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Twins Technical Talk Technical Talk for Hinckley Triumph Twins: Bonneville, T100, Speedmaster, America, Thruxton, and Scrambler

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Old 05-25-2007   #1 (permalink)
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Hi Everyone,

I have been looking at specs for bikes for awhile and have never been able to figure out the rake and trail numbers that are on there or what they actually indicate about the handling of the bike. Can anyone enlighten me?

Dave
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Old 05-25-2007   #2 (permalink)
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I don't know the numbers, but i can speak to the effect. What i notice is as you'd expect, a trade-off. For me personally a very GOOD trade-off with the slightly longer raked forks on my speedmaster. To some maybe not. The good= the bike is ultra stable at speed and i love the way it tracks as if on rails both on the freeway and thru turns from medium on up. The bad= tight turns need more attention, and untill you become used to it, riding at walking speeds like when turning into a driveway or such can be iffy. Once you're used to it theres no problem, but till then you can easily fall over if you aren't paying attention. I don't mean to make it sound as bad as that because it's not an issue most of the time. Just now and then when you turn very badly, the difference between raked and not raked could have you tipping over if you aren't aware and ready. It has happened to me. But just take care and you'll be fine. Once you're going tho it's stable as heck even at slow speeds, just not as "flickable" at slow speeds, but fine. But the trade-off is well worth it to me because at any kind of speed it's so stable and confidence inspiring. I'd have it no other way now !

[ This message was edited by: dazco on 2007-05-25 11:34 ]
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Old 05-25-2007   #3 (permalink)
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I really appreciate your input Dazco. You currently encounter all that I plan on encountering (L.A. Drivers, Traffic, Local mountain roads, etc.) so your input is very important to me. We definately live in "Harleyland" and i had thought to survive the traffic out here I might have to get a larger displacement bike for the power. You have encouraged me that I can do very well in L.A. traffic with an America. Thanks for your help.

Dave
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Old 05-25-2007   #4 (permalink)
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Daz, I'm glad you mentioned that about the low speed manueverability. I thought it was just me!
It has definitely gotten better, but many low speed turns still freak me out. A 2-up u-turn gives me the willies...
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Old 05-25-2007   #5 (permalink)
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I have had my speedy for about a year now and I don't have any trouble/issues riding super slow and I don't remember having any trouble in the past. I don't know if I have just forgotten that I did or what, but it certainly couldn't have been anything too bad if I did. My previous bike was an '81 Suzuki that was more like riding a heavy ten speed that had a motor as far as feel goes.

Of course, riding with a passenger is a different story. Still not bad if they know how to be a passenger.

I would definitely not let this even be an issue when thinking about buying a speedy.

[ This message was edited by: crumb on 2007-05-25 12:31 ]
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Old 05-25-2007   #6 (permalink)
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I'd be interested in hearing an actual definition of the measurements of rake and trail - I'm pretty sure I know what rake's measurement is, but what about trail? I fully understand how the angle of the front wheel affects handling, but I don't fully understand what the technical measurements are actually measuring.
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Old 05-25-2007   #7 (permalink)
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Here's a Rake & Trail calculator
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