Settling into the comfy saddle, feet a bit forward, gripping the tiller beach bar, we got acclimated to the new cruiser-er, British Classic Custom Icon-by, well, cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway through the quaint seaside towns of Carlsbad and Oceanside, on our way to 150 miles of curvy bliss. Swapping for a flat handlebar would solve the problem.
#2018 triumph speedmaster specs full#
Well, high fives to Triumph for not only equipping the Speedmaster with an easy-pull assist clutch and adjustable brake and clutch levers, but also making them actually adjust close enough to be easily reached by less than XL-sized hands.Īnd that segues nicely into the whole point of this review: how is the Speedmaster to ride? While the beach bars are great for cruising, after a full day of aggressive riding in the twisties our wrists were getting a little sore. For new or smaller riders, that can be intimidating and fatiguing. I don’t have small hands, yet I’m often stretching my fingers to reach the levers, even when they’re adjusted as far in as possible. One of my biggest pet peeves is long lever travel, and somehow it’s even more annoying on bikes with adjustable levers. Both the brake and clutch levers are adjustable. Switchgear is easy to use, with single-button cruise control as standard. The Speedmaster also gets a full suite of electronics, including switchable traction control, throttle-by-wire with two ride modes (Road and Rain both provide full power, but Rain eases throttle response for slippery conditions), and easy to use single-button cruise control as standard. The analog speedometer/LCD displays fuel level, gear position and riding mode, and is switchable to also display an odometer, engine rpm, range to empty, fuel consumption data, time of day, two tripmeters or traction control setting. Speaking of which, its 27.8-inch seat is a bit higher than the Bobbers (about half an inch) thanks to thicker seat foam, but it’s still more accessible than the 30.9-inch elevation of the T120’s perch. Pull-back beach bars are comfy and not so wide as to make full-lock parking lot turns difficult, and the forward controls aren’t extreme-the lack of floorboards helps-so shorter-inseam riders should find the Speedmaster a good fit. While it was made clear that the Speedmaster isn’t exactly a cruiser-as Triumph North America PR Manager Phil Read corrected me, it’s a “British Classic Custom Icon”-it definitely exudes a more laid-back attitude than the upright standard Bonnie T120 and the midmount control, flat bar aggressiveness of the Bobbers. The Speedmaster soaked it all up and left us wanting more. Our ride covered stop-and-go traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway, sections of freeway superslab and, best of all, plenty of curves. You could also take someone with you or carry luggage (or both), since the Speedmaster is also equipped with a pillion seat and grab rail, both easily removable for one-up cruising. Perhaps best of all, however, is the larger 3.2-gallon gas tank, which should extend the Speedmaster’s range into the touring realm if fuel economy reaches Triumph’s claim of 50 mpg, you’d be looking at a 160-mile range. It’s a conglomeration of all the Bobber and Bobber Black’s best qualities, with a healthy dose of classic Bonneville DNA.Īdvertisement Details like the headlight nacelle, tank badging, chrome rails and engine accents give the Speedmaster a ’60s feel without going overboard with the retro kitsch. While one would normally start with a “base” model, creating custom variations like bobbers, café racers or scramblers from there, Triumph has done it backwards in this case-and that’s to the Speedmaster’s benefit. Yet…there’s something familiar about it, and there’s a reason for that: it’s essentially an “un-bobbed” Bobber. Now we have a new 2018 Bonneville Speedmaster, and it bears little resemblance to its cookie-cutter cruiser predecessor. Read our 2017 Triumph Bonneville Bobber review The two-tone Fusion White & Phantom Black version features hand-painted gold and black coach lines. The Bonneville line was in the midst of a radical makeover centered around two new liquid-cooled “High Torque” parallel twins (a 9), the wildly popular Bobber was taking social media by storm and Triumph was reaping the rewards. When the Bonneville America and Speedmaster cruisers disappeared from Triumph’s lineup for 2017, we knew something was afoot. For 2018, the Speedmaster becomes part of the updated Bonneville family, shedding its cookie cutter cruiser persona in favor of a handsome, ’60s-inspired, distinctly British look.
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