TRIUMPH SPEEDMASTER (2002 - 2011) Review

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £150

Something like 50k miles in more than a dozen countries on three continents over the last five years. Always able to find the basics, never down for repairs more than a day or so, and always ready to fire up and ride. She has her faults, sure, but I've come to love those as much as her strengths

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £150

I bought my ‘04 speedy to tidy up and sell on, but by the time I’d ridden the 100 miles home, even though I’ve not been a fan of cruiser style bikes, I knew it was a keeper. Since I bought it, I have done several modifications. A K&N air filter, carburettor re jet, air induction system delete, Triumph Twin Power CDI unit and a set of Triumph TOR exhausts have given the engine a bit more pep, which injects a bit more fun into the ride. The rear shocks aren’t the best and took a bit of tweaking to get them something like decent, but I think a set of Hagons will be on the cards soon, maybe better fork springs too, although the standard ones are adequate. The stock seat is poorly set for a passenger, my wife said that she didn’t feel safe on it with it’s rearward slope, so I fitted a set of Triumph America seats and a backrest, the seats are a straight swap, so no hassle to do it, and I now also have a single seat option, I remove the rear pegs and put a rack where the rear seat should be. I have fitted a Dart Piranha flyscreen, it doesn’t do much but looks nice. I also services the brakes and fitted EBC sintered pads, which has made the brakes really effective. I have fitted a set of Triumph foot boards instead of foot pegs which has made a difference to the riding position, I now sit slightly more upright on the bike. There is also an issue with the starter idler gear boss cracking, mainly on earlier bikes, there is a bracing kit available, so I will be fitting one in due course. Finish isn’t brilliant, when I got the bike it had alloy worm under the lacquer on the aluminium parts, the paint was peeling on the engine barrels and front sprocket cover and it looked generally scruffy. This may have been down to damp storage, but other owners seem to have a similar issue. Not long after I bought it, I dropped it under braking on a wet road at about 20 MPH when a car pulled out in front of me, when I hit the brakes the front just let go. When I checked the front tyre I discovered that it was 16 years old. Check your tyres when you buy a very low mileage older bike folks! Not really the tyre’s fault, but it has given the OE Metzeler tyres an unfounded bad reputation amongst owners. All in all, it’s been a pleasant surprise, I have other bikes, a 2001 Kawasaki ZRX1200R and a 1994 Kawasaki ZX9R, they rarely get ridden these days, that says it all really.

Buying experience: Bought privately

Version: Last of the carburettor models

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £200

I have owned the bike from new and it has served me a treat, and easily the best bike I have had, previous being a '74 500 Four Honda (130,000km) and an '82 HD FXR.(110,000km) both also from new. I need a bike to be hassle free and highly usable, day to day and mile after mile, all year round. The HD was never that until I rebuilt the engine with S&S components after which it was a truly great long distance well handling bike that still beats the others hands down for fuel consumption. The Speedmaster has been all these things for me as well as giving nice rider feedback and character. In Australia we have rough roads and long distances, and I regularly travel 1000 to over 10,000 km journeys seeing family etc. The Speedmaster romps these trips in and has never once faltered in just on 90,000 km. For me this is critical because a lot of the journeys are in very remote regions indeed where service is non- existent, with 250km or more between fuel stops. The only failure I have had was travelling the Oodnadatta Track (650km gravel road) where a rock flew up and broke the side stand spring. That road was in good order at the time and the fully laden Triumph handled it very well at 80-110km/hr. Sandy patches had me gasping at times as the bike pranced about. Definitely not its forte, and it is no lightweight. The standard rear shock absorbers are an abomination. One may as well have a rigid rear end, so hard and unforgiving were the factory jobs, to the point that I found the ride so jarring that I was going to sell the bike. However a set of Icon shocks fixed that issue and even fully laden the ride is now excellent. Some complain about the seat, well it was only ever meant to be for solo use, so no point commenting, other than it is pretty good, and for long distance, and I fit a lambs wool cover to help ease the inevitable aches after all day riding. Lights and switch gear has been excellent and issue free, however the stupid blinker warning light is invisible in sunlight as well as being out of line of vision. I am not tall but the forward controls are still an easy reach, as are the rear foot pegs which I find great to use to alter pressure points during the long hauls. I fitted slash type mufflers and a K&N air filter to get a very noticeable increase in power and better fuel consumption. Carb jetting is still stock.

