Triumphrat

05-21-2006

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and new to Triumph but hope some of you can help. I really have my heart set on a new Triumph and after a trip to PJs Triumph in Albuquerque, have narrowed it down to the t100 Bonne, Bonne Black, and Speedmaster. I am coming from riding (most recently) an 03 Kawasaki Concours (1000cc) and am wondering if any one of my Triumph choices would be better than the others as far as performance, comfort, and occassionally hauling my wife along on 3-4 hour rides. I mainly ride in the city to work & back and just around town, but I do like the occassional road trip for the weekends. Need to be able to maintain approx 90 mph on the highway with wife on board and maybe the odd mountain road (at slower speeds) Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Scott

Silverado57 · 05-21-2006

Scott, you could probably be happy with either the Bonnie or the Speedmaster.
I got the Speedmaster. Good luck!

dazco · 05-21-2006

I suppose you'll get many opinions which will likely be for a model which you will see listed under the replyer's avatar. :-D So mine will be no different. But not because i think the speedmaster is right in every case. But speedys and america's do have a advantage on the freeway, and as you said you want to cruise at high speeds with 2 up. the speedmaster is geared considerably higher. You find bonnie owners delighting at the fact that after they added 2 more teeth to the front sprocket they can now cruise at 4k RPM's at 70. The speedmaster does that stock. And because it has a ton of torque (in 05' they put a new cam in them for tons of low down torque) you can add a tooth or 2 to the front sprocket and cruise at high speed easily w/o sacrificing any noticable pull. And for 2 up it's the clear winner. It's also very stable at high speeds. like riding on rails.

so for your purposes IMO it's a no brainer. And after some pipes and simple mods it's even better. mine pulls like a friggin tractor and with one extra tooth on the front 90 MPH is fine. Add 2 and you'll probably find 90 almost lugging it ! (ok, a bit of an exageration :-D ) Oh, and i just remembered.... the new speedys already COME with a 18 tooth sprocket (2 more than the previous ones at 16) so you won't even have to bother with that.

the only problem may be the passenger portion of the seat. You'll want to change to an america pillion setup or one of the custom speedy seats with a big passenger section. I think silverado has one of these and likes it. He'll be along shortly to mention it i;'m sure. And by the way, the SM is great in town too because of all the twins it develops it's max torque at the lowest RPM's....3500 i think. So for 2 up thats real important and it give a great round town feel. I just love that torque !

dazco · 05-21-2006

Ahh....theres silverado now ! tell him about that seat Kevin.

[ This message was edited by: dazco on 2006-05-21 20:11 ]

05-21-2006

Thanks for the replies so far. Thanks for the info on the speedie--Things I wasn't aware of . Keep'em comin'.

Scott

Silverado57 · 05-21-2006

Why thank you Daz!

If you like 2-up riding, the Speedmaster is a great choice. But you will want to add the touring seat. The wife loves it.

This weekend I added the short sissy bar & rack.
Now the wife REALLY loves it. And this is a woman who swore she would never ride on a bike!

*Note * I was VERY hesitant to change the seat and put the sissy bar on because I didn't want to change the great lines of the Speedy. To my surprise the seat and sissy bar actually compliment the bike!

The Speedy cruises on the highway well over the legal speed limit without breaking a sweat.
Today, it also handled steep grades and sharp twisty turns going through the country. The bike is very accomodating on seemingly every road condition. (Haven't tried off-road yet!)

And it just looks so darn good doing it. Best wishes.

dazco · 05-21-2006

Also, i think silverado has pics of the bike with the toutring seat in his gallery...don't you Kevin?

Trump · 05-21-2006

Tough choice. For city riding, to and from work and an occasional lunch outing, I can't think of riding anything other than my Bonneville. For zipping around town and including a trip to the suburbs here and there, the Bonneville is a fun ride and you won't be looking for much more power. It's also so easy to take on a passenger because of the seat... just hop on and away you go.

However, I find that on the weekends and for longer rides (and with a passenger), the Speedmaster is better than the Bonneville for me. Surprisingly, even though the Speedmaster is heavier, it's actually an easier bike to ride on long stretches. It's a much more relaxed ride but fun just the same. Even though the Bonneville is zippier and might be a tad faster, I find the Speedmaster feels more powerful. Also, I'm 6' with long inseams and I feel more "fitted" on my Speedmaster.

So tough choice there Scott. If you're gonna do more city riding, go with the Bonneville, but if you're taking your wife and looking to take 3-4 hour rides, you'll probably be happier with the Speedy.

Normandy · 05-22-2006

Also a big fan of the speedie. Your passenger may not
like the wedgemaster seat tho.

eagle · 05-22-2006

I'd still go for the Bonnie - T100 and change the suspension and bars to something like the western bars. Then you got a serious tool and comfortable too! Not suggesting for a moment though that the Speedy isn't serious! Just the T100 is a bit more of a bike for all reasons - you can maybe chuck it round the twisties a bit more when you feel the need.