Thinking of a Speedmaster...good and bad points?

Good points, triumph, comfy ride, torqy engine, style.
Bad points : my wife wont let me have one

 

I think you're either a cruiser man or you're not. Personally I love them and Triumph make the best imo.

The America and Speedy are both excellent "lightweight" cruisers that have decent handling (for a cruiser), excellent fuel range (over 200 miles), very customisable, and stylish. Tyres seem to last forever (my front had 14k on and still had plenty of tread left).

My America took me 14k miles in 18 months with a long trip to Switzerland and France where it proved to be a vey capable tourer.

The feet forward position can be difficult for some people (especially if you're short) but footboards will help that. The seat on both the America and Speedy gets mixed reviews. I hated mine and replaced it with a Norman Hyde one..

Only a long test ride will tell. Good luck with it!

 

If you want luggage for touring then Givi do a rack and panniers for the Speedy (the same as the America basically). The rack doesn't have a sissy bar either.

 

Nice looking America folkbloke . Must admit I don't like the indicators on the Speedmaster , if that's what I buy I'll change them to LED . In a perfect world I want a Speedmaster with America wheels and headlamp. I'm not keen on the colour options either so it's going to have to be painted too.

 

Thanks! It was a really nice bike but my Thunderbird Commander is even better

I'd suggest buying an America and put Speedy bars on as that's really the main difference (after the wheels of course and the rev counter and probably other stuff I don't know about!).

 

That's probably the way, for a few hundred more I can get the two tone red, then it's just bars and risers. Every America I've sat on in the dealers the stock bars were angled right down in a very ( to me ) unnatural position.

 

Hi looking for some advice .... New on here so hi ! ... I have a 2013 America .. Love the bike , but some cheap plastic parts I getting rid of bit by bit ... However I can't find replacement rear indicators .. The OEM are just cheap crap .... Any body got any ideas ??? Appreciate your ideas comments
Cheers mo

 

I got some arizonas from squaredeals, not too small 3.7 cm diameter, on a thruxton, made by shin yo, they are well made, check out bikermart as well.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. I changed the stock ones on the Bonnie for British Customs ones from squaredeals. They have aluminium bodies and you get a choice of chrome or black and different lenses.

 

some more points on the America , great fuel range , mine has done 190 miles on a tank full & when I filled it £14.50 did the trick , to be fair the light hadn't been on long . Pretty impressive. The front brake isn't great (neither is the rear) but engine braking scrubs a lot of speed off quickly . The speedmaster does have twin front discs (although I don't personally know what the difference feels like) , you may notice a difference in the feel of the brakes to the Bonnie. Handling & ride style is different , but the America is surprisingly nimble on back roads & you can chuck them around a bit. The riding position is a problem if you have short legs , but the plus side is low seat height & low centre of gravity , so for shorter people , the chances of getting into difficulties & dropping it in a car park would be less & there is the afore mentioned running board option if the pegs are too far away.
The headlight is awesome for night riding, and there are so many extras & accessories that you can personalise them to suit yourself , no two are the same tbh . Their a bloody good allrounder I reckon

 

I'm pretty used to squeeze and hope brakes after riding Harleys for the last 15 years although my Buell is the exact opposite. Weight wise it won't be a problem after an 800+ pound Road Glide Ultra. I really need to scrub up my Buell and get into a Triumph dealer for a demo.

 

That sounds extra-ordinarily good !!! How much per litre is fuel round your way? Must equate to something around 70mpg

Dave

 

The brakes aren't THAT bad

If you can afford it I'd suggest taking out a Thunderbird. I had an America for nearly 2 years and it was brilliant. Did everything I wanted but then I rode a TB......

It's like an America on steroids. Brakes, handling, power (and if you get the Commander) comfort are on another level. It belies its weight and proves just as capable in the bends and the suspension smooths out the road like the America never could. A 200 mile tank range and a fine looking bike to boot.

Go on, spoil yourself

 

£14.50 is about 13 litres at today's prices. That's about 3 gallons for 190 miles so maybe not quite 70mpg but over 60 which is pretty good! The most I got out of mine was about 60 and that was riding very carefully on a French main road with few bends, no hills and keeping the speed around 50. Mostly I got around 50 mpg which gave me just over 200 to the tank.

 

I've already got a fire breathing monster in the Glide, well over 100 bhp and ft lbs of torque , I'm looking for a light bike for shorter trips and around town .

 

The TB will do that as well. You'll only need one bike

 

I have had my 05 Speedmaster for 5 years now and love it really comfortable and got 140 mile on a tank 2 up fully loaded with camp gear all ,most of it motorway work . it looks good and always get looks loads of torque and sits on the motorway at 70mph of course all day long