The 2020 Speed Triple 1160 - Yes Or No?

Read the MCN reviews and seems a cracker but unless agricultural gearbox is seriously sorted would waste my money,I’ve had many bikes with far better boxes so I’m putting mine up for sale soon Fsh 2 owners 14k had muddy sump service last week.

 

At 15:25 he contradicts himself then, lol.

 

Haha yeah I noticed that too when I watched the whole thing after posting.. Guess I spoke too soon.

 

Thanks for going to the trouble of experimenting, Steve. I am slightly envious of the opportunity of four hour canyon rides, and I can well believe the RS makes this kind of ride a real blast. I still think if I had the choice I'd sacrifice some of the compression damping clicks at the top of the adjustment range and replace them with a few more at the bottom. But yes, it is a very fine handling machine.

 

Well just had a shout from the local dealer to say they'd just taken delivery of the new Speed and to pop down, so I did.

After a look around and a sit/bounce on the seat first impressions are . . . It's a Speed Triple. This might sound obvious, but it looks more like the Street than the out going model, slimmer, a bit less stocky feeling.

Ergos felt much the same as the outgoing model from the seat. Seat's a bit weird, probably because I'm a short arse, but where it's stitched at the sides, it sort of digs in and pushes the legs out. Not overly comfortable holding it upright on the showroom floor. Build quality looked the usual decent Triumph of late. The suspension hardly compressed with me bouncing up and down. Sat on the Street and did the same and got some decent movement by comparison.

Didn't get a chance to fire it up as it was still covered in stickers and plastic. I may take it for a spin if they stick it on as a demo. Also going to ride the newish Street when the weather picks up.

 

Picked mine up Saturday morning. Most incredible bike I’ve ever ridden. It’s currently still at the dealer awaiting a shipper to deliver to my home (weather prevented me riding it home) but ill certainly post some pictures once its here on Thursday

 

Congrats!

 

https://www.facebook.com/181370041996939/posts/2258137207653535/

mine!

 

Pics for those of us not on Facebook?

 

looking a bit smug..

 

looking a bit smug.. View attachment 126272

 

Fantastic! Mines also black, I can’t wait.

 

I've had mine for a couple of days and I definitely agree that the ride is firm. It's an absolute pleasure to ride on smooth pavement but not as enjoyable on rough/bumpy roads. Yesterday I adjusted the suspension a bit (a few clicks off front/rear rebound and compression) and it definitely helped. For tomorrow I am planning to adjust it even softer, basically go all the way out to the softest setting.

Also, I think the throttle is a bit twitchy in road mode. It's super smooth in rain mode. I wish they would have softened road a bit, softened sport as well and then use the current sport as track.

But overall it's an absolute beast!

 

Whatever you do “DO NOT” go all the way out with the rebound. That is not going to soften the ride! It will make things bouncy and potentially unsafe at times. It’s fine to go all the way out with compression if you want it softer, just leave the rebound alone. You should also set up your sag settings, because if that is not set with correctly it will make the ride very firm. People think it’s the compression and rebound that make for a firm ride, it’s not, it’s the preload, which you adjust for a proper sag settings. If it’s wound on too much front and rear, it’s going to be very firm. Some people will need to replace springs as well to get proper sag settings. Things to keep in mind.

 

Thanks for this, very useful. Suspension tuning is way outside of my expertise

For what it's worth the Triumph manual suggests to adjust compression and rebound equally, and that preload should be 4 turns out no matter how soft you want your suspension:

https://images.triumphmotorcycles.c...dbooks/april 2021/pb1/3850236-us.pdf?la=en-us

I've now reduced the rear tire pressure from 41 psi (as delivered) to 36 psi. Now I think it's great. It feels sporty but not stiff. 41 psi rear is pretty jarring on some roads... my suspicion is that this perhaps contributed even more to my feeling of firmness than the suspension settings.

 

Your welcome Morty. It’s definitely a little confusing at first. I’ve been researching everything I can find on suspension tuning for a couple of years now, and feel as though I’m only just starting to understand how it all works together. I agree with tire pressures being an important part as well. It does factor into part of the suspension for sure. I now run my pressures 36 front and back. It’s more balanced with less harshness out back and the added pressure up front gives me more feel for cornering.

As far as Triumph recommending 4 turns out for preload, that’s absurd. How is 4 clicks out going to give proper sag settings for every person who may ride the bike. A woman who is 110 pounds will need a completely different preload setting to achieve correct sag vs a man who is 240 pounds. That’s why it’s important to go to a suspension specialist or learn yourself. Correct sag settings are one of the most important settings that should be setup before you even ride the bike for the first time. A close second should be rebound. Incorrect rebound can even make the bike potentially dangerous to ride. Compression will only assist the spring to slow down or speed up how fast the fork compresses when braking and hitting bumps. Here a couple of examples of incorrect sag settings and how it will affect the motorcycle. Not enough sag: Suspension too firm which doesn’t allow the suspension to react to the road surface which makes for a very firm ride. But most importantly will results in the bike loosing traction as it bounces off road imperfections instead of absorbing them and keeping the tires stuck to the road. Too much sag: Suspension will feel very soft and wallow over the road surface giving poor traction as well, as the tires will see increased forces put upon them as the bike dives in both directions during braking and acceleration. In emergency braking the front suspension can easily bottom out resulting in serious control issues. So you can see your preload for setting sag is very important. Anyway I just realized I’m rambling and letting my mild case of OCD get the best of me again. Cheers.

 

Is there an idiot guide to sag/compression/rebound/rider weight?

I assume sag is related to preload settings?

 

Yes, preload Stiffens or softens the springs front and back to adjust sag settings. Here is a complete tutorial by one off the best in the business.

 

Ok, today my brother and I checked my sag settings again, as they haven’t been checked since I first set it up from new. I found that the front had a little less total sag so I wound out 1 turn of preload (now 6 turns in) so front total sag is now the same as the rear. The rear preload has been wound all the way out from when the bike was new. I believe the springs have softened a little since new because the rear total sag, with the preload wound all the way out, was approximately 35mm at that time. So after adjusting the front preload today, here are the settings now. Note that front and rear settings have no correlation to one another. I took it for a good ride today and found that total sag front and back at 45mm was very compliant. I was slightly concerned that 45mm would be too much, but it proved to be a good compromise for the road. So anyone who is experiencing a harsh ride needs to check their total sag numbers, and adjust them accordingly. Note that for road use it is recommended to have total sag numbers equal front and back.

Front settings:

Preload - 6 turns in
Static sag - 21mm
Rider sag - 24mm
Total sag - 45mm

Rear settings:

Preload - All the way out
Static sag - 34mm
Rider sag - 11mm
Total sag - 45mm

 

Preload adjusts the ride height, sag and the operating range of the suspension. Only thing that softens or stiffens the spring is fitting a softer or stiffer spring.