2025-on Triumph Speed Twin 900 Review: Sportier look and feel perks up retro twin

Marzocchi upside-down forks are a clear visual upgrade, but the larger 43mm stanchions also conceal higher-grade internals. There’s still no adjustment available, but thankfully the settings it comes on should cover most bases for the average Speed Twin customer. The same is also broadly true of the twin piggyback Marzocchi shocks (higher-spec again, though no more adjustment than the preload offered on the previous model).

Twin shock absorbers are always a compromise, even on high-end retro-themed machines like the Paton S1R, because the direct relation between wheel movement and shock stroke means the dampers have to work hard, constantly moving back and forth over a greater distance than a monoshock with a linkage, or even a laid-down, cantilever-style fitting.

Triumph have done an admirable job of setting the bike up for a middle ground of reassuring support and feedback than not only allows you to push harder on your favourite wriggling backroad, but also letting you know exactly what grip is available when the surface is wet or greasy, as it was at times on the winter riding launch in Spain.

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There were many times I was acutely aware of the lack of grip available, but that subconscious feedback was enough to keep me (and the rest of the riding group) from coming to harm on the polished, dew-slicked mountain roads.

The shocks do give you the occasional thump over large bumps or big dips, but not to the extent it’s jarring. They rebound fairly quickly too, so if there’s another compression to deal with it has the suspension movement back in hand to handle it, at the occasional expense of pinging back a little if you chuck it in a little hard. It’s unlikely anybody buys a Speed Twin to ride with real aggression, but if you do get your head down and your dander up, it’s a capable, entertaining B-road machine.

Braking is better, but a single disc stopping 216kg (wet, which means all fluid and a 90% full tank) can’t realistically be an eyeball-popping setup. It’s quite gentle at the first touch, but squeeze harder and it’ll pull up without causing too much alarm. If you’re a back brake user (if not, why not?), it has enough fine control and power to be useful to make small corrections to lines as well as helping at slow speed.

The ABS has better manners thanks to the new electronics – rather than the clumsy release/apply/release response of the basic system it had before, it now moderates in a gentler way at what it believes to be the limit of grip. We’d argue it’s still a little premature and it could probably pin the front tyre down harder before invoking safety protocol, but any improvement is welcome.

Finally, new Michelin Road Classic tyres are an improvement over the Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp fitted before – they aid the more nimble handling as well as giving more feedback whether the grip was good, or otherwise. They’d be a wise upgrade for owners of the old bike, too.

From 900cc 64bhp sounds uninspiring, yet it doesn’t feel that modestly-endowed when you ride it, thanks to 60lb.ft of torque pumped out at just 3800rpm, with a lunging, long-stroke response right from the bottom that makes it feel like a bike of this capacity should.

Yet, the smooth response and thudding, rather than revving delivery mean it’s still user-friendly, able to waft around without upsetting the chassis or nervier, inexperienced riders. It’s a decent balance of modern convenience and efficiency (on which note, over 60mpg/4.5 litres per 100km is the norm), entertaining punch and an element of classic character.

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The 270-degree crank phasing and carefully-crafted exhaust give it a bassy exhaust note that puts a smile on your face every time you gas it up. There are two rider modes – Road is the normal, full-power setting, with a Rain mode that pegs power as well as making the ABS/traction control more conservative.

We’d say only very inexperienced riders will need to engage Rain in wet conditions, as it’s manageable enough in Road to deal with reduced grip of your own accord, and the rider aids still cut in without delay if you do misjudge a throttle/brake input.

There are some quirks: the gearbox is five-speed rather than the almost industry-standard six ratios, which means they’re widely-spaced to ensure top gear isn’t too revvy at cruising speed. We’d say the opposite is true – 4^th is fine at 70-80mph, with fifth feeling like an overdrive, and there’s often the sense that the jump between gears is too much for a bike with a short-ish rev range.

There were times I felt I was holding too many revs, only to change up and feel like it was lugging too much. It usually pulls anyway, just with less urgency and reduced fun factor.

There’s also not much engine braking, so you have to rely on the stoppers to manage your speed more, rather than rolling on and off the throttle to set appropriate pace on a winding road. The upside of that is that there’s no nasty snatching when you transition from a closed throttle to open, contributing to a friendlier feel than some. A matter of preference, perhaps – but worth knowing.

Detail and finish is high on the agenda for both Triumph and its customers: the development team proudly and rightly point out how there are no unsightly hoses, cables or other ancillaries ruining the aesthetic of the faux vintage engine.

Look forward of the dummy cooling fins, and you’ll see a black radiator providing the real temperature management as discreetly as possible, with the inlet/outlet hose invisible to passing scrutiny, and the filler cap/header tank also out of sight.

The castings, plastics, metal parts and all the other accoutrements are all neat and well finished, with little flourishes of classic charm like the burgundy, Bakelite-alike spark plug caps aping a certain manufacturer of such items popular in the time of the original Bonneville.

Owners of both previous Street Twin and Speed Twin 900s report few faults, and none of a recurrent nature in reviews submitted here on the MCN site: no bike is perfect, but it’s under stressed with high levels of finish.

Only some of the genuine accessories seem to fall short here – chrome pannier rails/crash bars rusting. That’s not unusual, though, and feels like nitpicking rather than a real issue. Expect your Speed Twin to be more or less hassle free to own.

In purely dynamic terms, it’s not doing anything more than a Honda Hornet, or Yamaha MT-07 can, for around £2000 more; if that’s the only way you judge a bike, it’s not great value.

But the market for these is heavily influenced by heritage and style, in which instance the Speed Twin 900 is near peerless. There’s only Moto Guzzi’s V7 Sport and Yamaha XSR700 providing any direct rivalry.

The Moto Guzzi is high on charm and style too, though it’s less fun to ride and not as neatly done when you examine it closely. It’s also a little more prone to minor grief. While the Yamaha is highly functional and a sportier ride, though it’s essentially an MT-07 cosplaying as a 1970s bike, so it’s nowhere near as charming to ride or to look at.

Personal taste is critical in your choice here – but the Speed Twin has the aesthetic appeal and enough classic on one hand, and modern convenience/ability on the technical side, so it’s realistically just like Baby Bear’s porridge: just right.

It’s fairly basic, though that’s to be expected, both for the price and its purpose. No faffing around with settings, modes and display options: hit the starter, go, enjoy.

For suspension twiddlers, there’s nothing to play with, but that doesn’t seem like a feature worth hiking the price for (though there are a set of racier Fox shocks in the accessory catalogue if you wish). Cruise control can be specced for £310 – not outrageous, though we’re reaching the point where it feels like it should be offered on bikes around this price point, though it’s not on either of its main rivals.

The dash is simple to read with easily-navigable menus – not quite as visually-appealing as full TFT options from the saddle, though equally a full-colour screen of any merit has to be bigger than the dinky binnacle the Speed Twin has, which would impact the sleek, clean lines. Opinions differ, but it feels like an acceptable compromise of function and overall form.

Enabling Bluetooth connectivity is a £245 optional module – that seems a bit stingy. There is a USB-C charging point on the side of the dash – you might be happy enough with a decent phone mount and a Bluetooth headset for basic navigation and calling capability.

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So, while it’s not laden with tech and gadgets, it’s largely an appropriate level of spec for the price and the premise of a stripped-back, simplistic roadster: focus on the ride, not poking and prodding buttons…