide. I doubt there will be a huge difference in any case, but what is the price diff they're quoting you on each? That may be the deciding factor. But don't forget to consider depreciation of the older bike in the equasion. Whatever you do, you'll love that bike to death, i guarandamntee it.

by the way, like you i too hadn't had a bike in many years, actually about 5 more than you. And i too saw the SM and just went gaa gaa.

[ This message was edited by: dazco on 2005-09-14 21:19 ]

mrunix

I answered this over at BA.COM as well.. I did have the chance to test drive both an '04 and '05.. I bought an '04. I couldn't tell a difference in power or torque between the two. Saved big bucks going with the '04 that I could then turn around and spend on the accessories I wanted.

dazco

then he should go with the 04 if the cost difference/depreciation balance is in favor of the 04 or maybe even if it's a toss up, because the 04 will respond better to Tbike pipes at least if not others too.

bog_rat

Mine is an '04, but I have never ridden an '05. I was thinking of possibly trading mine in for an '05 next summer, but I am hearing that there isn't much point, because there isn't really any noticeable difference. Also, the '04 seems to respond much better to performance mods. So just as Mrunix said, you can save money getting an '04 and have money left over for performance pipes etc.

WANG

I rode the 790cc America for about a week, and currently own the 865cc Thrux. Neither one is exactly an arm-stretcher, and if you really want serious poke out of either you'd probably purchase and install the Wiseco piston kit.

Based on this, I'd get the '04, but only if it was available at a significant discount. :-D

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Psyched Out and Furious

bog_rat

There would be a big difference between an America and Thruxton regardless of engine size. IF you want to stretch your arms go for a Speed Triple or a Sprint ST or if you want to stretch your arms and your legs and possibly your sphincter too, then go for a Rocket III :razz:

WANG

No need to tell me what bikes are fast, I've had a couple :razz: (and shall have one once again as soon as my tickets go away :-D ) I just believe that an honest summary of the straight line performance of the stock Triumph twin is appropriate whenever there is someone entertaining the notion of purchasing one.

The America and the Thrux were more alike in their power delivery (in my recollection, anyway) than you would really expect. I'm not a cruiser guy at all, but I rather enjoyed my time on that America

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Psyched Out and Furious

mrunix

I think I should add this, to make things clearer.. I aggonized over this for quite a while. I wanted a Speedmaster, but was torn over getting a new one with the 865cc engine or a used one with the 790cc engine. I was really leaning towards an '05. But after test driving both, I could not notice any significant difference between the two engines. Both pulled hard throughout the entire RPM range, and while I didn't press them to their limits, I don't think any difference at the extreme ranges would matter much anyway since that's not where the majority of my riding would be (if at all). I have always sought good used bikes, along with their significant discount, over new, but was willing this time to go new if the difference was worth it (IMHO). I wound up deciding it wasn't worth it, so I found a used '04 with very low miles on her, and saved almost three grand in doing so. Now, notice that the difference in price was significant! If I were to only go new, and had been given the choice between an '04 or an '05 at the dealer, I most likely would have gone with the '05 since the price difference at the dealer is minimal (few hundred bucks, maybe a little more depending on dealer?). If you are looking only at the dealer, you should probably go with the 865 ('05) since that seems to be the direction that Triumph is going with future bikes, and the price is not much more than the '04. If, on the other hand, you can find a good used Speedmaster in your area that you like for a good price, I would (did) go that route instead. The money you save can go towards all the extra little bits you would want to add, and you can always trade it in later for a new one later if you desire. Either way, you will be happy with a Speedmaster, regardless of which engine it has in it.

Brad

Roadglide

saw