A‘ LMOST STACKING IT ISN’T GOOD…’
Where are the limits of the 96bhp Speed Twin? Joining the fast group at a Donington track day should tell us. Michael Neeves prepares to highside…
IT WAS TRICKY to know what to expect from the new Speed Twin before its January Mallorca launch. Looking handsome in pictures, with its early ’80s superbike stance I anticipated gnarly performance to match. But it was clear after just a handful of miles, basking in the warmth of the Iberian sunshine, that the Triumph was far classier than that. Scaling rugged mountain switchbacks its rumbling 1.2-litre parallel twin motor made all the right noises as it hurled me out of corners. And it steered, gripped and stopped like a sportsbike, without the wrist ache. But like the café racer-styled Thruxton it’s based on much of the Speed Twin’s performance remained untouched on those dreamy roads. Time to head to the track… Looking like a retro fish out of water at Donington among the hordes of fast group track weapons, the Triumph’s 160/60 x 17 rear Pirelli Diablo Rosso III looks like a pushbike tyre next to their fat 200 section slicks. It sits lower, skinnier, more exposed and that
dark, chocolatey twin-cylinder purr I was enjoying in the paddock a few minutes ago, is now drowned out by the shriek of revving inline fours, yowling V4s and humming crossplane cranks. Without the luxury of tyre warmers, it’s a steady start, but by the time I’ve reached the bottom of the Craner the Triumph is proving to be swift, composed and typically well-balanced. Hinckley test riders are chassis maestros and can make anything handle.
Its power lives in the lower reaches of the tacho and all that grunt lets the Triumph rail through Donington’s curves in lazy gears. The lightest touch on the bars has it dancing through the Foggy Esses and Craner Curves with ease and even with Pirellis up to temperature there’s lots of ground clearance. The Speed Twin’s flat seat, wide bars and monster legroom gives you more room to move around and hang off than those pesky race replicas. From Redgate all the way around to Coppice the 96bhp Brit can hold its own and only gets trumped by 200bhp missiles along the
straights. With confidence growing I vow to switch the too-intrusive traction control off for the next session, grow some horns and see what the Speed Twin can really do.
Almost stacking it twice on the same lap isn’t a good look. Braking for Redgate straight out of the pits I almost rear-end a ZX-10R, as the ABS kicks-in earlier than I’m expecting (it can’t be switched off – thanks Euro4) and exiting the Melbourne Loop the Triumph slews sideways on the throttle, rear tyre screeching like the Fast and Furious. It grips, pitches me into the air and slams me unceremoniously back on that long bench seat.
Corner after corner the ABS panics under hard braking and lets the brakes off. Trying to ride around it by braking just with the front doesn’t work, or a combination of front/rear, or light front/ lots of engine braking. Any which way panics the electronics, except for admitting defeat, braking early and staying the hell out of everyone’s way. When you do make a corner at speed, the non-adjustable forks bounce uncontrollably on the way in and just to hit an apex would be a dream come true. Along the straights the wind tries to peel me off the back and with no bum-stop to lean on, I’m clinging on. The Triumph’s short, sharp diesel-like lump of power is perfect for the road, but the parallel twin runs out of revs too quickly on track. Choosing the correct gear for corner entry means hitting the limiter between the apex and exit. Going in a gear too high is the only option, but leaning on the brakes without engine braking triggers the ABS again and going to full lean with low revs is an open invitation for Mr Highside to join the party again. Peeling the MSVT sticker off the tank and pumping the tyres up for the ride home I’m glad I got to experience the Speed Twin on the track, but relieved it’s over. Triumph never meant for it to be used as a fast group circuit tool – that’s what the Thruxton R is for. It’s a road bike and a bloody good one at that.
‘The 96bhp Brit can hold its own and only gets trumped by 200bhp missiles along the straights’