A‘ JOYOUS FEELGOOD ENTERTAINER’

Hugo Wilson ventures into the metropolis to assess the Speed Twin’s urban credentials. London loves this Triumph…

CENTRAL LONDON SPEED limits are a nightmare. A moment’s distraction and you’re doing 30 in a 20, and the surveillance state’s automated revenue generation system is whirring into action; the fixed penalty notice is being processed before you’ve realised your mistake. Still, it takes more than the risk of becoming a bus passenger to remove the joyous satisfaction of an evening spent posing round town on a good looking and great sounding motorcycle. Especially if there’s a tunnel in which to share with fellow road users the aural delight of the Triumph Speed Twin’s 1200cc, 270° crankshaft and the S&S ‘mufflers’ fitted to our blinged up test bike. Shall I change down two gears? Or only one? Somehow every ride into the West End goes via underpasses at The Aldwych and Marylebone Road to enjoy the booming tone of the exhausts. Next visit to London I’ll take in Marble Arch and the Rotherhithe Tunnel too.

The Speed Twin is as light on its toes as a fleet footed ballroom dancer. It turns, stops and goes with immediacy and minimal effort, finding gaps in angry evening traffic, busting away from lights, shimmying between lanes and pirouetting into side streets. The engine, delivering peak torque at under 5000rpm, and a healthy kick from not much above tickover, delivers delicious shove, even if absolute power is a modest 96bhp. The clutch and gearbox are sweet too, though in this environment gear choice is more about what engine note you want to deliver.

The Triumph is compact but has real road presence (‘1200cc? But it’s tiny,’ observes Ducati 748 owning photographer Steve Lovell-davies). The wide handlebars and the mirrors at their extremities might compromise lane splitting ability, but they let you boss the bike, and the traffic around you. The throaty exhaust helps provide Uber drivers with suggestions about their road position too.

The rest of the riding position is also exemplary. A tank that’s narrow enough to make it feel like your knees are almost touching, footrests that allow an adequate knee bend to provide easy peg

and a seat that’s slim and low enough to ensure that the wait at the traffic lights isn’t a teetering wobble. It’s comfy enough on the two hour, 2am ride back up the A1 to Peterborough too, provided that you keep to semi-sensible speeds. Regular long runs would make wind protection welcome, but then you might as well buy Triumph’s café racer-style Thruxton.

Credit for the chassis dynamics goes three ways. The riding position helps, and so does the geometry, but there’s also the benefit of lightweight seven spoke wheels (unsprung front end weight is almost 3kg less than the Thruxton) in reducing inertia and the fact that the rear tyre is a sensibly narrow 160/60. Experience says that narrower rear tyres allow reduced steering effort and improved feel. The result is a bike that gyrates around the one way system at Marble Arch, allowing intuitive inputs to avoid suicidal cyclists.

So it feels great. But it makes you feel great too, that’s partly from the riding experience, but it’s also down to the Triumph’s good looks and quality feel. The profile, with kicked up back end and cut down mudguard suggests hot rod cool. The finishes, black, brushed aluminium and stainless steel are understated. Componentry has a quality feel, from the switches to the clocks, though I’m not sure about the quilted brown seat; to me it’s more Austin Maxi than Aston Martin.

The Speed Twin doesn’t scream ‘Look at me’ but it does turn discerning heads. ‘Nice bike,’ shouts a cabbie, as we’re stuck at the lights, waiting to cross the Marylebone Road. ‘I took one for a test ride,’ he continues, ‘it felt great, but don’t you reckon it runs out of puff a bit early?’ Well, compared with Triumph’s 148bhp Speed Triple, or other superfast nakeds then ‘yes’, but I think he has identified the point of the Speed T.

This is a bike that works brilliantly between 0-100mph. It makes you feel great, but doesn’t encourage you far into the speeding stratosphere. It’s a joyous feelgood entertainer that might help keep your licence intact. Unless you live in London.