Buying experience: Bought new from local dealer who have since lost the agency because like HD, Triumph they want a sole agency dedicated building. Absolute nonsense in Australia where none of the inland towns could support such. As a result there are practically no Truimph (or HD) dealers or service anywhere away from coastal capital cities. Neither will be getting my patronage in the future.

Version: Speedmaster

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £150

American gel passenger seat, oil pressure gauge,902 waseca 180 degree motor.standard as imported, 138 mph.

Buying experience: American imported personally .all Triumph options plus New Bonneville gauges oil pressure etc.gel passenger seat,902 engine upgrade

Year: 2003

Old school cruiser , very much like Bonneville of old.

Version: carb version

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £30

Not to good for pillion riders :0) Looks really great, and comfortable, be warned I swapped from a sports bike....it takes a while to get settled !!

Buying experience: no problems brought from dealer 3x (no no longer).

Year: 2007

Best bike I've owned, extremely comfortable. Smiles per gallon are sky high. Never a repair. Cool retro vibe. Stands out from the pack. Will absolutely throttle you down the highways. If you wanna do 50--70 for hours invest in a windshield. Timeless classic, Speedmaster! The name fits so well.

I first have to say this bike is much better than MCN's review. It doesn't have 54BNP, it has 61BHP, and this bike is far better than a 1200 harley sportster. My 2009 is comfortable and it does come with a fuel warning light. This bike is excellant value as it compares in price to a 883 Harley sportster. You also don't get triumph riders acting like the snotty nosed Harley riders. This bike rides really well and is very torquey and extremely customizable. I am going to fit a twin headlamp conversion so it has a front end that looks like a rocket 111. If you can't afford a thunderbird and don't want to be a twat like a harley rider get this bike, it looks so moody with the blacked engine and a spattering of chrome....fantastic.

Had my 865 (carbed) speedy for 12 months now and feel that I can give honest review. At first I was dissapointed with the performance of the engine due to lack of "grunt" as this was my first cruiser (traded in k1200rs to slow me down) compared to prev Harleys I had test ridden, but as the miles have racked upto 3000+ engine is very sweet with pleasing pull away from the lights. As for comfort? have done many 4-5 hr rides 2 up and both myself and pillion have decided its the comfiest bike we have ever had (bmw gave us aching backsides after 90 mins!). My Speedy has "klic bags" panniers and a Nelson Rigg sissy bag and we have been to MCN Butlins with enough kit for 2 for 4 days with room to spare and still cruised along m/way at 85+ behind the large screen. Build qualilty seems on a par with other bikes and over winter coated it with ACF50 and it survived ok. regular 50mpg+ and the fact its not too grunty means the chain does not get a battering and seems to be lasting well (thankfully as my last 2 bikes where shafties). Worst thing I can say about the bike is :- (and its not the bike!) the tyres in the wet are HORRID!!. Have been waiting to see the new Thunderbird, but after seeing it and the price I have worked out £1000 on tuning will give the Speedy similar performance figures and thats the way I have decided to go as I am that happy with the speedy.

I'm still too young for a BMW for my 200-mile daily commute, and too old to carry on using a modded VMax. The Guzzi Bellagio's too tricky to get parts for, so the Speedster's a nice compromise (with a flyscreen), and sufficiently simple to service myself. It's dead easy to ride (once I got used to the footpegs being forward), and handles impeccably (actually, a lot more predictable than my 900SS). The engine's utterly gutless compared with a VMax (obviously), but nicely balanced between lumpy and smooth at the right points. I couldn't tell any performance difference between the injected and carbed models, so went carb'ed, as it was cheaper - and I can look after carbs on my own. Sounds quite respectable with the TOR pipes, too. The chrome's got to go, though. I'd prefer my ride to not look like a bordello chandelier...

