So I got to take the very orange Triumph Speed Twin for an extended ride yesterday. Just amazing how different two bikes can be. Torque everywhere, in every gear, all the time - I could probably ride the thing in third gear all day. In almost any situation, I'd be in a different gear and at very different rpm than I would be on the Honda - this thing redlines just about where my bike wakes the $%#$ up. I definitely get the appeal of a strong twin. Very pleasing shove with not a lot of throttle input, yet very well behaved at low speeds. No lurching or snatchiness. It also wasn't nearly as vibey as I expected. Not inline 4 smooth, but pretty damned smooth in its own right.
Compared with my bike, the seat is much more comfortable (translation: it has actual padding of some kind
) and the ride is noticeably more compliant over crap roads. Moreover, the rider triangle is certainly much more old-man accommodating, with lower pegs set further forward. Going through cliche corner as fast as I dared on a not-my-bike, I did notice that a mid-corner bump slightly unsettled the rear, which I'd never experienced on my bike on several trips through the same spot. That aside, I came away very impressed with the handling - this thing might look like a laid-back retro, but it dances much more like a sport-naked.
What further surprised me is how easy it was to ride (though I did run wide on one turn, that was down to early season rider rust as opposed to any challenge presented by the bike itself). Hopped on, nothing felt the least but weird, and it was just smooth, strong and responsive from the first twist of the throttle. I'd have to say that this and the Z900RS are tops in my books for a modern classic bike.
