Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128124
The front brIIkes lIeftI on tile Bot. . . . . . "'-icII could _ • bit _ 1IIte. The Iconic Triumph logo ....... ...,. ......... tDthe~ ........ The coIormatchecl ,..,. '-tier (beIowJ wltII tile Tri.....ph logo ehaped ..UIIght, and chrome bullet shaped turn ",_1s dren up the rear. STVUNG The chassis alone helps define the character of the America, but the details drive the point home. The big chrome headlight, the chromed speedometer housing and the chromed information console all add to the image of the bike. Add to that the classic appearance of the parallel-twin engine, the carburetor accents, and especially that iconic gas tank, and you have the look. The color-keyed fenders give the America that stout beefy look with the chromed taillight housing and buJlet rear turn signals dressing up the rear. In an effort to make the America as inviting as possible for a wide range of riders and also to add to the image. the seat height measures in at an ultra-low 28.3 inches. The America is available in two standard colors: jet black/silver, and Cardinal red/silver. RIDING IMPRESSION We arrived in Atlanta in early September, which meant that the humidity was going to be bad, but the heat should have subsided a bit. It actually looked like it might rain the day of our ride, but it didn't. However, we weren't able to avoid the muggy southeastern humidity. I send a special thanks out to the inventor of textile riding jackets - I really felt sorry for the guys wearing leather on this day. Triumph's Mike Vaughn had an allday cruise planned for us that would take us through the Georgia countryside. The roads consisted of lots of gentle, meandering curves, the type that would thoroughly bore any sportbike aficionados. They were, however, the perfect roads for cruising. As you may be able to tell, ('m still trying to figure this whole cruising thing out - I'm used to going as fast as sanity dictates as often as possible. Which may be why I resorted to screwing around on occasion, doing rear-wheel brake slides just to keep the people behind me on their toes. I'm not sure if they appreciated it. After settling in for the ride, ( realized that the seating position - for my 6-foot frame - was very comfort- (LeftI The -79Occ parallel-twln motorls smooth, and offers plenty of power for a mid-size cruiser. able. The handlebars were set at a completely comfortable distance, and the footpegs were positioned at an acceptable distance. I don't have a great back, and cruisers tend to isolate this weakness of mine and torture me, but I lasted aU day on the America before my back started to get sore. The seat is comfy, but still supportive, and if my legs started to cramp, I'd just kick my heels up on top of the footpegs, which I'm told is the cruiser thing to do anyway. I was impressed by the handling of the America. It turns in fairly quickly and has really good ground clearance for a cruiser. The footpegs are out of the way enough that I barely dragged them all day, and I was trying. Once leaned over, the bike felt stable, and the suspension action was fairly good for a bike that doesn't really have provisions for much suspension adjustment. The bike's low center of gravity hides its weight well, and to be fair, the claimed 497-pound dry weight isn't really that heavy for a cruiser in this displacement category. It actually weighs in right in between the 800cc Japanese cruisers and the HarleyDavidson Sportster range. The parallel-twin engine on the America is very smooth, yet it still has enough character to not seem antiseptic. The balance shafts do their job and keep the bike purring along comfortably without any unwanted vibration. Power isn't stunning, but you forget that the bike only has a 790cc parallel twin. The combination of a fairly Hght chassis and decent power makes for more than adequate acceleration. The bike revs-out fairly far, but lets you know when you hit the hard rev-Hmiter. A really pleasant surprise was the transmission, which shifts beautifully. The gears seem weU spaced and the top gear is tall enough to cruise on the freeway without a hint of buzziness. I would say that the bike's weakest point, and perhaps my only major complaint about the bike - taking the pricepoint into consideration - is the front brake. The front brake on this bike just doesn't cut it. Within an hour, the front brake on my bike, and on many of the other journalists' bikes were toast. I mean like dark - I was busy making the coffee - toast. A couple of us took the bike up into the 90-plus-miles-per-I:lOur range, and the brakes never rebounded from that one run up to speed. They still worked, but the lever was coming all the way to the bar, and required an entire fistful of lever to get it stopped. Even after lunch, when the bike was able to sit for an hour, they just gave up. It may just be the master cylinder ratio, or maybe an additional disc or a better caliper needs to be fitted, but they are hurting. On the other hand, the rear brake works great, and, like I mentioned before, I was stomping on that lever just for fun, and it kept on doing its job. I'm not sure how many miles we did over the course of the day, but c U a • _ n the fuel range on the America was really good. We rode all day long before having to fill up - the 4.40gallon tank and the motor's good fuel mileage make for long stints between fill ups. My overall impression of the America is very favorable, especially when you take the $7999 MSRP into account - not too far off the mark set by the metric cruisers pricewise. It has a decent motor, good handling, and it definitely has a healthy dose of unique Triumph character. CN fd@@fd 111l5[J[JfJiJi]fJJfJD ~1!lfJll/J@ ~ UST PRiCE $7,999 DISPLACEMENT ..•.........790cc ENGINE TYPE .. Air-cooled, twin cam, eight-valve Parallel-twin 86 x 68mm BORE x SlROKE COMPRESSION RATIO CARBURETION KiI"lmON TRANSMISSION STARTING SYSTEM FUEL CAPACITY WHEELBASE 9.2:1 Twin 36mm Carburetors Dlgital inductive Fivl!!-speed .Electric 4.4 gal. 6520 in. RAKE/TRAI1. 33°/153mm SEAT HEIGHT 28.3 In. FRONT TIRE 110/80-18 REAR TIRE 170/80-15 FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEl. ......•N/A REAR·WHEEL TRAVEl. ......•..N/A FROrtT BRAKE . .sIngle 310mm disc, with twin-piston caliper REAR BRAKE .•.SingIl!! 285mm Disc. with twin-piston caliper F1NAL DRIVE ....•..••..•.•.Chaln CLAIJIlEI) DRY WI!JQHT ••.•• 497 Ibs. _ _ S • OCTOBER 3. 2001 1.