I am reviewing the Speedmaster 2004 790cc model. I am 6'1" and 16stone (100kg). These stats are highly relevant, and are seldom seen in test ride reports, I never worked out why they don't do that at the beginning of tests/reviews... Anyway, since this system is based on 'out of 5 stars', I shall explain my results. First: Ride & handling - This is my first go at feet forward riding, it was strange at first trying to find pegs beneath me, but I only did that a couple of time before I adjusted. My first ride was for roughly 1.5 hrs (70 miles), and I really enjoyed it! The bike turned when I wanted it to, very fluidly and with no scraping drama! The only downside is the low-spec rear shocks, but Hagon do a replacement for only just over £100 What a bargain! I also have size 11 feet, which meant I neded to put the arch of my foot on the peg, and point my toes out slightly, so not to foul the controls. It was still comfortable, but I was concious of the possibility of say, resting slightly on the rear brake, but it didnt happen and you could say the same for a lot of bikes I guess. Second: Equipment - I got a Tacho, but no fuel guage. I had a Bonneville before, and you soon get to know how many miles you will do between fills safely. You just have to remember to reset the trip every time. Other than that, it has everything it NEEDS. Quality & reliability: It start well and soon settles into a solid tickover. The paint is poor as on all Triumphs and shows light surface scratches really easily. Also, due probably to the wafer thin paint, rust can apear under the paint, but this varies bike to bike I hear. Other than the paint, its all solid, machined - British goodness! Value: Put against other bikes in this sector, the used values are conparable, but I would say the overall quality of this bike superceeds all the others in the middleweight cruiser market. Engine: The engine is a peach! I had a 865cc Bonnevile, and very nice it was too, but the 790cc engine is just as good, and the 270 degree timing order coupled with TOR slash cut pipes, gives a not too loud, but amazing sound. Personally I love a few cracks and pops on the over-run, and with the said pipes, this bike delivers those too. Overall - It has a stupid, stupid name, but then the 'America' is worse still. I wonder what market that bike was aimed at... subtle! Ignore the name, find a good used example, put Hagon shocks on the back and TOR pipes, keep it clean (which is quick and painless with the black engine), and you will have a very enjoyable road bike, that you can be proud to own. Not convinced? Take one for a test ride!

I agree with Speedie865. Much better than review. Have shortcut pipes, and have gel single seat with gel touring pillion pad addede when the wife wants to come out to play. It's really comfortable, a nice lazy ride with as much power as you need for the style of bike Do not be put off...it's the best bike I've owned yet. I tested a Harley 1200 Sportster, but the Triumph put a much bigger grin on my face, was much more comfortable, better handling, much better brakes and got more admiring looks (and didn't overheat like the Harley).

Definately much better than the MCN review suggests, especially if you also read their review for the America which is basically the same bike. Just run mine in. Smooth ride, good brakes, very comfortable if a little heavy in slow moving traffic but with decent performance for a cruiser. A creditable alternative to a HD, much more presence that the Sportster and a fraction of the price of the Dyna/Softail ranges.

After picking up the bike on a very cold, icy day in Jan this year 2008 and riding approx 75miles back home i was impressed by the handling etc etc and now having completed the required 500 miles running in period i can only say the bike gets better with every mile. I dont think it needs a sixth gear as 85mph comes at 4000 revs and if you need any more then buy a sports bike, it handles superbly in the dry or the wet, stopping power is very good for a heavy(ish) bike, it has allways started first time every time so no complaints so far. I have added quite a few extra's ie: floorboards, short sissy bar, open pipes, lightbar and lights and plenty of chrome bits which all adds up to a very good looking bike.

I have owned my 2005 speedmaster for 18 months. i bought for its styling and laid back attitude. Its like a harley but with english heritage. no one will be offended by a Triumph... If you buy one i would recommend you add a small flyscreen, makes 90mph possible instead of 80mph (purely because of the wind), and i just added the short cut pipes, they really make a fantastic sound and with the breather conversion makes it a bit faster as well. there are some really cool american websites for adding or changing bits, and i have seen some really nice chopper versions. Am really happy to discuss with existing or potential buyers any time.

I wish now I had bought this bike earlier. I use the bike for touring and for commuting and it does both just as well. In fact this is the first bike that I have had that I enjoy riding every day no matter what I am doing. Strengths: Bottom end grunt, the optional extras, dealer customer service. Weaknesses: Standard pipes make the bike too quiet, pillion seat needs changing as not very comfortable, would benefit from a 6th gear.