Triumphrat

sharpshooter · 09-23-2005

According to triumphs web site, the speedmaster is down on power to the America, but the speedmaster has the bigger engine. They say the speedmasters frame thrives on the extra power of the 865 cc engine and the america has laid back power from its 790cc engine. I am lost. What is the real difference between the two. Thanks..............

Rick......................

dazco · 09-23-2005

According to those who've ridden both there is little difference they noticed. The 865 speedy is supposed to have less HP but more torque. In the real world it doesn't seem to matter much.The 865 speedy's engine develops it's max HP at 1000 less RPM's than the 790, so HP ratings are decieving since at 6500 RPM's where the speedy is at it's max HP, the 790 is not and may be making the same amount at that point. So with that in mind and the higher torque rating i think that the difference you'll find while minimal according to most would be that the 865 is an engine that's built to perform better at the low and mid end while the 790 will rev higher to attain it's power. But again, thats in theory and those who've ridden both seem to notice little.

The 790 does have the advantage if you intend to by thunderbike pipes because it gains more from them than the 865 does. However, thats in the context of a bike thats otherwise stock. When you start jetting and doing air mods i don't know if anyone really knows whether the 865 will then catch up in amount of gained performance because there are much fewer people who done this since the bike hasn't been out but a year compared to 3 or 4 years of the 790 speedy. All i know is removing the snorkel to get a bit more air in after installing the pipes gave me a considerable boost maybe as big as the pipes themselves did. So i'm now in the process of rejetting and possibly going further with air mods and then we shall see just how capable of big power the 865 is or isn't.

Anyway, all that said i would suggest you consider the bike you like best with no regards to the engine because the difference is certainly nit picking at best. I know the 865 is capable of a good bit more power as i've seen already with very little done to it. So my suggestion would be to go with the bike that speaks to you. And don't take the specs too seriously because they are all but meaningless in the real world. If people can't feel the difference as most say after riding both, the reast of the bike is where you need to focus. (but the speedy is by far the best looking of course :-D :-D :-D )

Panthermark · 09-23-2005

Wheels/brakes, handlebars, chrome, and a 17T vs an 18T sprocket.

ChuckofTahoe · 09-23-2005

For me the big difference would be the tires on the Speedmaster which are tubeless and therefore are going to have more integrity and capability than tubed tires which are used on spoked wheels.

But of course the spoked wheels have a special charm to them. But for me the nostalgia factor comes more into play with the Bonnevilles.

I would go with the Speedmaster in this style of bike.

sharpshooter · 09-23-2005

Thanks guys, your input is very much appreciated. Thanks again.......................

Rick..........................

Bryan · 09-23-2005

I liked the green paint job on the America. I didn't like the blacked out engine on the Speedmaster. I liked the spoked wheels on the America. I liked the dual disk on the Speedmaster but the price hooked me on the America. If I didn't already have a 750 Bonneville in the garage I would have bought the T100.

bear640 · 09-23-2005

Thats it Bryan, I liked the spoked wheels too, & the green.
Each one to their own. My BA turns me on! :-D

dazco · 09-23-2005

Not that this would happen to everyone obviously. But one reason i almost bought the america was the black engine on the speedy turned me off. After a very short time i came to absofreakinglutely love it. I can't imagine it being chrome/alum now. It looks different in person too. It's a satin textured finish that looks high quality, not that shiny cheesy paint they used to use on Jap bikes. Everyone that sees it likes the black engine including a friend who's harley is 80% chrome. I have seen the light ! :-D

pwesel · 2 Weeks Ago

Now, I have a pretty terrific wife. Last year she said to me: what do you want for your 69th birthday, and I said a motorcycle, and she said, okay. I nearly fell over. So, always wanting a cruiser Triumph (I had a Yamaha scrambler in the 70s), I went to my dealer and compared the America with the Speedmaster (I don't much like the Rockets, frankly, and price wasn't an issue). In 2007, the bikes were virtually identical in most respects. Biggest differences were in the tach (America didn't have one), better front brakes (for Speedmaster), and the seats (America - better passenger seat, Speedmaster - more swoopy). Well, I thought that the better passenger seat would entice my wife to ride with me (turned out I was wrong), and I got the tach as an accessory (as well as saddlebags, luggage rack/sissy bar, and TOR pipes) and I just love my '07 Triumph America. It is, bottom line, as someone rightly pointed out - a personal choice. As long as you're riding a Triumph . . . and, yes, my wife actually went with me to the dealer and wrote out the check.

270* · 2 Weeks Ago

*ahem* Welcome to the forum, pwesel. Make sure you keep hold of that wife of yours...she sounds like quite a girl.

Personally, I like...love...the Speedie; I didn't give the America a first glance, let alone a second (the light reflectin' off all that chrome hurt my retinas!!)

You do, erm, realise that this thread was started on the 9th day of the 23rd month (whenever that is) 2005?!!! Talk about a zombie thread!!!!

For anyone coming along in 3 years time and reading this, Speedies are betterer. Especially if they're black. (Whether you'll be able to buy air-cooled, carbed, internal-combustion engined vehicles in 3 years is a different matter. Perhaps you will be able to. Perhaps, at that time, they'll be considered 'learner' bikes, with the average capacity of a cruiser engine being 3 litres+!! I dunno.)