Rennie Scaysbrook | January 22, 2023
A year after we spent a month with the Triumph Speed Twin, we thought we’d give it a little more road time.
It’s certainly a looker. Modern retro bikes rarely look this cool.
Photography by Ryan Nitzen
There are certain bikes I get to ride that leave a small impression on me. Some are blindingly fast, others will cross rock-covered mountains with unerring ease, while others are simply nice to be around just because they’re plain cool.
The Triumph Speed Twin falls into that final category. A roadster with a dangerous charm, the Speed Twin turns heads wherever it goes and sprinkles a bit of that Steve McQueen steeze that so many bikes try, and fail, to pull off.
After a week with Triumph’s retro king, the same things annoy me. It’s too small and not overly comfortable for a rider of my 6’1” size. The ever-important rider triangle measurement of ass to pegs, arms to ’bar, is made for a rider at least a few inches shorter than me. The ride is a touch on the stiff side, and at $12,595, I’d have liked at least some adjustability from those beefy 43mm Marzocchi forks.
However, those gripes are about all I can fault with the Speed Twin because there’s a lot to love here.
Ride position is a little cramped for someone of Rennie’s size.
Triumph’s 1200cc 270° parallel-twin motor, nestled snugly between the tubular steel frame rails, is a brilliant little thing. Mated to exceptionally crafted twin exhausts that produce a proper old-school burble at idle, the engine has more than enough torque for everyday duties in SoCal. Triumph claims 83 lb-ft at 4250 rpm with the Speed Twin’s motor, that final number giving you an idea of the ethos of the bike. This is a motorcycle designed for sedate, mild-speed riding—surf that torque curve up your favorite twisty road, and you’ll hardly need the gearbox, just stick it in fifth at 40+mph, and away you go. It’s a simple, easy machine to get the most enjoyment out of, but Triumph has graced the Speed Twin with three riding modes of Sport, Road and Rain, each of which alters the throttle response and the available traction-control intervention if you want to get tricky.
The plank seat is fine for 45 minutes or so. After that, things start getting a little uncomfortable.
There’s no cornering ABS on the Speed Twin, but you get Brembo’s superbike-spec four-piston M50 front calipers gripping dual 320mm discs and a master-cylinder that provides a nice, deft feeling at the lever for optimum stopping power.
You’re dealing with a bike that weighs a measured 480 pounds with a full 3.8 gallons of gas, so it’s neither heavy nor light, but the balance of the chassis makes it feel a fair bit lighter than that. Those Marzocchi forks, unadjustable as they are, help the front-end track nicely and don’t submit unsettling shocks to the rider if you get a little lazy and hit one of SoCal’s many potholes. It’s not too fast in the steering, not too slow—it feels just right for what it is at the handlebar.
Old-school twin clocks suit the aesthetic perfectly.
I reiterate what I said in the original test: the Speed Twin is not for me, but that’s not to say it’s not a good motorcycle, far from it. This is a bike designed for a certain type (and size) of rider, and if that’s you, I promise there are many, many motorcycles you could buy for the same money that won’t give you the joy the Speed Twin does.CN
2022 Triumph Speed Twin Specifications
| MSRP: |
$12,595 |
| Engine: |
270° crank angle, parallel twin |
| Valvetrain: |
8-valve, SOHC, |
| Cooling System: |
Liquid-cooled |
| Fueling: |
EFI |
| Displacement: |
1200cc |
| Bore x stroke: |
97.6 x 80mm |
| Compression ratio: |
12.1:1 |
| Power (claimed): |
98 hp at 7250 rpm |
| Torque (claimed): |
83 lb-ft at 4250 rpm |
| Transmission: |
6-speed |
| Clutch: |
Wet multi-disc |
| Chassis: |
Tubular steel |
| Front Suspension: |
43mm USD Marzocchi forks, |
| Rear Suspension: |
Twin RSUs with adjustable preload |
| Front-Wheel Travel: |
4.7 in. |
| Rear-Wheel Travel: |
4.7 in. |
| Front Brake: |
Dual 320mm floating disc, Brembo M50 4-piston monobloc caliper, ABS |
| Rear Brake: |
Single 220mm disc, Nissin 2-piston floating caliper, ABS |
| Front Tire: |
120/70 ZR17 in. |
| Rear Tire: |
160/60 ZR17 in. |
| Seat Height: |
31.9 in. |
| Wheelbase: |
55.6 in. |
| Rake: |
22.3° |
| Fuel Capacity: |
3.8 gal. |
| Weight (wet, measured): |
480 lbs. |
