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[ST] Road tests



I was at my local Triumph dealer this weekend for his annual "Big Road Test"
weekend.  This basically means he lines up just about every bike in the
Triumph range and you get to test ride as many bikes as you like for around
20 minutes per bike.  Bloody marvellous!!

I decided to try the new Speed Four first.  The bike they had available had
just returned from a Bike magazine road test in Spain and was frankly
shagged.  There was pronounced play in the steering and the clutch was
clearly on its way out!!  Looks like the magazine boys really thrash the
hell out of their test bikes.  Anyway apart from these points the Speed Four
is an absolute riot.  The engine is fabulous although being a 600 you have
to rev the guts out of, but the motor is just so willing.  Brakes, as we've
come to expect from Triumph, were incredible, stoppies anyone?  Needless to
say the handling was superb.  Things I didn't like were the fact that you
very much get a feeling of sitting right on top of the bike and the wind
protection is of course non existent.  The bike is obviously designed for
the urban stuntman and it excels at that, but forget about long distance
work or lengthy commuting.

Next up was the Daytona.  Nice bike, but it just confirmed for me why I
changed my Daytona 12 months ago for the RS.  The new Daytona engine has
loads of power and the performance is fairly scorching, but most of the time
you just never make use of the full performance of the bike.  The riding
position is arse in the air and head on the tank with a lot of weight being
taken through the wrists.  Good, confidence inspiring handling, although not
nearly as quick steering or responsive as the RS.  Excellent bike for Sunday
afternoon blasts in the twisties, but too focused for any other type of
riding IMHO.

I didn't get the chance to try anything else because SWMBO had to be
somewhere else, but all in all it was a great afternoon.  The best bit was
that I left there with the feeling that I've bought the best bike in
Triumphs range.  The motor in the RS is just about perfect I reckon and the
handling and braking are well up to the job.  To top it all off I can
commute and tour on it in (almost) supreme comfort.

Andy
__________________________________________
Andy Cunningham
Stockholm, Sweden
955i Sprint RS (01)

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