VOL. 56 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 26, 2019 P75
Jorge Lorenzo, but someone with a different
kind of riding expertise, two-time Isle of Man
TT winner Gary Johnson. But shorter riders
will find the Speed Twin a very accessible
ride, with the shape of the seat aiding them in
putting both feet on the floor at rest.
However, height has nothing to do with the
enticing accessibility of the Speed Twin's en-
gine performance, because quite simply this
is a T120 Bonneville on steroids, aka a more
rational version of the Thruxton R, and then
some. A look at the power and torque curves
shows you what to expect, because revs are
almost irrelevant on this ultra-muscular, meaty
yet mighty variant of the Bonneville motor. It
pulls wide open in top gear from 2000 rpm,
but with a practically flat torque curve all the
way to the 7500 rpm soft-action limiter as
shown on the nicely updated retro-style tacho
mounted alongside its speedo sister.
The exhaust note from the good-looking
tapered megaphone-style cans matches
repositioned aluminum taper-section handlebar
mounted on taller risers. This makes for a much
more comfortable stance than on the Thruxton,
which your wrists will be thankful for, although
with the revised footpeg location I'd have liked
the seat to be a little taller—at 5'10" in height my
knees got a bit cramped during a seven-hour
day spent chasing the wheel tracks of—no, not
Attention
lovely
Speed.
(Above right)
eye-view
uncluttered
relaxing.
you and
the road.
